Chapter 16Waste Generation and

Waste Disposal

Define waste generation from an ecological and system perspective

Describe how each of the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – as well as composting can avoid waste generation

Explain the implications of landfills and incineration

Understand the problems associated with the generation and disposal of hazardous waste

Present a holistic approach to avoiding waste generation and to treat solid waste

What is a polymer? List 3 examples of plastic polymers.

An example of a plastic polymer is polystrene. What is Polysterne more commonly know as? What are the benefits of Polysterne?

What is a landfill? How does Polysterne affect landfills?

Was the elimination of Polysterne the environmental victory as they thought? Explain.

Create a list of inputs and output related to manufacture, use, and disposal of both Polysterne and paper cups. Why is it difficult to determine if Polysterne or paper cups are a better alternative?

List and explain 3 externalities of Polysterne. Beside science, what other fields are involved in environmental

studies?

Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings and hospitals.

Municipal Solid Waste

31% - paper 33%- organic materials (yard waste, food

scraps, wood) 12%- plastic 18%- durable goods (appliances, tires)

Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

Electronic waste (E-waste) televisions, computers, cell phones that contain toxic metals.

E-Waste

Reduce- waste minimization or prevention

Reuse- reusing something like a disposable cup more than once

Recycle- materials are collected and converted into raw materials and then used to produce new objects

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Compost- organic material that has decomposed under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material.

Composting

Sanitary landfills- engineered ground facilities designed to hold MSW with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible.

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

Landfills

Incineration- the process of burning waste materials to reduce its volume and mass and sometimes to generate electricity and heat.

Incineration

Hazardous waste- liquid, solid, gaseous, or sludge waste material that is harmful to humans or ecosystems.

Collection sites for hazardous waste must be staffed with specially trained personnel.

Hazardous waste must be treated before disposal.

Hazardous Waste

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)- designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste. Also know as “cradle-to-grave” tracking.

RCRA ensures that hazardous waste is tracked and properly disposed of.

Laws

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)- also know as “Superfund”.

Puts a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries. This revenue is used to cleanup abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites where a responsible party cannot be found.

Requires the federal government to respond directly to the release of substance that may pose a threat to human health or the environment

Laws

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

Old factories, industrial areas and waterfronts, dry cleaners, gas stations, landfills, and rail yards are some examples.

Brownfields

A method that seeks to develop as many options as possible, to reduce environmental harm and cost.

Reduction, recycling, composting, landfills, and incineration are some ways IWM is utilized.

Integrated Waste Management

Before watching the movie What factors you’d consider when buying an

iPod or other personal entertainment electronic gadget. Sound, convenience, size, style, color, functions,

cost? With some products—like iPods for example—the

average consumer may not give it much thought at all; it’s from a trusted company and everyone else has one.

In the past three decades, one-third of the planet’s natural resources base have been consumed.

In the United States, we have less than 4% of our original forests left. Forty percent of waterways in the US and creates 30% of the world’s waste. If everybody consumed at U.S. rates, we would need 3 to 5 planets. There are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today. Only a handful of synthetic chemicals have even been tested for human health impacts

and NONE have been tested for synergistic health impacts. In the U.S., industry admits to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals a year. The average U.S. person now consumes twice as much as they did 50 years ago. We each see more advertisements in one year than a people 50 years ago saw in a

lifetime. In the U.S. our national happiness peaked sometime in the 1950s. In the U.S., we spend 3–4 times as many hours shopping as our counterparts in Europe

do. Average U.S. house size has doubled since the 1970s. Each person in the United States makes 4 1/2 pounds of garbage a day. That is twice

what we each made thirty years ago. For every one garbage can of waste you put out on the curb, 70 garbage cans of waste

were made upstream to make the junk in that one garbage can you put out on the curb.

Step One: Lab overview and general discussion about the design and purpose of sanitary landfills.

Step Two: Students will make 1000ml of Municipal Solid Waste. Make sure to cut or break all materials into tiny pieces (1cm or less). Mix all materials together in a cup or beaker.

Step Three: Students will make 500ml of Green Waste from various plant materials. Make sure to cut or break all materials into tiny pieces (1cm or less). Mix all plant matter together in a separate cup or beaker (do not mix the Green Waste with the MSW)

Mix together (make the paper products about 33% of the total) the above components and make 600ml of garbage for your sanitary landfill model.

grass clippingsleavesbark fragmentsfood wastesmall twigs

Mix together the above components and make 500ml of “Green Waste” for your sanitary landfill model

Step Four: Construct the framework of the Sanitary Landfill using two 2-liter clear plastic soda bottles. Tape the top section to the main section.

Step Five: Remove the plastic cap from the large section of plastic bottle that will be the main part of the Sanitary Landfill model. Place a small irregularly shape rock inside the mouth of the upside down bottle section. The small rock should not easily be able to slide through the neck of the bottle, but at the same time, allow leachate to flow into the “underground aquifer.”

Step Six: Now begin putting in the various components of the landfill starting with the pea gravel and fine gravel which go directly on top of the small rock in the neck of the bottle.

Step Seven: On top of the fine gravel you will place a 1cm thick disk of clay which has been rolled and cut out using a discarded section of one of the plastic bottles as a cookie cutter. Seal the clay to the inside of the bottle once it has been put into place.

Step Eight: Put a plastic disk onto the top of the clay. Step Nine: Burn a hole in the side of the bottle just above the plastic and clay liners using a woodburning

tool that will just accommodate a 5 cm plastic soda straw. Step Ten: Insert the plastic soda straw two centimeters into the side of the model and then seal it with

aquarium sealant. Once in place, surround the “leachate pipe” with pea gravel. Step Eleven: Insert a disk of Geotextile on top of the pea gravel surrounding the “leachate pipe.” Step Twelve: You will now finish filling the landfill with first a layer (1cm) of dirt followed by a layer of

MSW (3.5cm), and then another layer of dirt followed by a layer of “Green Waste,” another layer of dirt and another layer of MSW.

Step Thirteen: Finish off the landfill with a final cover of 4cm of topsoil. Spread rye grass seeds on top with some topsoil and you are ready to have a rainfall event on your landfill. Pour water on top and collect the leachate in a beaker or cup