Hazardous Waste

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Hazardous Waste
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Hazardous Waste

• Wastes that are a risk to the health of living
  things.
• Characteristics of hazardous wastes
• Toxic
• Corrosive
• Explosive
• Flammable

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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

• Requires producers of hazardous waste to keep
  records of how their wastes are handled from the
  time the wastes are made until that are disposed
  of properly.

But illegal dumping happens because hazardous
waste disposal is very expensive.
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Superfund Act

• Gives the EPA the right to
• Sue owners of hazardous waste sites who have
  illegally dumped waste
• Force owners to pay for cleanup
• Create money for cleaning up abandoned hazardous
  waste sites

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Hazardous Waste ManagementThe US produces 252
million metric tons of hazardous waste a year.

• 1. Prevent hazardous waste
• Produce less of it
• Ex Using plastic beads as sandblasters instead
  of chemicals to clean metal parts
• Reuse it
• Ex Selling used chemicals for reuse elsewhere
• 2. Conversion into Nonhazardous Substances
• Ex Lime (a base) is added to acids to
  neutralize them

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Hazardous Waste ManagementThe US produces 252
million metric tons of hazardous waste a year.

• 3. Land disposal
• Deep-well injection wastes are pumped deep into
  the ground covered with cement to prevent
  groundwater contamination.
• Surface impoundment pond of hazardous wastes
  that has a sealed bottom
• Barrels

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Hazardous Waste ManagementThe US produces 252
million metric tons of hazardous waste a year.

• 4. Biologically Treating Hazardous Waste
• Ex Bioremediation bacteria used to clean-up
  oil spills
• 5. Incinerating Hazardous Waste
• 6. Exporting Hazardous Waste

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Hazardous Wastes At Home

• Disposing of household hazardous wastes
• Collection or facilities for drop off
• Sorted for recycling or safe disposal