Chapter 13
Solid and Hazardous
Waste
Chapter Overview Questions
 What
is solid waste and how much do we
produce?
 How can we produce less solid waste?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages
of reusing recycled materials?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages
of burning or burying solid waste?
 What is hazardous waste and how can we
deal with it?
Chapter Overview Questions (cont’d)
 What
can we do to reduce exposure to lead
and mercury?
 How can we make the transition to a more
sustainable low-waste society?
Updates Online
The latest references for topics covered in this section can be found at
the book companion website. Log in to the book’s e-resources page at
www.thomsonedu.com to access InfoTrac articles.






InfoTrac: Computer waste can be a toxic mess. St.
Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO), June 8, 2006.
InfoTrac: The Greening of America. Newsweek
International, August 14, 2006.
InfoTrac: Unwanted electronics. Tam Harbert. Electronic
Business, April 2006 v32 i4 pS-6(5).
Department of Health and Human Services: ToxFaqs
Electronics Recycling
Science Daily: Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust: Litter
Made To Degrade
Video: The Throw-Away Society
 This
video clip is available in CNN Today
Videos for Environmental Science, 2004,
Volume VII. Instructors, contact your local
sales representative to order this volume,
while supplies last.
Core Case Study:
Love Canal — There Is No “Away”
 Between
1842-1953, Hooker Chemical
sealed multiple chemical wastes into steel
drums and dumped them into an old canal
excavation (Love Canal).
 In 1953, the canal was filled and sold to
Niagara Falls school board for $1.
 The company inserted a disclaimer denying
liability for the wastes.
Core Case Study:
Love Canal — There Is No “Away”
 In
1957, Hooker Chemical warned the school
not to disturb the site because of the toxic
waste.


In 1959 an elementary school, playing fields and
homes were built disrupting the clay cap covering
the wastes.
In 1976, residents complained of chemical smells
and chemical burns from the site.
Core Case Study:
Love Canal — There Is No “Away”
 President
Jimmy
Carter declared
Love Canal a
federal disaster
area.

The area was
abandoned in 1980
(left).
Core Case Study:
Love Canal — There Is No “Away”
 It
still is a controversy as to how much the
chemicals at Love Canal injured or caused
disease to the residents.
 Love Canal sparked creation of the
Superfund law, which forced polluters to pay
for cleaning up abandoned toxic waste
dumps.
WASTING RESOURCES
 Solid
waste: any unwanted or discarded
material we produce that is not a liquid or
gas.


Municipal solid waste (MSW): produce directly
from homes.
Industrial solid waste: produced indirectly by
industries that supply people with goods and
services.
 Hazardous
(toxic) waste: threatens human
health or the environment because it is toxic,
chemically active, corrosive or flammable.
WASTING RESOURCES
 Solid
wastes
polluting a river in
Jakarta, Indonesia.
The man in the
boat is looking for
items to salvage or
sell.
WASTING RESOURCES
 The
United States produces about a third of
the world’s solid waste and buries more than
half of it in landfills.


About 98.5% is industrial solid waste.
The remaining 1.5% is MSW.
• About 55% of U.S. MSW is dumped into landfills, 30%
is recycled or composted, and 15% is burned in
incinerators.
Electronic Waste: A Growing Problem
 E-waste
consists of
toxic and hazardous
waste such as PVC,
lead, mercury, and
cadmium.
 The U.S. produces
almost half of the
world's e-waste but
only recycles about
10% of it.
INTEGRATED WASTE
MANAGEMENT
 We
can manage the solid wastes we produce
and reduce or prevent their production.
First Priority
Primary Pollution
and Waste Prevention
• Change industrial
process to eliminate
use of harmful
chemicals
• Purchase different
products
• Use less of a harmful
product
• Reduce packaging
and materials in
products
• Make products that
last longer and are
recyclable, reusable,
or easy to repair
Second Priority
Last Priority
Secondary Pollution
and Waste Prevention
Waste Management
• Reuse products
• Repair products
• Recycle
• Compost
• Buy reusable
recyclable products
• Treat waste to reduce
toxicity
• Incinerate waste
• Bury waste in
landfills
• Release waste into
environment for
dispersal or dilution
Solutions: Reducing Solid Waste
 Refuse:
to buy items that we really don’t
need.
 Reduce: consume less and live a simpler
and less stressful life by practicing simplicity.
 Reuse: rely more on items that can be used
over and over.
 Repurpose: use something for another
purpose instead of throwing it away.
 Recycle: paper, glass, cans, plastics…and
buy items made from recycled materials.
What Can You Do?
Solid Waste
• Follow the five Rs of resource use: Refuse, Reduce,
Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle.
• Ask yourself whether you really need a particular item.
• Rent, borrow, or barter goods and services when you can.
• Buy things that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable,
and be sure to reuse, recycle, and compost them.
• Do not use throwaway paper and plastic plates,
cups and eating utensils, and other disposable items
when reusable or refillable versions are available.
• Refill and reuse a bottled water container with tap water.
• Use e-mail in place of conventional paper mail.
• Read newspapers and magazines online.
• Buy products in concentrated form whenever possible.
REUSE
 Reusing
products is an important way to
reduce resource use, waste, and pollution in
developed countries.
 Reusing can be hazardous in developing
countries for poor who scavenge in open
dumps.

