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Trash Talk

Trash Talk. Municipal Wastes Hazardous Wastes Toxicology. What is Municipal Waste. Sources Is there a waste cycle? Or is it better described as a waste stream? What do we discard? How much do we discard? What are the trends in waste production?. Municipal Waste . Non Hazardous Waste

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Trash Talk

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  1. Trash Talk Municipal Wastes Hazardous Wastes Toxicology

  2. What is Municipal Waste • Sources • Is there a waste cycle? • Or is it better described as a waste stream? • What do we discard? • How much do we discard? • What are the trends in waste production?

  3. Municipal Waste • Non Hazardous Waste • Biodegradable vs. Non-biodegradable • Recyclable vs. non-recyclable • Combustible vs. non-combustible • Hazardous Waste • Problems • Lehigh County: Household Hazardous Waste Pickup

  4. Total U.S. Waste 2003 – by weight

  5. The total amount of solid waste disposal in the United States is increasing more slowly - landfill disposal is decreasing and recycling is increasing.

  6. Waste To Landfills in U.S. - 2003

  7. Hierarchy of Waste Management

  8. Disposal Methods • Open Dumps • Ocean Dumping • “Sanitary” landfills • Incineration • Trash to steam - energy recovery • NIMBY • Exporting waste

  9. Developing Countries – Another Sad Story!

  10. The Three R’s • Reducing • Reusing • Recycling

  11. Reducing Waste Amounts • Packaging - 50% of domestic trash volume • Biodegradable plastics

  12. Reusing • Returnable bottles-15 round trips • Glass beverage bottles - No longer use returnable, reusable glass bottles – Why? • “Bottle Bills” - but not PA!! • Examples of reusable items • What do you and your family reuse? • Why don’t you reuse more items?

  13. Reusing • Contrast reuse and recycle • What are advantages of reusing? • Why does reusing save energy? Discuss at least one in detail.

  14. Recycling in the U.S.

  15. Recycling • Dropoff vs. curbside pickup • Advantages - saves resources, energy • Japan’s recycling program • Economics- costs vs. benefits • Creating markets for recycled products • Composting

  16. Recycling • Contrast postconsumer and preconsumer recycling • 30% of U.S. MSW recycled • What are key products recycling? • What can be composted? • What is a materials-recovery facility? • Contrast source separation with mixed urbane waste. • Advantages and disadvantages

  17. Aluminum can, used once Steel can used once Recycled steel can Glass drink bottle used once Recycled aluminum can Recycled glass drink bottle Refillable drink bottle, used 10 times 0 8 16 24 32 Energy (thousands of kilocalories)

  18. Why not more recycling • Discuss the following – what is your opinion and why? • Markets • Tax breaks and subsidies • Requiring government purchase (even if more expensive) • Making companies responsible for all the wastes they produce

  19. Laws requiring a deposit for beverage containers • “Bottle Bills” – laws that require deposit for beverage container • Many states  – NY, Vermont, Cal, and more • but not PA!! 

  20. What about E-Waste • What are the issues? Why is this a special problem?

  21. Hazardous Wastes • Flammable or explosive • Corrosive or reactive • Toxic-carcinogenic, mutagenic,teratogenic • Infectious • Radioactive

  22. Hazardous and Toxic Waste • More than one ton per person of officially classified hazardous waste • Biggest sources: chemical and petroleum • 60 million tons does not enter waste stream

  23. Toxic Chemicals - Classification • Irritants-corrosives; acids,metal fumes, chlorine, formaldehyde • Asphyxiants-prevent or interfere with oxygen uptake; carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanids • Allergens-formaldehyde; PCBs, • Neurotoxins-lead & mercury; chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT, Aldrin) organophosphates (malathion) • Mutagens-damage DNA; cancer;inheritance • Teratogens-thalidomide • Carcinogens

  24. Toxicity Measurement • Animal Testing • Dose-response assessment- “the dose makes the poison” • Toxicity levels • Exposure assessment - LD50 • Detectable levels - becoming much more sensitive • Variation of sensitivities within a population

  25. Specific Toxics and Threats (547 to 552) • Lead • Mercury • Chlorine • Dioxins

  26. Legacy • 5 billion metric tons improperly disposed of between 1950-75 • Dump sites, midnight dumping, railroad yards (and ocean and bay dumping) • 36,000 “seriously contaminated sites” • 1400 on National Priorities List; very few cleaned up (about 100) • Superfund

  27. Legacy of Toxic Waste Disposal • Landfills, warehouses, wells, oceans, waterways, burning, “midnight dumping”, and railroad yards Equals • A toxic nightmare (thanks to our predecessors) • So, along comes CERCLA, the Superfund Act of 1980, and amended, and reauthorized • Originally only 1.6 billion dollars

  28. Superfund • What is the purpose of Superfund? • Who is liable? • 1400 sites on the National Priority List • And as many as 36,000 seriously contaminated sites :-( • How does one get the distinction of an NPL listee? • By 1997: $38 billion, but only 100 sites remediated----WHY?

  29. CERCLA – 1980Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act • The “Superfund Act” • Discuss 4 goals of the act • “Polluter-pays principle” • Positive and negative impact of this “liability” • National Priorities List – 1900 sites • 750 cleaned up • Examples – Pennsylvania Sites • In Emmaus – Rodale Manufacturing Site • Palmerton Zinc Site • Images of Palmerton Zinc

  30. Where are the Sites? • Love Canal • Along Great Lakes and Gulf Coast • Industrialized areas of Northeast

  31. RCRA – 1976Resource Conservation and Recovery Act • Cradle-to-grave system • Discuss this • Purpose of law

  32. What is a Brownfield? • Potential or actual contaminated sites • Would you purchase or develop them? • Liability • Degree of purity required • Efforts to encourage development of brownfield areas

  33. What to do with Toxic Waste? • Reduce or eliminate - alter manufacturing processes • Surplus material exchange • Treatments-physical (separation from water) • Chemical processing • Incineration • Bioremediation (genetic engineering!) • Secure landfills • Permanent retrievable storage

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