The Myth of Garbage II: Should we throw everything away?

HW & HHW

ENS102

April 10, 2006

Reviewing GarbageGarbage is material that is no longer deemed useable

by humans – us as individuals.Technically we might better define garbage as Solid

Waste - the totality of all materials thrown away from homes and commercial establishments and usually collected by some process for "disposal"

MSWIndustrial WasteHazardous Waste

industrialHHW

Growth in relation to population

Growth in relation to population

Where is Away?

http://waltersrecycling.com/residential.html

Where is Away?

Where is away?

• Prior to 1975 = open dumps• 1975-1981 SLF's and ocean dumping• 1980-1990 Incineration• 1990 - the dawn of recycling• 1991 EPA ruling 1/2 of all 6000 US SLFs

closed by 1995– no wetland slfs– must monitor surface and ground water

effluents– must install liners and leachate collection

systems– must monitor for 30 years after closing

Where is away?

Where is away?• Landfills

– MN 2008 termination date for putting unprocessed waste into landfills

– so what's next

Where is away?• Landfills

– MN 2008 termination date for putting unprocessed waste into landfills

– so what's next

Where is away?• Resource

Recovery– RDF– Minnesota's

waste-to-energy plants produce enough energy to heat over 90,000 homes each day.

Minnesota's resource recovery plants have conserved over 39 million cubic yards of landfill space.http://www.moea.state.mn.us/policy/policy1999_Q&A.cfm

Where is away?• Resource

Recovery– Curbside

Recycling

• Recycling in Minnesota has created new industries and economic development, creating more than 8,000 direct jobs in recycled products manufacturing alone.• Meeting the goal of landfilling no unprocessed waste by 2008 will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 340,000 tons, save 1,000 acres from being developed as landfill, and substantially reduce Minnesota's greenhouse gas emissions.http://www.moea.state.mn.us/policy/policy1999_Q&A.cfm

http://www.wmtwincities.com/residentialservices/cities/shoreview/recycling.asp

Where is away?• Resource

Recovery– Single Sort– Star Trib

Article– single stream

article– MN Comparis

on study

http://www.wmtwincities.com/residentialservices/cities/shoreview/recycling.asp

http://www.wmtwincities.com/environmental/recycling images/singel_sort_how_to.pdf

Where is away?• Resource

Recovery– Single Sort– Bethel

Walters makes recycling easy with Single Sort. You simply place all your recyclable items loosely together (please do not bag these items) in your designated recycling cart. Place all items together in your Single Sort recycling cart:•Metal cans•Clean glass bottles and jars (no ceramics, window or mirror glass)•Plastic bottles with a neck•Paper - news, office, junk mail, magazines•Cardboard - please flatten, bundle and tie together** Sorry we can not accept pizza boxes or beverage cartons. **

Where is away?• Composting

Where is away?• Reuse

Where is away?• Reduce• Life cycle

analysis• Cradle to

grave

Where is away?• HHW

Proper Disposalhttp://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/ph/hy/HHW_Items_Accepted_and_Not_Accepted.htm

Where is away?• e-waste

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/who_gets_the_trash

Amounts of Chemicals Entering the Environment For 2001:

1,679 million pounds of toxic chemicals released to the air

221 million pounds of toxic chemicals released to the water

4,258 million pounds of toxic chemicals released at land disposal sites

Total environmental release = 6,158 million pounds

Fate of Chemicals Entering the Environment

Many are broken down by natural processes Two types persist in the environment

Heavy metals– Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, tin, chromium, zinc, copper– Used in metalworking, paint, and pesticides, among other products– Soluble in water and readily absorbed by body– Interfere with enzyme function– Example: mental retardation from mercury poisoning - Minamata Disease– Fish in MN - mercury and PCBs - http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/ Synthetic organics– Chemical basis for plastics, synthetic fibers and rubber, solvents, and pesticides– Halogenated hydrocarbons

• At least one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced with a halogen atom– Chlorine (most common)– Bromine– Fluorine– IodineResistant to biodegradation

– Major health effects: carcinogenic and mutagenic

Preventing Chemicals from Entering the Environment

Disposal Shallow - Times Beach, MO - waste oil to control road dust [EPA press release - February 22, 1983] In a joint federal-state action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the State of Missouri announced today that resources have been allocated for the permanent relocation of residents of Times Beach, Missouri. The action was necessary after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) completed analysis of extensive soil sampling in the area and advised that the hazard posed by dioxin contamination is a continuing threat to the health of citizens in the community.

Love Canal Niagra Falls, NY (Hooker Chemical Co.) school site

Preventing Chemicals from Entering the Environment

Disposal Deep Injection Landfills Midnight dumping

Preventing Chemicals from Entering the Environment

Treatment Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA -

1976) permitted disposal process convert wastes to stable non-leachable forms

OSHA1970 Worker's right to know MSDS requirements

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA - 1976

Superfund Act - 1980

Preventing Chemicals from Entering the Environment

Recycling Incineration Prevention

3M News Release from: 3Mdited by the

Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 5 April 2006Clean products safely without CMR problems http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/msk/msk100.html

3P program (Pollution Prevention Pays) Sustaining Our Future:M's Progress toward

Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability3M believes that active and responsible citizenship can make a successful company even stronger. We vigorously affirm our commitment to sustainable development through environmental protection, social responsibility and economic progress. We are committed to help meet the needs of society today while respecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. That is what we mean by sustainability. http://www.3m.com/about3M/environment/

Preventing Chemicals from Entering the Environment

Responsible consumers Responsible users Responsible disposers What Can I Use Instead

Ann Bailey

Other resources:http://www.seventhgeneration.com/http://www.greenguardian.com/http://www.greenseal.org/

Upcoming

• April 12 Wednesday Exam day (no class?)- Must complete by Wednesday April 19 at 9:00.

• ThursdayApril 13 Lab Project 2 Presentations at 8:30 and 11:30