They can be exposed to toxins or infectious
diseases.
How People Reuse Materials
 Children
looking for
materials to sell in an
open dump near
Manila in the
Philippines.
Case Study: Using Refillable
Containers
 Refilling
and reusing containers uses fewer
resources and less energy, produces less
waste, saves money, and creates jobs.


In Denmark and Canada’s Price Edward’s Island
there is a ban on all beverage containers that
cannot be reused.
In Finland 95% of soft drink and alcoholic
beverages are refillable (Germany 75%).
REUSE
 Reducing
resource
waste: energy
consumption for
different types of
350-ml (12-oz)
beverage
containers.
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
Energy (thousands of kilocalories)
How Would You Vote?
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 Do
you support banning all beverage
containers that cannot be reused as Denmark
has done?


a. No. Reused containers may be unsanitary.
b. Yes. A ban will save energy, money, and
resources and result in a cleaner environment.
Solutions:
Other Ways to Reuse Things
 We
can use reusable shopping bags, food
containers, and shipping pallets, and borrow
tools from tool libraries.

Many countries in Europe and Asia charge
shoppers for plastic bags.
How Would You Vote?
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 Should
consumers have to pay for plastic or
paper bags at grocery and other stores?


a. No. Instead, give discounts to people who
bring their own bags.
b. Yes. Making consumers buy their bags will
reduce waste.
What Can You Do?
Reuse
• Buy beverages in refillable glass containers
instead of cans or throwaway bottles.
• Use reusable plastic or metal lunchboxes.
• Carry sandwiches and store food in the refrigerator
in reusable containers instead of wrapping them in
aluminum foil or plastic wrap
• Use rechargeable batteries and recycle them
when their useful life is over.
• Carry groceries and other items in a reusable
basket, a canvas or string bag, or a small cart.
• Use reusable sponges and washable cloth
napkins, dishtowels, and handkerchiefs
instead of throwaway paper ones.
• Buy used furniture, computers, cars, and other items.
• Give or sell items you no longer use to others.
RECYCLING
 Primary
(closed loop) recycling: materials
are turned into new products of the same
type.
 Secondary recycling: materials are
converted into different products.


Used tires shredded and converted into
rubberized road surface.
Newspapers transformed into cellulose
insulation.
RECYCLING
 There
is a disagreement over whether to mix
urban wastes and send them to centralized
resource recovery plants or to sort
recyclables for collection and sale to
manufacturers as raw materials.

To promote separation of wastes, 4,000
communities in the U.S. have implemented payas-you-throw or fee-per-bag waste collection
systems.
How Would You Vote?
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 Should
households and businesses be
charged for the amount of mixed waste
picked up but not charged for pickup of
materials separated for recycling?


a. No. It would encourage illegal dumping and
burning of wastes.
b. Yes. Consumer source separation saves
money and makes consumers more
conscientious.
RECYCLING
 Composting
biodegradable organic waste
mimics nature by recycling plant nutrients to
the soil.
 Recycling paper has a number of
environmental (reduction in pollution and
deforestation, less energy expenditure) and
economic benefits and is easy to do.
RECYCLING
 Recycling
many plastics is chemically and
economically difficult.




