PLANNING TODAY FOR A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chemical and Nuclear Waste Disposal
APRIL 28, 2014
ERIC MOORE
English 2010
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Introduction
Eli White works for a company that manufactures hydraulic seals. As Operations
Manager he is responsible for the proper storage and disposal of the chemical waste byproduct
that is created in the manufacturing process. Eli is a tall guy with tattoos and a long burley beard,
his image is that of a motorcycle enthusiast; which is something he enjoys when not on the job.
But when it comes to public safety he takes his responsibilities very seriously. He firmly believes
that arriving home in one piece is more important than cutting corners. “No matter how safe we
are accidents can and will happen” explains Eli (White). “The most common issues we deal with
are chemical burns and dangerous vapors that can cause respiratory problems; it is extremely
important to use the proper Personal Protective Equipment also known as PPE when dealing with
hazardous chemicals” (White).
Proper Waste Containment
With hazardous waste that is so dangerous to living beings and the environment it is
important to make absolutely certain that it is properly contained before being permanently
disposed of. According to the Environmental Protection Agency “Many types of businesses
generate hazardous waste. Some are small companies that may be located in your community,
such as dry cleaners, auto repair shops, hospitals, exterminators, and photo processing centers”
(Environmental, Par. 1). In today’s society it is hard to find companies that do not create some
amount of hazardous waste in their manufacturing process. Then there are those companies that
tend to create vary large amounts of hazardous waste on a daily basis. When creating these
massive amounts of waste it is impossible to simply store them, other methods of disposal must
be taken into consideration. The ability to recycle and reuse the chemical waste byproducts
seems to be the most reasonable and realistic approach to this problem at the time being.
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Figure 1: Hazardous Waste Disposal (ADM)
As shown above in figure 1 hazardous waste byproducts have increased dramatically in
recent years, what the chart also shows is that most if not all the waste has been recycled and
reused or properly treated off-site as opposed to ending up in a landfill as seen in previous years.
Eli states that “Great effort has gone into making sure we recycle and reuse as much waste as we
can, this makes it much easier to dispose of the small amount of waste that does remain after the
recycling process” (White). Companies have been actively doing their part to ensure that
hazardous waste no longer winds up in landfills but gets to be reused or destroyed. The ability to
recycle and reuse the chemical waste product allows companies to recirculate raw materials
rather than continuously creating new waste and figuring out what to do with it all. As mentioned
in an article by senior research analyst of nuclear energy Jack Spencer “Indeed, 95 percent of the
used fuel from America's 104 power reactors, which provide about 20 percent of the nation's
electricity, could be recycled for future use” (Spencer). It makes sense that if we can recycle we
should recycle, however this takes effort on everyone’s behalf. We have to want to change.
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Accidents Will Happen
No matter how many precautions are taken things will happen from time to time,
accidents are an unfortunate side effect of the manufacturing process. As shown in figure 2
below it can be dangerous to store chemical and nuclear waste. Most waste products are
flammable, corrosive, toxic or reactive. The damage that these substances can cause to living
beings and the environment are catastrophic and there is no way to completely eliminate the
threat of a pending chemical or nuclear waste disaster. What we can do is look into better ways
to contain these toxic soups and figure out how to either reuse them or completely destroy them.
Figure 2: Hazardous Waste is Toxic
“Oh my how it burns, it really burns” (White). Eli recalls a time when a very small
amount of chemical waste that contained silver nitrate got into his glove and caused a severe
burn to the palm of his hand. “Nothing seemed to make it feel any better, running it under cold
water only made it burn worse” (White). Handling these toxic materials can be very dangerous
and those who must work around them take great safety risks each and every time they are
exposed. I believe we owe a lot to these people who work so hard and risk their own health to
ensure the safety of the communities around them.
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Looking Forward
It is important to continuously look for new and improved methods of disposal and ways
to recycle and reuse hazardous waste products; not only for corporations but for everybody.
Many household items can be considered forms of hazardous waste such as paints, batteries,
pesticides, cleaning products and motor oil among others. According to the Department of
Environmental Conservation you should always recycle these items rather than throw them
away; “Friends, neighbors, community groups, or charities may be able to put your leftovers to
good use” (Department, Par. 4). The Department of Environmental Conservation also lists a
variety of organic and natural alternatives to cleaning products that do not involve hazardous
chemicals. Such as “sprinkle red chili, paprika or dried peppermint where ants enter”
(Department, Par. 5) in place of using bug spray or “use ½ cup vinegar in 1 gallon warm water
with newspaper to dry glass” (Department, Par. 5) in place of glass cleaning products.
There is research being conducted of microscopic bacteria or bugs that can thrive in
extreme conditions and may be able to live in toxic waste and even consume it. According to Dr.
Brent Payton “The evolution of bacteria is important because it allows the bacteria to adapt to
their environment” (Payton). This would allow scientists to create a strain of bacteria that could
be introduced to Toxic Waste and systematically destroy it by means of consumption. “There are
many creative solutions we have yet to explore as far as methods of destruction go” explains Eli
White but “until better solutions are created we will continue to focus on the recycling and reuse
of our chemical waste byproducts” (White). What is known is that if we continue to ignore this
problem that faces our planet today it may someday be too late to reverse its effects.
Conclusion
Chemical and nuclear waste is a dreadful substance that can have catastrophic effects on
our planet and all of its inhabitants. However there are people out there like Eli White who are
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doing everything in their power to make sure these hazardous substances are properly contained
and disposed of to avoid leaks and spills. “Our number one goal is to recycle and reuse as much
chemical waste product as possible which is safer and cheaper for everyone” (White). There are
also those people out there who are doing research and testing out various methods to better
contain and destroy hazardous waste more effectively. There are those who are looking into
cleaner and safer ways to manufacture the things we rely on as a society without creating toxic
waste or at the very least limiting the amount of waste created. In the words of Mr. White “By
planning and taking action today we can ensure a better tomorrow” (White).
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Works Cited
AMD. "Hazardous Waste Disposal." AMD. Advanced Micro Devices, 2014. online. 15 March 2014.
<http://www.amd.com/PublishingImages/Public/Graphic_ChartsDiagrams/572WGIF/nonmanufacturing_hazardous_waste.gif>.
Department of Environmental Concervation. Reduce Your Household Hazardous Waste Use. 2014.
document. 13 March 2014. <http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8781.html>.
Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous Waste. 21 December 2012. online. 15 March 2014.
<http://www.epa.gov/osw/basic-hazard.htm>.
Payton, Dr. Brent. The Bug That Eats Toxic Waste. Pullman: Department of Chemical Engineering, 1998.
Text. 10 March 2014.
Spencer, Jack. "Recycling Nuclear Fuel: The French Do It, Why Can't Oui?" 28 December 2007. The
Heritage Foundation. online. 12 March 2014.
<http://www.heritage.org/research/commentary/2007/12/recycling-nuclear-fuel-the-frenchdo-it-why-cant-oui>.
Westland District Council. "Hazardous Waste is Toxic." Westland District Counctil. 2014. online. 14
March 2014. <https://www.westlanddc.govt.nz/img/content/785/1194/hazardous-waste-toxics3.jpg>.
White, Eli. Chemical Waste Disposal Eric Moore. 11 March 2014. online.