Apes unit 7

Incineration

burning waste to reduce its volume and sometimes to produce electricity.

List the current criteria required by the government for landfills.

1. Landfills cannot pollute surface or groundwater. 2. Compacted clay and plastic sheets are at the bottom (prevents liquid waste from seeping into groundwater). 3. A double liner system must be present (plastic, clay, plastic, clay), and a system to collect leachate (liquid that seeps through the solid waste).

Open dumps

Typically found in developing countries. Fields or holes in the ground where waste is deposited and that sometimes gets covered with soil.

9. Are we running out of space for landfills?

We are currently not running out of space for landfills. The main problems associated with landfills have to do with the leachate and any hazardous waste that may be in those landfills.

​on-site disposal:

disposing of waste at the site that the waste is produced.

Composting:

letting organic waste decompose under controlled conditions.

Give an example of a product made from PVC

Shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles

​What factors must be taken into account in siting a landfill?

Soil type, distance from a water source, distance from a city, etc.

What % of all glass is recycled in the U.S.?

36%

Currently, what % of all waste paper is recycled in the U.S.?

40%

3. What would be needed to start a compost pile?

6 - 12 inches of grass clippings, soil, air, water, leaves or other plant material, shade, and garden fertilizer or manure

What percentage of MSW could potentially be composted?

64%

What is a sanitary landfill?​

A landfill that lines the bottom with plastic and clay with a collection system for the leachate. The waste is compacted and covered daily with clay or plastic foam.

10. What is Integrated Waste Management (IWM)?

A method of developing as many ways as possible to reduce waste and environmental harm. This method uses reducing, reusing, and recycling before landfills and incineration.

15. What are hazardous wastes? How extensive is the problem of uncontrolled hazardous waste disposal?

Any solid or liquid material that is toxic, ignitable, corrosive, or reactive enough to explode or release toxic fumes. The problem with uncontrolled hazardous waste is fairly extensive. Some industrial companies bury their hazardous waste in the ground, some companies go out of business before they clean up their hazardous waste or dispose of it properly. It mostly depends on the management of the company.

Give an example of a product made from PET

Clear soft drink bottles, peanut butter jars

CERCLA

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Puts a tax on chemical and petroleum industries to help clean-up abandoned and non-operating hazardous waste sites.

20. Explain how Life-cycle Analysis can be used by communities to reduce waste generation.

Evaluates the total amount of energy and environmental impact of a product from the cradle to the grave. By estimating these amounts, communities can understand how much of an impact certain products have on the environment and can help the community choose to reduce the amount of that product that is used.

Give an example of a product made from LDPE

Grocery bags, shrink wrap

​Why don't we use large-scale incinerators around here?

Incinerators produce toxic fumes that contain heavy metals and will typically not be found around places where the human population is dense.

Give an example of a product made from HDPE

Milk jugs, detergent bottles, motor oil bottles, butter tubs

What does nimby stand for?

Not in my backyard

19. Compare Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Recycling.

Open Loop: Also known as secondary recycling or downcycling. A product is recycled to make an entirely new product. Closed Loop: Also known as primary recycling. A product is recycled to make the same product.

Give an example of a product made from PS

Packaging peanuts, disposable hot cups

What composes most of the solid waste generated in the U.S.?

Paper

​What environmental and human health risks are associated with landfills?

Possible contamination of groundwater through leachate, possible emission of various gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and other various volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, possible movement of these gases underground.

11. Can recycling really work?​

Recycling cannot work alone but can work when reducing and reusing are first employed. Recycling is a secondary means for eliminating waste.

7. What are the three Rs of waste reduction? Which one is preferred?

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Reducing is the preferred method.

17. Briefly explain some of the approaches to pollution prevention.

Reducing the waste that causes pollution is the first step to pollution prevention. Also, proper disposal of hazardous wastes for proper treatment will also decrease the amount of pollution.

RCRA

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Tracks hazardous waste from cadle to grave to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste.

Give an example of a product made from other

Squeeze ketchup bottles, microwave dishes

POPs treaty

Stockholm Convention. An international treaty put into effect in 2004 to phase out the use of harmful persistent organic pollutants.

​What is the role of purchasing recycled products in IWM?

The role of purchasing recycled products is to eliminate reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and incinerators while also reducing the amount of raw material used.

What is leachate?

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

How do pollutants enter the environment from solid waste disposal sites?

Through leachate or gas emission

2. List 5 items that are not allowed in a landfill.

Tires, lead acid car batteries, oil, antifreeze, air conditioner coolants

16. What are some of the alternatives to land disposal of hazardous wastes?

Treating the hazardous waste by physical, chemical, or biological methods, as well as intense heat to try to make the hazardous waste less hazardous.

12. Can human waste be recycled?

Yes. Human waste can be sterilized and used again in compost.

Give an example of a product made from PP

Yogurt containers, bottle caps, straws