Solid and Toxic Waste

1. Solid and Toxic Waste

2. Solid Waste Yellow text links to videos you need to watch.

3. Solid Waste • Any unwanted or discarded __________________

4. History of Garbage • 500 BC  earliest evidence of a 'city dump' in the Western world in Athens, Greece • Throughout the Roman period and the Middle Ages in Europe, open dumping of wastes in streets or ditches remained the prevailing method of waste disposal.

5. History of Garbage • Throughout the 20th century the garbage problem continued to mount at a rate several times higher than the rate of population growth _________________________________

6. History of Garbage • Until the 1970s, the most common method of urban refuse disposal was ________________ Problems: • Support large numbers of rats, flies, & cockroaches that may invade nearby structures • Contaminate surface or groundwater supplies when leachates containing dissolved pollutants run or seep downward through the soil from the dumpsite • Stink! • Open dumping of municipal waste was outlawed by the federal government in ______________

7. History of Garbage • The 'Garbage Barge'  searched for 5 months & finally returned to NY with a Greenpeace banner that read 'Next Time Try Recycling'

9. Waste Views • ______________________________:high waste approach, views waste as unavoidable, mixes wastes together and ships it to another place • ______________________________:low waste approach, views solid waste as potential resources for reusing, recycling, and composting

10. EPA’s waste hierarchy How should we deal with waste? • Waste reduction & reuse (most desirable) • Recycling and composting • Waste combustion & landfilling (least desirable)

11. What’s in our Trash?

12. Where does it come from? • About 98.5% of all solid waste in US (and other –ed nations) comes from

13. Where does it come from? • The remaining 1.5% is referred to as municipal solid waste (MSW) • Garbage/ trash • Generated by ____________________________ • Amount generated increases each year • US is _________ in amt of MSW generated/year

14. Where does our trash go? Dumped in landfills (54%) Recycled or composted (30%) Burned in incinerators (16%)

15. How do we deal with waste? • ________________(burn it/ dump it/ bury it) • ________________ • ________________ • ________________

16. NIMBY Not In My Back- Yard

17. E-Waste • Electronic waste (TV’s, cell phones, computers, game systems) • Fastest growing solid waste program in the US and the world • Source of toxic and hazardous wastes such as _________________________ & compounds that include _______________________ • Contaminates air, water, and soil • In US, only ______ is recycled

19. E-Waste • Gets shipped to other countries with looser regulations • People remove valuable pieces from computers to sell/ recycle • Children • Burn it or let it sit in open dumps

22. Landfills • Collected refuse is spread in thin layers and compacted by bulldozers. When the compacted layers are 8-10 feet deep, they are covered with ~6 inches of dirt, which is again compacted. • At the end of each day another thin layer of soil is placed over the fill to prevent litter from blowing away, to keep out pests, and to minimize odor. • When the landfill is full, a final earth cover 2 ft deep is placed over the entire area and the land can be used for a park, golf course, etc

24. Landfills • In 1999, the average cost for burying a ton of MSW at a US landfill (the ________________) was $33 (cheaper than the cost of other methods of waste disposal) • Tipping fees will increase as the volume of available landfill space decreases.

25. Leachate monitoring well Leachate monitoring well Leachate pumped up to storage tanks for safe disposal Leachate pumped up to storage tanks for safe disposal Groundwater monitoring well Groundwater monitoring well Groundwater Leachate pipes Groundwater Leachate pipes When landfill is full, layers of soil and clay seal in trash Electricity generator building Methane storage and compressor building Topsoil Leachate treatment system Sand Clay Garbage Pipe collect explosive methane gas used as fuel to generate electricity Methane gas recovery Leachate storage tanks Compacted solid waste Garbage Sand Synthetic liner Clay and plastic lining to prevent leaks; pipes collect leachate from bottom of landfill Sand Clay Subsoil

26. Problems With Landfills • Limited space • Uneven settling of the land may occur • Anaerobic decomposition of landfilled material may result in the accumulation of _____________(can cause explosions or fire) • _____________________ polluting steams or aquifers • Minimized by careful site selection  selecting locations under laid by impervious clay formations and far removed from water bodies

27. Wetlands as Landfills • In the past wetland areas were considered 'worthless' b/c they were unsuitable for development  were used as landfill sites (wetlands are the least appropriate site for a landfill)

