Chapter 21: Solid & Hazardous Waste
21-2 What is composting?
composting: using bacteria to decompose yard trimmings, vegetable food scraps, and other biodegradable organic wastes into materials that can increase soil fertility
21-3 Distinguish between primary (closed-loop) recycling and secondary recycling.
primary (closed-loop) recycling: materials are recycled into new products of the same type secondary recycling: waste materials are converted into different products
21-2 Distinguish among refusing, reducing, reusing, and recycling in dealing with the solid wastes we produce.
refusing: don't use it reducing: use less reuse: use it over and over recycle: convert it into useful items and buy products made from recycled materials
21-4 Distinguish between sanitary landfills and open dumps.
sanitary landfills: solid wastes are spread out in thin layers, compacted, and covered daily with a fresh layer of clay or plastic foam to keep the material dry and reduce leakage of contaminated water (leachate) from the landfill open dumps: a field of large pit where garbage is deposited and sometimes burned
21-2 Distinguish among waste management, waste reduction, and integrated waste management.
waste management: attempting to control wastes in ways that reduce their environmental harm without seriously trying to reduce the amount of waste produced waste reduction: producing much less waste and production and considering the wastes we do produce as potential resources that we can reuse, recycle, or compost integrated waste management: a variety of coordinated strategies for both waste disposal and waste reduction
21-5 List 4 ways to reduce your output of hazardous waste.
-Avoid using pesticides and other hazardous chemicals, or use them in small amounts -Use less harmful substances instead of commercial household cleaners -Do not dump pesticides, paints, antifreeze, etc. down the toilet, drain, into the garbage, etc. -Do no throw old fluorescent bulbs (which contain mercury) into the trash
21-3 List 5 ways to reuse various items.
1) Buy beverages in refillable glass containers 2) Use reusable lunch containers 3) Store refrigerated food in reusable containers 4) Use rechargeable batteries 5) Carry groceries in a reusable bag
21-2 List 6 ways in which industries and communities can reduce resource use, waste, and pollution.
1) Change industrial processes to eliminate or reduce the use of harmful chemicals 2) Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy 3) Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle 4) Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging 5) Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems 6) Establish cradle-to-grave responsibility laws
21-6 What are 3 ways to encourage recycling and reuse?
1) Level the economic playing field 2) Include harmful environmental costs of products in their prices (ie, bottle bills) 3) Laws requiring companies to take back packaging and electronic waste discarded by consumers and recycling/reusing it
21-5 What are the priorities that scientists believe we should use in dealing with hazardous waste?
1) Produce less hazardous waste 2) Convert to less hazardous or nonhazardous substances 3) Put in perpetual storage
21-1 What are the 2 key concepts for this section?
1) Solid waste contributes to pollution and includes valuable resources that could be reused or recycled. 2) Hazardous waste contributes to pollution, as well as to natural capital degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.
21-6 What are 3 factors that discourage recycling?
1) The market prices of products do not include the harmful environmental and health costs associated with producing, using, and discarding them. 2) The economic playing field is uneven because the industries receive more government subsidies and tax breaks than reuse and recycling industries. 3) The demand and price paid for recycled materials fluctuates, mostly because buying goods made with recycled materials is not a priority for most.
21-6 What are this chapter's Three Big Ideas?
1) The order of priorities for dealing with solid waste should be to produce less of it, reuse and recycle as much of it as possible, and safely burn or bury what is left 2) The order of priorities for dealing with hazardous waste should be to produce less of it, reuse or recycle it, convert it to less-hazardous material, and safely store what is left 3) We need to view solid wastes as wasted resources, and hazardous wastes as materials that we should not be producing in the first place
21-6 Give 3 examples of how people are saving or making money through reuse, recycling, and composting.
1) Yard sales, flea markets 2) Upcycling 3) Dual-use packaging
21-3 What are 3 important steps that must occur for any recycling program to work?
1) collecting materials for recycling 2) converting the recycled materials to new products 3) selling and buying products containing recycled material
21-5 Describe 3 ways to detoxify hazardous wastes.
1) physical methods (filtering, distilling, precipitating) 2) chemical methods (chemical reactions to convert hazardous chemicals to less harmful chemicals) 3) biological methods (bioremediation, phytoremediation)
21-6 What is an industrial ecosystem?