Many plastics are hard to isolate from other
wastes.
Recovering individual plastic resins does not
yield much material.
The cost of virgin plastic resins in low than
recycled resins due to low fossil fuel costs.
There are new technologies that are making
plastics biodegradable.
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 Should
we place much greater emphasis on
recycling with the goal of recycling at least
60% of the municipal solid waste that we
produce?


a. No. Recycling programs should be market
driven rather than setting unrealistically high
goals that will either fail or require support from
already overtaxed citizens.
b. Yes. High recycling rates will reduce pollution
and save energy.
RECYCLING
 Reuse
and recycling are hindered by prices
of goods that do not reflect their harmful
environmental impacts, too few government
subsidies and tax breaks, and price
fluctuations.
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
Should governments pass laws requiring
manufacturers to take back and reuse or recycle all
packaging waste, appliances, electronic equipment,
and motor vehicles at the end of their useful lives?


a. No. These regulations would increase prices for
consumers.
b. Yes. The regulations would promote the
manufacturing of more environmentally friendly
products and further protect the environment.
Trade-Offs
Recycling
Advantages
Reduces air and
water pollution
Saves energy
Reduces mineral
demand
Reduces
greenhouse gas
emissions
Reduces solid waste
production and disposal
Disadvantages
Does not save
landfill space in
areas with ample
land
May lose money
for items such as
glass and most
plastic
Helps protect biodiversity
Reduces profits
from landfills and
incinerators
Can save money
for items such
as paper, metals,
and some
plastics
Source separation
is inconvenient for
some people
Important part of
economy
BURNING AND BURYING SOLID
WASTE
 Globally,
MSW is burned in over 1,000 large
waste-to-energy incinerators, which boil
water to make steam for heating water, or
space, or for production of electricity.

Japan and a few European countries incinerate
most of their MSW.
Burning Solid Waste
 Waste-to-energy
incinerator with pollution
controls that burns mixed solid waste.
Electricity
Steam
Smokestack
Turbine
Generator
Conventional
landfill
Waste
treatment
Hazardous
waste landfill
Trade-Offs
Incineration
Advantages
Reduces trash
volume
Less need
for landfills
Disadvantages
Expensive to build
Costs more than
short-distance
hauling to
landfills
Low water
pollution
Difficult to site
because of citizen
opposition
Concentrates
hazardous
substances
into ash for
burial or use
as landfill
cover
Some air pollution
Older or poorly
managed facilities
can release large
amounts of air
pollution
Sale of energy
reduces cost
Output approach
that encourages
waste production
Modern controls reduce
air pollution
Can compete
with recycling
for burnable
materials such
as newspaper
Some facilities recover
and sell metals
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 Do
the advantages of incinerating solid waste
outweigh the disadvantages?


a. Yes. Incineration is a sanitary and effective
method for eliminating infectious and organic
wastes.
b. No. Incineration can generate toxic air
pollution and ashes.
Burying Solid Waste
 Most
of the world’s MSW is buried in landfills
that eventually are expected to leak toxic
liquids into the soil and underlying aquifers.


Open dumps: are fields or holes in the ground
where garbage is deposited and sometimes
covered with soil. Mostly used in developing
countries.
Sanitary landfills: solid wastes are spread out in
thin layers, compacted and covered daily with a
fresh layer of clay or plastic foam.
Topsoil
Sand
Clay
Garbage
Probes to
detect
methane
leaks
When landfill is full,
layers of soil and clay
seal in trash
Electricity
Methane storage
and compressor
building
Methane gas
recovery well
Synthetic
liner
Sand
Clay
Subsoil
Leachate
treatment system
Pipes collect explosive
methane as used as fuel
to generate electricity
Leachate
storage
tank
Compacted
solid waste
Garbage
Sand
generator
building
Leachate
pipes
Leachate pumped
up to storage tank
for safe disposal
Clay and plastic lining
to prevent leaks; pipes
collect leachate from
bottom of landfill
Groundwater
Groundwater
monitoring
well
Leachate
monitoring
well
Trade-Offs
Sanitary Landfills
Advantages
No open burning
Little odor
Low groundwater
pollution if sited
properly
Can be built quickly
Low operating costs
Disadvantages
Noise and traffic
Dust
Air pollution from toxic
gases and volatile organic
compounds
Releases greenhouse
gases (methane and CO2)
unless they are collected
Groundwater contamination
Can handle large amounts
of waste
Slow decomposition
of wastes
Filled land can be used
for other purposes
Discourages recycling,
reuse, and waste reduction
No shortage of landfill
space in many areas
Eventually leaks and can
contaminate groundwater
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 Do
the advantages of burying solid waste in
sanitary landfills outweigh the
disadvantages?


