APES - Chapter 16: Waste Generation & Waste Disposal Ash

RCRA

US Resource Conservation & Recovery Act; protects human health and the natural environment by reducing or eliminating the generation of hazardous waste

reuse

Using a product or material that was intended to be discarded. Allows a material to cycle within a system longer before becoming an output

Explain why we generate waste and describe recent waste disposal trends?

Waste is composed of the non useful products of a system. Much of the solid waste problem in the US stems from the attitudes of the "throw-away society" adopted after WWII. While the United States may be a major generator of solid waste, the lifestyle and goods disseminated around the world have made solid waste a global problem.

acid deposition

acids deposited on Earth as rain and snow or as gases and particles that attach to the surfaces of plants, soil, and water

reduce

also known as waste minimization and waste prevention

life-cycle analysis

an important system tool that looks at the materials used and released throughout the lifetime of a product - from the procurement of raw materials through their manufacture, use, and disposal

Integrated Waste Management

employs several waste reduction, management, and disposal strategies in order to reduce the environmental impact of MSW

waste

material outputs from a system that are not useful or consumed

municipal solid waste (MSW)

refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions (schools, prisons, municipal buildings, and hospitals)

ash

residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration

fly ash

residue collected beyond the furnace

bottom ash

residue collected underneath furnace

source reduction

seeks to reduce waste by reducing, in the early stages of design and manufacture, the use of materials destined to become MSW

Superfund Act

the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), a 1980 US federal act that imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries, funds the cleanup of abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites, and authorizes the federal government to respond directly to the release or threatened release of substances that may pose a threat to human health or the environment

sanitary landfills

An engineered ground facility designed to hold municipal solid waste with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible. repositories for MSW (municipal solid waste.)

What is the process and benefits of composting?

Composting is the diversion of organic material such as food and yard waste from waste stream and allowing it to decompose into organic soil. Composting, source reduction and reuse generally have lower energy and financial costs than recycling.

Define hazardous waste and discuss the issues involved.

Hazardous waste is a special category of material that is especially toxic to humans and the environment. It includes industrial by-products and some household items such as batteries and oil-based paints, all requiring special means of disposal.

Explain the design and purpose of a solid waste incinerator?

Incineration is an alternative to landfills. Benefit: -Reduces the waste materials to roughly 1/4 of its original volume. - Waste to energy incineration often uses the excess heat produced to generate electricity. Costs: - Generates air pollution and ash which sometimes contain a high concentration of toxic substances and requires disposal in a special ash landfill.

Explain the purpose of life cycle analysis.

Life cycle analysis tracks materials from cradle to grave. Using life cycle analysis and integration waste management. With draws on all the available treatment methods. We can make optimal decisions regarding our solid waste.

hazardous waste

Liquid, solid, gaseous, or sludge waste material that is dangerous or potentially harmful to humans or ecosystems

Describe regulations and legislation regarding hazardous waste.

Many problems remain even after legislation. CERCLA (Superfund Act) is probably the most well know regulation concerning hazardous waste because it provides for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Describe the Three R's?

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. 1. Reduce- Reduction in the use and disposal of materials 2. Reuse - using items multiple times whenever possible. 3. Recycling - returning an object to a manufacturing plat where it is turned into the same or another object made from the same material.

Describe the goals and functions of a solid waste landfill?

Solid waste in the US is buried in landfills. Contemporary landfills entomb the garbage and keep water and air from entering and leachate from escaping. Concerns: 1. Toxic leachate contaminating nearby waterways 2. Generation of methane gas. 3. Environmental justice.

Describe the content of the solid waste dream in the US.

Solid waste in the US is composed of primarily paper, food and yard waste. The total amount and per capita waste generation was steadily increasing in the US until the last few years during which there has been a slight decline.

Describe alternative ways to handle waste and waste generation.

The best solution is to design products with a strategy for their ultimate reuse or their dismantling and recycling. This approach has become more common in recent years.

cap

a cover of soil and clay covering the landfill when it reaches capacity

Brownfields

contaminated industrial or commercial sites that may require environmental cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded

tipping fee

fee charged for disposing of material in a landfill or incinerator

open-loop recycling

one product is recycled into another product

compost

organic matter that has decomposed under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material that enhances soil structure, cation exchange capacity and fertility

recycle

process by which materials destined to become MSW are collected and converted into raw materials that are then used to produce new objects

incineration

process of burning waste materials to reduce their volume and mass and sometimes to generate electricity or heat

closed-loop recycling

recycling of a product into the same product

Siting

the designation of a landfill location, typically through a regulatory process involving studies, written reports, and public hearings.

waste stream

the flow of solid waste that is recycled, incinerated, placed in a solid waste landfill, or disposed of in another way

leachate

the water that leaches through the solid waste and removes various chemical compounds with which it comes into contact

waste-to-energy system

when heat generated by incineration is used rather than released to the atmosphere