A cooperation between an electric power plant and nearby farms, industries, and homes whereby they exchange waste outputs and convert them into resources; this cuts pollution and wastes and reduces the flow of nonrenewable mineral and energy resources through the local economy
21-5 What is the key concept for this section?
A more sustainable approach to hazardous waste is first to produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to convert it to less-hazardous materials, and finally to safely store what is left.
21-2 What is the key concept for this section?
A sustainable approach to solid waste it first to reduce it, then to reuse or recycle it, and finally to safely dispose of what is left.
21-5 What is a brownfield?
Abandoned industrial and commercial sites such as factories, junkyards, older landfills, and gas stations contaminated with hazardous wastes
21-5 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of disposing of liquid hazardous wastes in surface impoundments?
Advantages: -Low cost -Wastes can often be retrieved -Can store wastes indefinitely with secure double liners Disadvantages: -Water pollution from leaking liners and overflows -Air pollution from volatile organic compounds -Output approach that encourages waste production
21-4 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of burying solid waste in sanitary landfills?
Advantages: -Low operating costs -Can handle large amounts of waste -Filled land can be used for other purposes -No shortage of landfill space in many areas Disadvantages: -Noise, traffic, and dust -Releases greenhouse gases (methane and CO2) unless they are collected -Output approach that encourages waste production -Eventually leaks and can contaminate groundwater
21-5 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of using plasma gasification to detoxify hazardous wastes?
Advantages: -Produces a mixture of CO and H2 that can be used as a fuel -Mobile, easy to move to different sites -Produces no toxic ash Disadvantages: -High cost -Produces CO2 and CO -Can release particulates and chlorine gas -Can vaporize and release toxic metals and radioactive elements
21-3 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of recycling?
Advantages: -Reduces energy and mineral use and air and water pollution -Reduces greenhouse gas emissions -Reduces solid waste Disadvantages: -Can cost more than burying in areas with ample landfill space -Reduces profits for landfill and incinerator owners -Inconvenient for some
21-4 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of using incinerators to burn solid and hazardous waste?
Advantages: -Reduces trash volume -Produces energy -Concentrates hazardous substances into ash for burial -Sale of energy reduces costs Disadvantages: -Expensive to build -Produces a hazardous waste -Emits some CO2 and other air pollutants -Encourages waste production
21-5 What are the major advantages and disadvantages of disposing of liquid hazardous wastes in deep underground wells?
Advantages: -Safe if sites are chosen carefully -Wastes can often be retrieved -Produces no toxic ash Disadvantages: -Leaks can occur from corrosion of well casing -Emits CO2 and other air pollutants -Output approach that encourages waste production
21-5 What is bioremediation?
Bacteria and enzymes help to destroy toxic or hazardous substances, or convert them to harmless compounds
21-3 What are bioplastics?
Bioplastics are are plastics made from corn, soy, sugarcane, switchgrass, chicken feathers, and some components of garbage. They are biodegradable and more environmentally sustainable.
21-3 What is the key concept for this section?
By refusing and reducing resource use and by reusing and recycling what we use, we decrease our consumption of matter and energy resources, reduce pollution and natural capital degradation, and save money.
21-3 What is the fee-per-bag approach?
Charges households and businesses for the amount of garbage that is picked up, but not for picking up materials separated for recycling or reuse.
Core Case Study Explain how and why electronic waste (e-waste) has become a growing solid waste problem.
E-waste is the fastest growing solid waste problem in the US and the world. Each year, Americans discard millions of devices including computers, i-pods, TVs, printers, etc. and only 14% of e-waste in the US is recycled. E-waste not buried or incinerated in the US is shipped to Asian and African countries. The high costs of recycling often encourage dumping instead.
21-3 Explain why refusing, reducing, reusing, and recycling are so important and give examples of each.
Economics based on steadily increasing consumption of resources are not environmentally or economically sustainable. Refusing is especially important in terms of items with high environmental impacts, like electronic devices (ex. "Do I really need a new phone?"). Reducing is important because it involves buying less (ex. "How many pairs of shoes do I need?"). Reusing reduces the use of matter and energy resources, cuts waste and pollution, creates local jobs, and saves money (ex. cleaning and reusing containers, razor blades, etc.)