a. No. Ultimately, landfills leak and pollute the
environment.
b. Yes. They have relatively low operating costs,
can store large amounts of waste, and are
designed to prevent pollution.
Case Study: What Should We Do with
Used Tires?
 We
face a dilemma
in deciding what to
so with hundreds
of millions of
discarded tires.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
 Hazardous
waste: is any discarded solid or
liquid material that is toxic, ignitable,
corrosive, or reactive enough to explode or
release toxic fumes.

The two largest classes of hazardous wastes are
organic compounds (e.g. pesticides, PCBs,
dioxins) and toxic heavy metals (e.g. lead,
mercury, arsenic).
What Harmful Chemicals Are in Your Home?
Cleaning
Gardening
• Disinfectants
• Drain, toilet, and
window cleaners
• Spot removers
• Septic tank cleaners
• Pesticides
• Weed killers
• Ant and rodent
killers
• Flea powders
Paint
• Latex and oil-based paints
• Paint thinners, solvents,
and strippers
• Stains, varnishes,
and lacquers
• Wood preservatives
• Artist paints and inks
General
• Dry-cell batteries
(mercury and cadmium)
• Glues and cements
Automotive
• Gasoline
• Used motor oil
• Antifreeze
• Battery acid
• Solvents
• Brake and
transmission fluid
• Rust inhibitor and
rust remover
Hazardous Waste Regulations in the
United States
 Two
major federal laws regulate the
management and disposal of hazardous
waste in the U.S.:

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA)
• Cradle-to-the-grave system to keep track waste.

Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
• Commonly known as Superfund program.
Hazardous Waste Regulations in the
United States
 The
Superfund law was designed to have
polluters pay for cleaning up abandoned
hazardous waste sites.

Only 70% of the cleanup costs have come from
the polluters, the rest comes from a trust fund
financed until 1995 by taxes on chemical raw
materials and oil.
How Would You Vote?
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
Should the U.S. Congress reinstate the polluterpays principle by using taxes from chemical, oil,
mining, and smelting companies to reestablish a
fund for cleaning up existing and new Superfund
sites?


a. No. All taxpayers, not certain industries, should
pay for cleaning up sites polluted in the past.
b. Yes. Funding for Superfund is needed and wastegenerating industries rather than ordinary citizens
should fund it.
DEALING WITH HAZARDOUS
WASTE
 We
can produce less hazardous waste and
recycle, reuse, detoxify, burn, and bury what
we continue to produce.
Produce Less Waste
Manipulate
processes
to eliminate
or reduce
production
Recycle
and
reuse
Convert to Less Hazardous or Nonhazardous Substances
Land
treatment
Thermal
treatment
Incineration
Chemical,
physical, and
biological
treatment
Ocean and
atmospheric
assimilation
Put in Perpetual Storage
Landfill
Underground
injection
Waste
piles
Surface
impoundments
Salt
formations
Arid region
unsaturated
zone
Conversion to Less Hazardous
Substances
 Physical
Methods: using charcoal or resins
to separate out harmful chemicals.
 Chemical Methods: using chemical
reactions that can convert hazardous
chemicals to less harmful or harmless
chemicals.
Conversion to Less Hazardous
Substances
 Biological


