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Environmental Science PowerPoint Lecture

Environmental Science PowerPoint Lecture. Principles of Environmental Science - Inquiry and Applications, 1st Edition by William Cunningham and Mary Ann Cunningham. Chapter 13 - Topics. Waste Waste-Disposal Methods Shrinking the Waste Stream Hazardous and Toxic Wastes. Part 1: Waste.

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Environmental Science PowerPoint Lecture

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  1. Environmental Science PowerPoint Lecture Principles of Environmental Science - Inquiry and Applications, 1st Edition by William Cunningham and Mary Ann Cunningham

  2. Chapter 13 - Topics • Waste • Waste-Disposal Methods • Shrinking the Waste Stream • Hazardous and Toxic Wastes

  3. Part 1: Waste • Agricultural waste - about 50% • Residues produced by mining and primary metal processing - about 30% • Industrial waste - 400 million metric tons/year • Municipal waste - 180 million metric tons/year The United States produces 11 billion tons of solid waste each year.

  4. Composition of U.S. Domestic Waste

  5. The Waste Stream • Waste stream - the steady flow of varied wastes we all produce • In spite of recent progress in recycling, many recyclable materials end up in the trash. • Problem: refuse mixing - recyclable and nonrecyclable materials, hazardous and nonhazardous materials

  6. Part 2: Waste Disposal Methods

  7. Open Dumps • Predominant method of waste disposal in developing countries • Illegal dumping • Groundwater contamination

  8. Sanitary Landfills • More than 1,200 of the 1,500 existing landfills in the U.S. have closed. • Many major cities must export their trash.

  9. “Garbage Imperialism” • Although most industrialized nations in the world have agreed to stop shipping hazardous and toxic waste to less developed countries, the practice still continues. • Within rich nations, poor neighborhoods and minority populations are more likely to be the recipients of LULUs. • Toxic wastes are sometimes “recycled” as building materials, fertilizer or soil amendments.

  10. Incineration and Resource Recovery • Incineration - burning refuse • Energy recovery - heat derived from incineration is a useful resource • Refuse-derived fuel • Mass burn - greater problems with air pollution • Residual ash - toxic components - dioxins • Construction costs high

  11. Mass-Burn Garbage Incinerator

  12. Municipal Waste, 1995

  13. Part 3: Shrinking the Waste Stream • Reusing vs. recycling • Recycling successes • Problems: fluctuating market prices, contamination Recycling

  14. Recycling Benefits, Incentives • Recycling saves money, energy, raw materials, and land space, while also reducing pollution. • Recycling encourages individual awareness and responsibility. • Japan - probably the most successful recycling program in the world • Creating incentives for recycling - public policies, consumer demand

  15. Source Separation in the Kitchen

  16. U.S. Recycled Materials - 1994

  17. Composting

  18. Demanufacturing • Demanufacturing - the disassembly and recycling of obsolete consumer products • Refrigerators and air conditioners - CFCs • Computers and other electronics - both toxic and valuable metals • Problem: electronics that are turned in for recycling in the U.S. are sometimes dumped in developing countries

  19. Reuse • Better than recycling or composting • Salvage from old houses • Glass and plastic bottles • Large national companies favor recycling over reuse.

  20. Producing Less Waste • The best way to reduce our waste stream • Excess packaging of food and consumer products is one of our greatest sources of unnecessary waste. • Photodegradable plastics - break down when exposed to UV rays • Biodegradable plastics - can be decomposed by microorganisms • Problems with photodegradable and biodegradable plastics

  21. The “Three R’s”ReduceReuseRecycle

  22. Part 4: Hazardous and Toxic Wastes • What is hazardous waste? • U.S. industries generate about about 265 million metric tons of officially classified toxic wastes each year. • Chemical and petroleum industries - biggest sources of toxins

  23. Hazardous Waste Producers - United States

  24. Hazardous Waste Disposal • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund Act) • Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) - Toxic Release Inventory

  25. Tracking Toxic and Hazardous Wastes

  26. Superfund Sites

  27. National Priority List (NPL) • EPA estimate: 36,000 seriously contaminated sites in the U.S. • General Accounting Office (GAO) estimate: 400,000 seriously contaminated sites • NPL sites - waste sites that are especially hazardous to human health or environmental quality • How clean is clean? • Brownfields - liability risks discourage redevelopment

  28. Environmental Justice

  29. Options for Hazardous Waste Management • Produce less waste • Physical treatments • Incineration • Chemical processing • Bioremediation • Permanent retrievable storage • Secure landfills

  30. Incineration: Highly Controversial

  31. Secure Landfills

  32. Household Waste Disposal Guide

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