LAND POLLUTION
SOLID WASTE
Humans produce lots of solid waste.
 Disposing waste has been a problem since
ancient Greece.
 Solid waste thrown into streets caused
outbreaks of deadly diseases (cholera,
typhoid).
 Land contaminated with waste (land pollution).
 NYC: waste thrown into streets
then dumped into the Atlantic Ocean
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SOLID WASTE
SOLID WASTE
Landfill Problems:
 Space for waste in landfill is limited.
 Waste leads to populations of rats, flies,
cockroaches.
 Decaying waste produce incredibly bad odors and
methane gas (think the Meadowlands on a really
hot day).
 Rain and snow carry pollutants from the landfills
into the soil and water around the landfills
(leaching).
NJ MEADOWLANDS LANDFILL
LANDFILL DIAGRAM
ANSWER THESE
What are solid wastes?
 List three different ways humans have disposed
of solid wastes.
 What effects do you think the Meadowlands
landfill has on organisms in the wetlands and
Newark Bay?

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
LANDFILL SOLUTIONS
Layers of clay, thick plastic liners to prevent
leaching.
 Compacting waste very tightly to put more into
the same space.
 Planting grass and trees on top of closed
landfills.
 Pipes that allow methane gas to escape from
the landfill.
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HAZARDOUS WASTES
Hazardous wastes: any solid liquid or gas that
even in small amounts can be harmful to
humans.
 Industrial wastes are classified by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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CLASSIFICATIONS
Reactive Wastes – can explode (metal form of
sodium, gunpowder, gas, oil, propane)
 Corrosive Wastes – can eat through steel
(concentrated acids, batteries, bleach)
 Ignitable Wastes – can burst into flame at low
temperatures (paint thinners, oil, cleaning fluids)
 Radioactive Wastes – radiation releasing
compounds (mining, medical, scientific research)
 Medical Wastes – (used syringes, blood and tissue
samples, old medicines)
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TOXIC WASTE SPILLS
Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY – Hooker
Chemical Company began dumping toxic
chemical wastes into the Love canal in 1940’s.
 In 1953 the company sold the land to the town
for a school and housing. 56% of all children
had birth defects. 900 families effected.
 First Superfund
cleanup site.
 80+ toxic
chemicals found
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SUPERFUND SITES
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Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Company, South
Plainfield, NJ
CORNELL-DUBILIER SUPERFUND SITE
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Electronics company in South Plainfield, NJ from 19361962.
Dumped chemicals (PCB’s, TCE, metals and volatiles)
into the soil around the factory.
8,700 people live within 1 mile of the site. The toxic
chemicals were found in nearby homes and businesses.
Fish from the Bound Brook also showed high levels of
the same chemicals.
In 1998, the EPA placed this site in the SuperFund for
immediate cleanup.
The cleanup and monitoring is still going on today.
TOPSOIL EROSION
Loss of the top layers of soil is known as
erosion.
 Areas where deserts meet grasslands can be
lost through process called desertification.
 Clearing forests, overgrazing of livestock, water
loss and bad farming can all cause top soil
loss.
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SOIL EROSION
Drought/overgrazing
Desertification
Deforestation
Bad Farming practices
CONTROLLING SOIL EROSION
Strip-cropping divides fields into strips that are
plowed alternating with strips that are planted.
 Contour farming follows the natural rise and fall
of the fields leaving spaces between rows to
collect water.
 Terraces or platforms built into the side of a
very steep hill slowing water flow and soil loss.
 Shelter belt or windbreaks slow down wind
erosion.
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CONTROLLING SOIL EROSION
Strip-cropping
Terracing
Contour farming
Shelter Belts
CONTROLLING LAND POLLUTION
Problem: Disposable items makeup ¼ of
landfills. (paper towels, paper plates)
 Solution: Substitute reusable or recycled items
(washable cloth towels, china plates) Recycling
paper, metal, glass, cardboard. Biodegradable
items decompose easily and enrich the soil.
Compost tree, grass clippings and other plant
materials.
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DISPOSABLE SOLUTIONS
DISPOSING HAZARDOUS WASTE
Waste Exchange – hazardous waste from one
company is collected by a waste exchange
agency to be used by other companies to make
their products.
 Deep-well Injection – hazardous waste from oil
drilling is injected deep into the earth.
 Secure chemical landfill – hazardous waste is
sealed in a deep pit dug into bedrock. Pipes are
used to collect collect any leaked materials.
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HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL
Controlled Incineration – hazardous wastes are
burned at very high temperatures (5421662oC) This method was used for most of the
contaminated soil in South Plainfield, NJ
 Chemical/Biological treatment plants - some
hazardous waste can be neutralized by
treatment.
 Radioactive disposal – sealed in steel drums
encased in concrete then placed under water in
deep vaults.
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ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was
created in 1970 to protect the environment.
 Superfund Act (1980):
 Cleanup hazardous waste dumps
 Make the polluters responsible - pay for
cleanup
 Develop a list of the worst sites
 Emergency action in the case of spills
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