Chapter 29 By: Drew H. Lindsay S.,Joshua J., Sara Mirek, Bo Byers, Mohammed I, Lindsay M Waste Management In the first century of the Industrial Revolution the volume of waste produced in the United States was small and could be managed through the concept of dilute and disperse. Dilute and Disperse was a sufficient way to remove waste because of the few factories and sparse population. Later, a new concept, known as concentrate and contain came into use. People are facing a serious solid-waste disposal problem in the United States and many other countries and now many cities are running out of landfill space. Its difficult to site new landfills, also because no one wants to live near one. Now disposals of waste is more expensive than ever 29.1 Early concepts of Waste disposal 29.2 Modern Trends With the increasing cost of raw materials, energy, and land will make it financially feasible to reuse and recycle more resources. Moving toward this objective is moving toward the zero waste concept Under this concept waste would not exist because it would not be produced or, if produced, would be a resource to be used again. This concept is starting to catch on with cities in Australia and countries like Netherlands setting national waste reduction goals and making plans for zero waste. Plans include taxation of waste in all its various forms, from emissions from smokestacks to solids delivered to landfills. Also, government programs like pay as you throw in which people are charged by the volume of waste they produced, make people produce less waste. Many of our waste management programs involve moving waste from one site to another and not really managing it. Previous notions of waste disposal are no longer acceptable, and we are rethinking how we deal with materials, with the objective of removing waste entirely. 29.3 Integrated Waste Management IWM is defined as a set of management alternatives that includes reuse, source reduction, recycling, composting, and landfill, and incineration. Three Rs of IMW are reduce, reuse, and recycle. In areas utilizing IMW technology it is predicted that the amount (by weight) of urban waste could be reduced by at least % by: better design of packaging (10% reduction) large- scale composting programs (10% reduction) establishment of recycling programs (30% reduction) 29.3 Recycling of Human Waste The use of human waste or night soil on croplands is an ancient practice. These early uses occasionally spread infectious disease through agents including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Today we still see some contamination in fruits and vegetables. Another problem with recycling human waste is that thousands of chemicals and metals flow through our modern waste stream. Heavy metals, petroleum products, industrial solvents, and pesticides may end up in our wastewater collection systems and sewage treatment plants. Therefore, we must be very skeptical of using sewage sludge for land application. High levels of toxic chemicals are usually present in the sludge of cities or towns with industries that use toxic materials 29.3 Recycling of Human Waste continued Fewer toxic materials end up in sewage treatment plants then several decades ago because many industries are now pretreating their waste to remove contaminated materials. A problem is that the sewer lines from urban homes are the same ones used by industry. A solution to producing a sludge that is same for humans and other living things is by separating urban and industrial waste. Another solution is pretreat waste from industrial sources to remove hazardous components before they enter the wastewater stream, as some industries already do. Another solution is having smaller wastewater treatment facilities in communities intended to treat waste from homes so the recycled waste could be used locally by farms. Taking a further look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz8Mzq2l6OQinto-black-gold- 29.4 Materials Management Recycling has been around for over 2 decades and has been responsible for generating entire systems of waste management while also producing jobs. However, IMW has been criticized for overemphasizing recycling and failing to effectively advance policies to prevent waste production. Goal of zero production of waste in the future of waste management. This can be pursued in the following ways: eliminate subsidies for extraction of virgin materials such as minerals, oil, and timber establish green building incentives that encourage the use of recycled products financial penalties for production of negative materials management practices financial incentives increase job in technology of reuse and recycling resources 29.5 Solid-Waste Management Illegal dumping is a social & physical problem Fast & Cheap. People do not understand consequences Education, awareness and alternatives Considerable variation can be expected. Almost Figure 29.2 29.5 Solid-Waste Management Composting a biochemical process in which organic materials such as lawn clippings and kitchen scraps decompose to a rich, soil-like material. drawbacks include separating waste Incineration combustible waste is burned at temperatures high enough to consume all combustible material, leaving only ash and non combustibles to dispose of in a landfill. Theoretical yield volume by 95%. Actual closer to 50%. can be used to generate electricity. high pollution related to acid rain (Nitrogen & Sulfur) and global warming (CO2) expensive 29.5 Solid-Waste Management Open Dumps waste is piled up without being covered or otherwise protected many open dumps have been closed and new dumps are banned common sites are abandoned mines or quarries unsightly, pest breeding ground, health hazard, air pollution and water pollution. Sanitary Landfill Leachate noxious, mineralized liquid capable of transporting bacterial pollutants pollutes groundwater & surface water strength depends on the trash and time Site Selection topography, ground water table, precipitation, type of soil and rock arid is best due to little leachate social consideration Monitoring Pollution water sampling greatly decreases risk of future pollution 29.5 Solid-Waste Management Ways which pollutants can enter the environment Atmosphere (Methane, Ammonia, Nitrogen, and Hydrogen Sulfide from Soil) Retention in soil (Heavy metals can be stored) Groundwater (Soluble Chloride, Nitrate, Sulfur can pass through waste into groundwater) Surface Runoff from Land (Runoff can pick up leachate streams) Removal in Crops (Passed up the food chain Biomagnification) Plant Residue (Crops left substances into soil) Stream Flow (can be intoxicated by 3 & 4) Wind (Method of Transport) Modern sanitary landfills have multiple barriers and must comply with federal standards or states must seek EPA approval of solid-waste management 29.6: Hazardous Waste Creation