Chapter 16 Waste Generation and Waste Disposal

1. Chapter 16 Waste Generation and Waste Disposal

2. In your opinion, which is better for the environment?

3. Human generate waste that other organisms cannot use • If we look at waste as a system, the inputs are man-made materials and natural products. As with any system, outputs are generated. These non-consumable, useless outputs are wastes.

4. The Story of STUFF • https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=the+story+of+stuff+video#id=1&vid=60cedc99731e8f4b3cb985078af63001&action=click How can we classify what is useful and not? Detrivores recycle waste from animals and plants. Humans make use of animal waste (fertilizer, etc.) In most circumstances, the waste from one animal organism becomes a source of energy for another.

5. The Throw-Away Society • A Throw-Away Society uses products that are designed to be used for a short time, then discarded. • In the early 1900’s, almost all metal, wood and glass were recycled (it was not called recycling then – junk dealers) • After WWII, and the increase in the population, consumption patterns changed. • The increase in industrialization and wealth of the US & with cultural changes, the desire for short-term use goods increased • “labor-saving” • The components of these items also changed, making them harder to “re-use”

6. The Throw-Away Society • Planned obsolescence- designing a product with the intent of it needed to be replaced in a few years. • This practice contributes to the increase in waste generation because the products are designed to be replaced. More materials are added to the waste stream with this practice. • Waste Stream: The flow of solid waste that is recycled, incinerated, placed in a solid waste landfill, or disposed of in another way.

7. Municipal Solid Waste • The United States became the leader of the “Throw Away Society.” • Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings and hospitals. EPA Estimates: 60% from residences 40% from commercial and industrial facilities

8. MSW • US also generates agriculture waste, mining waste, industrial waste. • These wastes are typically deposited and processed on site rather than going to another location. • MSW has grown from 88 million US tons to 227 million US tons per year (1960-2011) • There has been a slight decrease lately. WHY?

9. MSW • An average person generates 4.4 pounds of waste a year. • Variations depends on: • Socioeconomic status • Geographic location • Seasonal • The amount of waste generation will vary per country. Why? • Industrialization, Indigenous people, etc. • Some indigenous people create virtually no waste.

10. What does MSW consist of (smallest to largest)? • Glass • Wood • Textiles and Leather • Rubber • Metals • Plastics • Yard waste • Food scraps • Paper Which group of materials could be removed from the waste stream most easily and would make the greatest impact on MSW reduction?

11. Durability • If an item is more durable, it will last longer and not need to be replaced as often. • Compostable materials are largely organic matter and can decompose under the proper conditions.

12. $E-Waste$ • Electronic waste (E-waste) = televisions, computers, cell phones that contain toxic metals.

13. $E-Waste$ • While these products only make up a small amount of the waste stream, these items contain heavy and toxic (cadmium and mercury) metals. • These toxic metals could eventually seep into groundwater or surface water • Can be extracted from the product, but there is not a formal plan or incentive to recycle them • It is more expensive to dismantle and extract heavy metals from electronics than to just toss them in a landfill • Most E-Waste in the US is exported to China, even when consumers send them to recycling plants.

14. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Reducing is the best option to REDUCE solid waste generation. Also known as waste prevention and waste minimization. If the input is reduced, the output will be too. • Source Reduction: a waste management system that seeks to cut waste by reducing the use of potential waste materials in the early stages of design and manufacture. • Two-sided copies, reusable mugs instead of paper cups, using nontoxic material instead of toxic, using smaller boxes for packaging.

15. Reusing • Reusing is the process of using a product or material again that was intended to be thrown away • Allows an item to remain within in a system longer before being discarded. • Reusing a disposable polystyrene cup is a good example. • Flea Markets, Goodwill, eBay, etc. • Energy may still be required to “reuse” an item.

16. Recycling • Recycling is the process by which materials destined to be MSW are collected and converted into raw materials that are then used to produce new objects. • Closed-loop recycling: recycling a product into the same products • Discarded carpet recycled into new carpet • Open-loop recycling: recycling a product into a different product • Beverage container into a fleece jacket • Zero-Sort Recycling program: allows residents to mix all recyclables in the same group and container

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

21. If it is not hot enough, check C:N ratio. (30:1) • Layer dry material such as leaves or dry grass (brown material) with wet material such as scrap vegetables (green material) to get proper C:N ratio • If it becomes dry, add water • MUST be mixed to work properly! • Respiration activity generates enough heat to kill bacteria • If it is too hot, it needs to be turned more frequently • Benefits: • Organic materials in a landfill causes 2 problems: • Take up space • Unstable • In the anaerobic conditions in a landfill, organic materials decompose and produce CH4 as a byproduct. • CH4 is a POTENT GG! • Composting removes organic waste from the landfill and converts it into humus that is used to enhance soil structure and increase plant productivity!

