Ch 16

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Chapter 16 Waste Generation and Waste Disposal
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Municipal Solid Waste

• Refuse collected by municipalities from
  households, small businesses, and institutions
  such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings and
  hospitals.

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Municipal Solid Waste

• Throw away society
• Wealth leads to waste.
• Example of planned obsolescence _______?

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Ways to think of MSW

• Long-term viability (feasibility)
• Durable goods will last for years
• Non-durable goods are disposable
• Compostable goods are mostly organic and will
  decompose

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Waste Stream

• Flow of solid waste

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Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

• 31 - paper
• 33- organic materials (yard waste, food scraps,
  wood)
• 12- plastic
• 18- durable goods (appliances, tires)

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E-Waste

• Electronic waste (E-waste) televisions,
  computers, cell phones that contain toxic metals.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Reduce- waste minimization or prevention
• Reuse- reusing something like a disposable cup
  more than once
• Recycle- materials are collected and converted
  into raw materials and then used to produce new
  objects

Which of the above is most important for reducing
our waste issue?
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Closed loop recycling recycled into the same
product. Example carpet, aluminum cans
Open loop recycling recycled into a new
product. Example water bottles into polar fleece
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Composting

• Compost- organic material that has decomposed
  under controlled conditions to produce an
  organic-rich material.

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Carbon to nitrogen should be 301 this will
support the best microbial activity.
HOW?? Layering dry material, leaves, with wet
material, kitchen vegetables. Or brown and green
layers!
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Landfills

• Initially started as open dumps, developed
  countries then went to landfills.
• Growing concern for the what was leaching into
  our water and community known as
• Leachate- the water that leaches through the
  solid waste and removes various chemical
  compounds with which it comes into contact.
• Sanitary landfills- engineered ground facilities
  designed to hold MSW with as little contamination
  of the surrounding environment as possible.

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Landfills

• Who pays for the development and running of the
  landfill?
• Tipping fee a fee charged for each truckload,
  MSW is weighed then its tipped into the landfill.
• Average 35 per ton
• What is a ton?
• Where would tipping fees be higher for the United
  States? Lower? Why?

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Landfills

• Where should you put a sanitary landfill?
• Clay rich soils
• Located away from rivers, streams, and other
  bodies of water
• Away from population centers
• Siting designation or location
• Keep in mind the farther away the more cost of
  transporting your MSW.
• NIMBY not in my back yard!
• Political!
• Closed landfills will go through reclamation, for
  future minimal development.

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Incineration

• Incineration- the process of burning waste
  materials to reduce its volume and mass and
  sometimes to generate electricity and heat.

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Incineration

• Ash residual nonorganic material that does not
  combust during incineration
• Bottom ash vs. Fly ash
• Waste-to-energy system heat from incineration
  is used rather than released to the atmosphere
• Disposal of ash is considered to toxic and must
  go to a special landfill for toxic materials.
• Which is better Sanitary Landfill or
  Incineration?

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Hazardous Waste

• Hazardous waste- liquid, solid, gaseous, or
  sludge waste material that is harmful to humans
  or ecosystems.
• By products of industrial processes and small
  businesses ( textile production, cleaning of
  machinery, dry cleaners, auto service stations,
  small farms) and households (oven cleaners,
  batteries, lawn fertilizers)
• Collection sites for hazardous waste must be
  staffed with specially trained personnel.
• Periodic collections are held in communities.
• Hazardous waste must be treated before disposal
  less environmentally harmful.

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Laws

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)-
  designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste.
  Also know as cradle-to-grave tracking.
• RCRA ensures that hazardous waste is tracked and
  properly disposed of.
• Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendment (HSWA)
  encouraged waste minimization and phased out the
  disposal of hazardous wastes on land

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Laws

• Comprehensive Environmental Response,
  Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)- also
  know as Superfund.
• Puts a tax on the chemical and petroleum
  industries. This revenue is used to cleanup
  abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites
  where a responsible party cannot be found.
• Requires the federal government to respond
  directly to the release of substance that may
  pose a threat to human health or the environment.
• Best known superfund site
• Love Canal, New York

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• Superfund Sites

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Brownfields

• Contaminated industrial or commercial sites that
  may require environmental cleanup before they can
  be redeveloped or expanded.
• Old factories, industrial areas and waterfronts,
  dry cleaners, gas stations, landfills, and rail
  yards are some examples.
• This is for the sites not deemed as superfund,
  but still a danger to the public health.

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International Consequences!

• Read page 454
• What are all the problems that can occur?

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Integrated Waste Management

• A method that seeks to develop as many options as
  possible, to reduce environmental harm and cost.
• Reduction, recycling, composting, landfills, and
  incineration are some ways IWM is utilized.