EnviroScience: Chapter 19.1: Solid Waste (Part 2)
We are currently running out of space that we are willing to develop for new landfills.
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By 2005, the total number of active landfills decreased to ___________ because many of the landfills had been filled to capacity.
1,700
In 2006, the U.S. had ________ operational incinerators that were capable of burning up to _____________ metric tons of municipal solid waste per day.
103, 94,000
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was passed in ____________ and updated in ____________
1976, 1984
By _________, the total number of active landfills decreased to 1,700 because many of the landfills had been filled to capacity.
2005
In __________, the U.S. had 103 operational incinerators that were capable of burning up to 94,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste per day.
2006
More than _____% of the municipal and manufacturing solid waste in the United States ends up in landfills.
55
The total number of active landfills in the United States in 1988 was ___________
8,000.
__________________ are one option for reducing the amount of solid waste in landfills.
Incinerators
forms as organic wastes decompose deep in the landfill where there is no oxygen.
Methane
___________________ include rock and minerals that are left exposed in large heaps, dumped in oceans and rivers, or disposed by refilling and landscaping abandoned mines.
Mining wastes
requires that new landfills be built with safeguards to reduce pollution problems.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Special ________________________________ help control the amount of toxins released into the air.
air pollution control devices
Most agricultural wastes are _________________
biodegradable
New landfills must be lined with __________ and a ___________ liner and must have systems for collecting and treating leachate, as well as ________ to carry methane out of the landfill.
clay, plastic, vents
Adding safeguards to landfills, however, increases the _________ of building them.
cost
The materials we bury in landfills are not ____________ as fast as we can fill landfills.
decomposing
Methane gas can be pumped out of landfills and burned to generate _____________.
electricity
Landfills must contain the waste that is buried inside and keep it from causing problems with the _______________
environment.
If methane gas production is not monitored safely, it may seep through the ground and into basements of nearby homes and cause _____________.
explosions
However, the increasing use of _____________ and ____________ may cause agricultural waste to become more difficult to dispose of because the waste may be harmful if returned to the soil.
fertilizers and pesticides
an area of land or an excavation where wastes are placed for permanent disposal
landfill
Also, finding acceptable places to build ___________ is difficult.
landfills
More than 55% of the municipal and manufacturing solid waste in the United States ends up in ______________
landfills.
If landfills are not monitored properly, __________ can flow into groundwater supplies and make nearby wells unsafe to drink.
leachate
a liquid that has passed through solid waste and has extracted dissolved or suspended materials from waste, such as pesticides in the soil.
leachate
Consumers indirectly create _________________ by purchasing products that have been manufactured.
manufacturing waste
Solid waste from _____________, _____________, and ______________ makes up most of the total solid waste produced in the U.S.
manufacturing, mining, and agriculture
a highly flammable gas
methane
presents another problem for landfills
methane
More than 55% of the ___________ and ____________ solid waste in the United States ends up in landfills.
municipal and manufacturing
Methane forms as organic wastes decompose deep in the landfill where there is no ____________.
oxygen
Leachate is a problem for landfills because it may contain chemicals from ___________, ____________, ________, ___________, ____________, and _____________
paints, pesticides, cleansers, cans, batteries, and appliances.
However, even incinerators with these special air pollution control devices release small amounts of _____________ and particles of __________________ into the air.
poisonous gases, toxic heavy metals
Incinerated materials do not disappear, but the weight of solid waste is _____________
reduced.
Waste inside a landfill must not come into contact with the ____________ and ____________ surrounding the landfill.
soil and groundwater
Landfills are maintained by covering wastes each day with a layer of ________, __________, or ____________
soil, plastic, or both.
Incinerated materials can be more ___________ than before it was incinerated.
toxic
If landfills are not monitored properly, leachate can flow into groundwater supplies and make nearby wells...
unsafe to drink.
Even biodegradable materials, like newspapers, take several __________ to decompose.
years