Solid and Hazardous Waste
Disposing of Waste

SANITARY LANDFILL__: Method most frequently used
_
in the U.S
o __

PAPER__: Largest single component of municipal waste
INCINERATION__: Burn it! But could release toxic emissions
_
(such as dioxin!!)
Garbage Timeline – Decomposition Rates:
DIAGRAM: SANITARY LANDFILL
Toilet paper
2 weeks
Paper plate
1 week – 2 months
Orange peel
1 week – 6 months
Cotton rag
6 months – 1 year
Rope
3 – 14 months
Wool sock
6 months – 2 years
Cardboard
2 years
Cigarette butt
2 – 13 years
Plastic bag
15 – 30 years
Leather shoe
25 – 50 years
Nylon
30 – 40 years
Plastic container
50 – 80 years
Aluminum can
250 – 500 years
Disposable diaper 300 years
Styrofoam egg carton
Undetermined
Glass jar/bottle
Undetermined
Can recycle – but recycling takes energy (fossil fuels) – so
1) reduce
2) reuse
3) recycle
Review: Low-level radioactive waste – designated federal landfills; High-level
radioactive waste - kept on nuclear reactor site… eventually bury it???
Hazardous Waste (toxic and/or ignitable)

Case Study: LOVE CANAL: Hazardous chemicals sealed in
steel drums dumped into canal near Niagra NY (1942 – 1953) –
canal covered with clay and topsoil and sold to Niagra school
board for $1 – the area was developed – (1970’s) drums leaked
toxic chemicals into area, people were getting SICK – was
declared a Federal Disaster Area (Jimmy Carter) – became first
declared Superfund Site (1983) – clean up cost: $400 million!!

Case Study: BHOPAL INDIA: 1984 – World’s worst industrial
accident – pesticide plant explosion – chemicals used to make
carbamates released into atmosphere – up to 23,000 deaths,
and up to 150,000 suffering from chronic illnesses

can explode or release toxic fumes

developed countries produce the most
*by CHEMICAL and PETROLEUM industries, and by MINING
and METAL industries.

regulated by RCRA: (only regulates 5% of hazardous wastes
because you have to produce/use/throw away 100 kg/month)
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND
RECOVERY ACT
* “Cradle to Grave” – monitors hazardous materials from
their production to their disposal

(Most) regulations fall under CERCLA:
COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL
RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND
LIABILITY ACT
* SUPERFUND!!
* identify abandoned hazardous waste sites
* protect and/or clean up groundwater and the site
* put worst sites on NPL: _NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST_
* $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
* parties responsible pay??????? or
* government pays for clean up
*2004: EPA identified approx. 11,300 sites, including 1,250
that were put on the NPL.
*BROWNFIELD: A brownfield is a property, the expansion,
redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the
presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance,
pollutant, or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more
than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S.
* Five WORST states: (MOST superfund sites)
1. New Jersey
2. California
3. Pennsylvania
4. New York
5. Michigan
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/
PREVENTION CHEAPER THAN CLEAN-UP!!!!!!!!!

Remove or Detoxify Hazardous Waste:
PHYSICAL TREATMENT___=
* __
Filtering out solids
Distilling liquids
CHEMICAL TREATMENT__=
*__
Precipitating chemicals out of solution
Neutralize acids/bases
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
* __
_=
Microorganisms breakdown waste/hazardous waste/ oil and
other organic compounds
BIOREMEDIATION
Bacteria and enzymes help destroy or convert toxic
compounds.
PHYTOREMEDIATION
Natural/genetically engineered plants absorb/filter/remove
contaminants from soil and water.
Ex: inserted Hg detoxifying gene of E. coli into genome of
common soil bacteria = extracts Hg+
PLASMA TORCH_=
*__
High temps decompose hazardous organic material, convert into
simple molecules – can then be cleaned up easily