28. Incineration • Prior to the __________________________, burning of waste in large municipal incinerators was the waste disposal method of choice in many communities where landfilling was less suitable. Many incinerators shut down as a result of the CAA. • Burning refuse reduces the volume of waste by 80-90% • The leftover waste goes to a landfill

29. Waste-to-energy • During the 1980s some new 'waste-to-energy' plants opened. Today there are: • 88 facilities in the US • 12 in Florida • 4 in Tampa Bay area  • Capture heat from combustion to produce electricity (expensive to build and operate)

30. Incineration • The 1990 CAA Amendments required incinerators install: • _________________________________________ • ___________________ for trapping metal particulates • Activated carbon injection systems for capturing _________________________________________ • Combustion controls that maintain furnace temperatures high enough to prevent dioxin formation and ensure a more complete burn

31. Power plant Steam Smokestack Electricity Turbine Generator Crane Wet scrubber Boiler Electrostatic precipitator Furnace Conveyor Dirty water Fly ash Water Bottom ash Waste pit Conven- tional landfill Hazardous Waste landfill Waste treatment

32. Incineration • Burning refuse releases __________________and heavy metals (Mercury, Lead, Cadmium) • Ash from municipal waste incinerators must be tested  if it is toxic, it must be managed as a 'hazardous waste'; if not, it can be landfilled

33. Reducing Solid Waste • Consume less- Do I really NEED this or do I just WANT it? • Redesign manufacturing processes & products to use less energy & materials • Redesign manufacturing processes & products to produce less waste and production

34. Reducing Solid Waste 4. Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle 5. Design products to last longer 6. Eliminate unnecessary packaging

35. How can YOU reduce? • Rent/ borrow/ or barter goods and services • Buy things that are recyclable and then recycle it when you are done • Don’t use disposable items if reusable ones are available • Use email • Read newspapers/ magazines online • Buy concentrated products (soaps)

36. Gov’t encouragement to reduce • Economic incentives and disincentives to influence consumer choice • __________________________ of trash rather than unlimited trash pick-up • ___________on hard to dispose of items such as tires, motor oil, cars, lead-acid batteries, antifreeze, and major appliances (to offset cost of disposal)

37. Reuse • Involves cleaning and reusing a material over and over again which increases the life of the product • Reduces use of matter and energy resources, cuts pollution and waste, creates local jobs, saves money • Doesn’t work if you just throw stuff away!

38. Reuse • Reusable _________________________ • Buy ______________________instead of new • Use ___________ instead of __________ (napkins, diapers, tissues) • _____________/ hard plastic bottles • __________________

39. Recycling • Reprocessing discarded solid materials into new useful products

40. Ecological benefits of recycling • _______________________reduces deforestation and use of nonrenewable mineral ores • _______________________recycling consumes 50-90% less energy than manufacturing the same item from new materials • _______________________reduces air pollution emissions from manufacturing, etc.

41. 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)

42. Types of recycling • Source separation programs (curbside recycling, recycling centers, drop-boxes) _____________ ____________________(MRFs) sort and prepare recyclables for marketing • Some cities have opted for 'dirty' MRFs collect all municipal wastes and process them into recyclables • Advantage  higher percentage of wastes collected • Disadvantage  more expensive to construct and operate; quality of recyclable materials is low and have little or no value

43. Outside users Incinerator (paper, plastics, rubber, food, yard waste) Energy recovery (steam and electricity) Food, grass, leaves Separator Shredder Pipeline Metals Rubber Glass Plastics Paper Residue Compost Landfill and reclaiming disturbed land Recycled to primary manufacturers Fertilizer Consumer (user)

44. Recycling • It's not recycled until its used to produce new goods • In recent years an oversupply of recyclable material has caused a decline in the market supplies for scrap. • The cost of collecting and processing recyclables often exceeds their resale value

47. Plastics are difficult to recycle because ___________________________________

48. Ways to increase recycling • ______________________  requires consumers to pay a refundable deposit on beer and soft drink containers (originally designed to reduce littering) • Minimum ______________________________require targeted products contain a certain percentage of recycled materials. • Government procurement policies  require government agencies, universities and public schools to purchase supplies that contain recycled materials.

49. Composting • Simple process that copies nature to recycle the biodegradable organic wastes we produce • Resulting compost can be used as a fertilizer, topsoil, landfill cover, and can be used to restore eroded soils • Very easy- many food & lawn products can be composted

50. Composting