21-6 What is environmental justice and how well has it been applied in locating and cleaning up hazardous waste sites in the US?
Environmental justice is an ideal whereby every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards. The environmental justice movement has pressured governments, businesses, and environmental organizations to prevent environmental injustice.
21-1 What is garbology?
Garbology is the process of sorting, weighing, and itemizing trash to analyze it.
21-6 How has grassroots action improved solid and hazardous waste management in the US?
Grassroots (bottom-up) citizen movements have preventing the construction of hundreds of incinerators, landfills, treatment plants for hazardous and radioactive wastes, and polluting chemical plants in or near their communities. NIMBY groups advocate for producing less waste via the precautionary principle, which says that we should drastically reduce waste production by emphasizing pollution prevention.
21-6 What is biomimicry?
Making industrial manufacturing processes cleaner and more sustainable by redesigning them to mimic how nature deals with wastes
21-5 Summarize the problems involved in sending e-wastes to less-developed countries for recycling.
Many child workers, dangerous working conditions, low wages, exposure to chemicals, leftover toxic components dumped locally
21-1 Summarize the types and sources of solid waste generated in the US and explain what happens to it.
Mining (76%), agriculture (13%), industry (9.5%), MSW (1.5%). Americans throw away an average of 7 pounds of trash a day, and only 24% of wastes in the US are recycled. A majority of MSW is dumped in landfills, while a small amount is incinerated.
21-3 What are some benefits of composting?
Organic material produced can be added to soil to supply plant nutrients, slow soil erosion, retain water, and improve crop yields
21-3 Explain how paper and some plastics are being recycled.
Paper is being recycled by removing its ink, glue, and coating and then reconverting the paper to pulp, which is pressed into new paper. Plastics are being recycled by separating different types of plastic from each other by type and grade, then converting them to pellets to be made into new products.
21-5 Summarize how laws in the US regulate hazardous wastes.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA): regulates 5% of hazardous wastes produced in US; cradle-to-grave system Toxic Substances Control Act: intends to regulate and ensure the safety of thousands of chemicals used in the manufacture of products and notify EPA before introducing new chemicals Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund): identify Superfund sites and clean them up
21-6 What is the key concept for this section?
Shifting to a low waste society requires individuals and businesses to reduce resource use and to reuse and recycle wastes at local, national, and global levels.
21-1 Distinguish among solid waste, industrial solid waste, municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous (toxic) waste, and give an example of each.
Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or a gas Industrial solid waste: one type of solid waste produced by mines, farms, and industries that supply people with goods and services (ex. cow manure) Municipal solid waste (MSW): another type of solid waste which consists of the combined solid waste produced by homes and workplaces other than factories (ex. cardboard) Hazardous waste: any discarded material or substance that threatens human health or the environment because it is poisonous, dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable (ex.household pesticide products)
21-3 What is the benefit of having households and businesses separate their trash into recyclable categories?
Source separation produces much less air and water pollution and cost less to implement than materials-recovery facilities (which separate the trash after disposal). It also saves more energy, provides more jobs per unit of material, and yields cleaner and usually more valuable recyclables.
21-4 What is the key concept for this section?
Technologies for burning and burying solid wastes are well developed, but burning contributes to air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and buried wastes eventually contribute to the pollution and degradation of land and water resources.
21-6 Describe regulations of hazardous wastes at the global level through the Basel Convention and the treaty to control persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
The Basel Convention bans participating countries form shipping hazardous waste to or through other countries without their permission or from more to less-developed countries. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants regulates the use of 12 widely used POPs that can accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and other animals.
21-2 Why are the first 3 Rs preferred from an environmental standpoint?
The first 3 Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse) are preferred because they are waste prevention approaches that tackle the waste problem before it occurs.
21-5 What is phytoremediation?
Using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water
21-2 Summarize the priorities that prominent scientists believe we should use for dealing with solid waste and compare them to actual practices in the US.
What we should do: 1) reduce 2) reuse 3) recycle/compost 4) incinerate 5) bury What we do: 1) bury 2) recycle/compost 3) incinerate 4) reuse 5) reduce
21-5 What is a secure hazardous waste landfill?
When liquid and solid hazardous wastes are put into drums or other containers and buried.