23. Do a little math • The Dowling Family is looking at ways to reduce its solid waste footprint. Each of the four members of the family produces 3 pounds of solid waste per day. If the family decides to compost all organic materials (food scraps, yard waste, etc.), they would reduce their solid waste footprint by 20%. • What is the total solid waste that they Dowling family produces in a year? • What is the family’s total solid waste footprint after they have implemented composting?

24. Landfills • Landfills are the primary destination for MSW • MSW generate runoff and leachate. • Leachate is liquid that contains elevated levels of pollutants as a result of having passed through MSW. Tested regularly for toxicity. • Sanitary landfills- engineered ground facilities designed to hold MSW with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible. • Constructed with a clay or plastic lining at the bottom • Clay can impede water flow and retain positively charged ions (metals) • System of pipes below landfill to collect leachate • Should not be so far away from humans that transport costs increase. • A cover of soil and clay, call a cap, is installed when the landfill reaches capacity. • Rainfall and water input is limited because excess water causes anaerobic decomposition and CH4 release. • The water could also exit as a leachate.

26. Not suitable for landfill… • aluminum and other metals • toxic materials (oil-based paint, household cleaners) • consumer electronics • appliances • batteries • organic materials • How is the landfill closed? • It is capped with soil & clay (sometimes plastic). Topography is used to lead water flow to the sides rather than into the landfill. Shallow vegetation can be planted for aesthetic purposes, but mostly to decrease erosion. • Tipping Fee: a fee charged for disposing of material in a landfill or incinerator. • Siting: the designation of a landfill location, typically through a regulatory process involving studies, written reports, and public hearings.

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

28. Incineration… • Incineration burns waste materials to reduce the volume and creates energy in the process. At the incinerator site, recyclables are sorted out of the waste stream. The remaining material is dumped onto a platform where metals are removed. The waste is dumped in a furnace. • After incineration, ash is tested for toxicity. If the toxicity is low enough, it may go to a landfill or used in road construction or in cement applications.

29. Incineration • If toxic, the ash is sent to a landfill designed for toxic substances. • From the combustion waste stream, filters and scrubbers remove sulfur dioxides, NOx, and other air pollutants. • When land is in short supply, incineration is preferable. • Incineration reduces waste up to 90%. • Energy harnessed from incineration can be used to generate electricity. • Particles, more commonly known as ASH in the solid waste industry, are an end product of combustion. • Ash is the residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration. • Residue collected underneath the furnace is bottom ash and residue collected beyond the furnace is the fly ash. • Waste-to-energy: a system in which heat generate by incineration is used as an energy source rather than released into the atmosphere.

30. NIMBY • People do not want landfills and incinerators near their neighborhood. • What are the advantages and disadvantages to both operations? • MAKE A TABLE

31. Hazardous Waste • 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. • By-product of industrial processes. Can also be generated by dry cleaners, small farms, or automobile service stations. Households contribute with oil-based paints, motor oil, chemical cleaners.

32. Laws • 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.

33. 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

34. Laws

35. Love Canal • Superfund site. Hazardous waste landfill in New York. Love Canal was covered with fill and topsoil and used as a site for a school and a housing development. • In 1978 and 1980, known cancer-causing wastes (benzene, dioxin, and trichloroethylene) were found in the basements of homes in the area. When it became clear that a large number of illnesses, probably connected to chemical waste, had been diagnosed in the local population, the situation gained national attention. The contamination was so severe that it was evacuated in 1983 and labeled a superfund site.

36. Brownfields • 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.

37. How do Brownfields differ • Superfund sites are strictly for locations with the highest risk to public health. Superfund sites are managed by the EPA. Brownfield sites are sites that may require a cleanup before they can be redeveloped and are managed by local and state governments. Brownfields lack liability to compel polluters to rehabilitate their properties.

38. Integrated Waste Management • 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. • Life-cycle analysis:a system tool that looks at the materials use and released throughout the lifetime of a product- from the procurement of raw materials through their manufacture, use, and disposal (cradle-to-grave analysis)

39. What are some methods we can use to reduce or remove waste from the waste stream? • Changes in packaging that require less material • Changes in the manufacturing process that reduce resource use • Changes in purchasing habits • Backyard composting • Reusing products and increased recycling • Upcycling: taking a waste material or product and upgrading it to something of higher quality