of new chemical compounds has proliferated in recent years 35,000 chemicals used in the U.S. are classified as potentially hazardous to the ecosystem or health of humans 700 million metric tons of hazardous waste per year is produced in the U.S. 70% above the mississippi river Sources of hazardous chemicals Half of the total by weight is generated by chemical products industries Buildings destroyed by events such as fires and hurricanes Chemicals, such as paints, solvents, & pesticides stored in the building may be released into the environment when debris from damaged buildings is burned or buried. We see lots of hazardous materials after natural disasters Midnight dumping- hazardous waste was illegally dumped on public or private lands About 32,000-50,000 abandoned waste disposal sites Chemical waste in barrels, the barrels eventually corrode and leak liquid chemical waste is dumped into water systems Liquid chemical waste is illegally dumped in deserted fields or even along 29.7: Hazardous Waste Legislation Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Identifies hazardous wastes and their life cycles Issued guidelines and responsibilities to those who work with hazardous materials The act classifies wastes into categories Materials that are highly toxic to people and other living things Wastes that may ignite when exposed to air Extremely corrosive wastes Reactive unstable wastes that are explosive or generate toxic gases or fumes when mixed with water 29.7: Hazardous Waste Legislation Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Passed in 1980 Defined policies and procedures for release of hazardous substances into the environment Mandated development of a list of the sites where hazardous substances were likely to or already had produced the most serious environmental problems Established a revolving fund called the Superfund to clean up the worse abandoned hazardous waste sites Superfunds have lacked sufficient funds and technology to make an significant changes in certain sites The Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act Required that certain industries report all releases of hazardous materials and a list of companies releasing hazardous substances- also known as the Toxic 500- became public Environmental Audits- an assessment of the extent to which an organization is observing practices that seek to minimize harm to the environment. 29.8 Hazardous-Waste Management Includes many options including recycling, on-site processing to recover by-products with commercial value, microbial breakdown, chemical stabilization, high-temperature decomposition, incineration, and disposal by secure landfill or deep-well injection. a secure landfill for hazardous waste is designed to confine the waste to a particular location in order to control the leachate that drains from the waste, collect and treat the leachate, and detect possible leaks. land application is referred to as the intentional application of waste materials to the surface soil and is a desirable method of treatment for certain biodegradable industrial waste, such as oily petroleum waste and some organic chemical-plant wastes. the biopersistence of the waste is how long the material remains in the biosphere and indicates the usefulness of land application for a particular waste. the greater the biopersistence, the less suitable the waste for land application procedures not an effective treatment or disposal method for inorganic substances such as salts and heavy metals. 29.8 Hazardous-Waste Management Surface impoundments are prone to seepage, resulting in pollution of soil and groundwater because of the amounts of hazardous liquid that it holds the natural topographic depressions and human-made excavations are primarily formed of soil and may be lined with manufactured materials such as plastic. Deep-well disposal involves the injection of waste into deep wells, which are isolated from all freshwater aquifers, thereby assuring that the injection of waste will not contaminate or pollute existing or potential water supplies. 29.9 Alternatives to Land Disposal of Hazardous Waste Processes include source reduction, recycling, and resource recovery, treatment, and incineration. Advantages: Useful chemicals can be reclaimed and reused Treatment of wastes may make them less toxic and therefore less likely to cause problems in landfills The actual waste that must eventually be disposed of is reduced to a much smaller volume Because a reduced volume of waste is finally disposed of, there is less stress on the dwindling capacity of waste disposal sites. 29.10 Ocean Dumping oceans regulate climate, cycle CO2 and elements (nitrogen, phosphorus) oceans cover 70% of Earths surface 1972 Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution (international treaty) led to 1972 Ocean Dumping Act (US law) which bans dumping radiological/ chemical/biological warfare and radioactive waste; 1988 amendments extended law to sewage and industrial waste; 1992 amendment established national water quality monitoring program dredge spoils(solids-sand,clay), industrial waste (liquids-acids,pesticides) sewage sludge(from wastewater treatment), construction debris(cinder block, plaster), solid waste(garbage, untreated sewage) can cause: fish kills, beach closures, closures of shellfish beds (with economic repercussions), reduced growth of marine life, reduced dissolved oxygen, eutrophication, algal blooms, habitat change pollutants are found in high concentrations in upper 3 mm (microlayer) toxins can be spread to humans through contaminated seafood 29.11 Pollution Prevention In the 1990s the US had a growing emphasis on pollution prevention. It involved identifying ways to prevent the generation of waste rather than finding ways to dispose of it. These approaches are called P-2 approaches and included: Purchasing the proper amount of raw materials so no excess remains. Exercising better control of materials used in manufacturing process so less waste is produced. Substituting nontoxic chemicals for hazardous or toxic materials currently in use. Improving engineering and design of manufacturing process so that less waste is produced. 29.11 Pollution Prevention Video Summary The history of waste disposal practices since the Industrial Revolution has progressed from the practice of dilution and dispersion to integrated waste management. Most common method of waste disposal for solid waste is the sanitary landfill. However, around many large cities, space for landfills is hard to find. Physical and hydrologic conditions of a site greatly affect its suitability as a landfill. Hazardous chemical waste is one of the most serious environmental problems in the US, Ocean dumping is a significant source of marine pollution. P-2 uses ways to prevent generation of waste, important emerging area of material management.