Methods:
Bioremediation: bacteria or enzymes help
destroy toxic and hazardous waste or convert
them to more benign substances.
Phytoremediation: involves using natural or
genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter and
remove contaminants from polluted soil and
water.
Radioactive
contaminants
Organic
contaminants
Sunflower
Inorganic
metal contaminants
Poplar tree
Indian mustard
Willow tree
Brake fern
Landfill
Polluted
groundwater
in
Decontaminated
Soil
water out
Groundwater
Rhizofiltration
Roots of plants such as
sunflowers with dangling
roots on ponds or in greenhouses can absorb pollutants
such as radioactive strontium90 and cesium-137 and various
organic chemicals.
Phytostabilization
Plants such as willow
trees and poplars can
absorb chemicals and
keep them from
reaching groundwater
or nearby surface
water.
Oil
spill
Polluted
leachate
Phytodegradation
Plants such as poplars
can absorb toxic organic
chemicals and break
them down into less
harmful compounds
which they store or
release slowly into the air.
Soil
Groundwater
Phytoextraction
Roots of plants such as Indian
mustard and brake ferns can
absorb toxic metals such as
lead, arsenic, and others and
store them in their leaves.
Plants can then be recycled
or harvested and incinerated.
Trade-Offs
Phytoremediation
Advantages
Disadvantages
Easy to establish
Slow (can
take several
growing
seasons)
Inexpensive
Can reduce
material
dumped into
landfills
Produces little
air pollution
compared to
incineration
Low energy use
Effective only
at depth plant
roots can
reach
Some toxic
organic
chemicals may
evaporate from
plant leaves
Some plants
can become
toxic to
animals
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
Do the advantages of using phytoremediation to
detoxify hazardous waste outweigh the
disadvantages?


a. No. The process is often too slow and cannot
remove contaminants below the root zones of the
remediating plants.
b. Yes. Plants can be effective in removing organics,
radionuclides, and inorganic contaminants from soil
and water.
Conversion to Less Hazardous
Substances
 Incineration:
heating many types of
hazardous waste to high temperatures – up
to 2000 °C – in an incinerator can break them
down and convert them to less harmful or
harmless chemicals.
Conversion to Less Hazardous
Substances
 Plasma
Torch: passing electrical current
through gas to generate an electric arc and
very high temperatures can create plasma.

The plasma process can be carried out in a torch
which can decompose liquid or solid hazardous
organic material.
Trade-Offs
Plasma Arc
Advantages
Small
Disadvantages
High cost
Produces CO2
and CO
Mobile. Easy to
move to different
sites
Produces no
toxic ash
Can release
particulates and
chlorine gas
Can vaporize and
release toxic metals
and radioactive
elements
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 Do
the advantages of using a plasma torch to
detoxify hazardous waste outweigh the
disadvantages?


a. No. Plasma torches are expensive and the
combustion byproducts may be harmful to the
environment and humans.
b. Yes. Plasma torches are convenient for
disposing of hazardous wastes.
Long-Term Storage of Hazardous
Waste
 Hazardous
waste can be disposed of on or
underneath the earth’s surface, but without
proper design and care this can pollute the
air and water.


Deep-well disposal: liquid hazardous wastes
are pumped under pressure into dry porous rock
far beneath aquifers.
Surface impoundments: excavated depressions
such as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners
are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are
stored.
Trade-Offs
Deep Underground Wells
Advantages
Disadvantages
Safe method if
sites are chosen
carefully
Leaks or spills at
surface
Wastes can be
retrieved if
problems
develop
Leaks from
corrosion of well
casing
Easy to do
Existing fractures
or earthquakes
can allow wastes
to escape into
groundwater
Low cost
Encourages
waste production
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 Do
the advantages of deep-well disposal of
hazardous waste outweigh the
disadvantages?


a. No. The systems may leak and contaminate
valuable soils, sediments, and groundwaters.
b. Yes. Deep injection wells can be designed to
permanently remove hazardous wastes from
surface and near-surface environments.
Trade-Offs
Surface Impoundments
Advantages
Low construction
costs
Low operating
costs
Can be built
quickly
Wastes can be
retrieved if
necessary
Can store wastes
indefinitely with
secure double liners
Disadvantages
Groundwater
contamination
from leaking liners
(or no lining)
Air pollution from
volatile organic
compounds
Overflow from
flooding
Disruption and
leakage from
earthquakes
Promotes waste
production
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 Do
the advantages of storing hazardous
wastes in surface impoundments outweigh
the disadvantages?


a. No. The environment should not be openly
exposed to liquid hazardous wastes.
b. Yes. Surface impoundments are inexpensive
solutions for at least the temporary storage of
liquid wastes.
Long-Term Storage of Hazardous
Waste
 Long-Term
Retrievable Storage: Some
highly toxic materials cannot be detoxified or
destroyed. Metal drums are used to stored
them in areas that can be inspected and
retrieved.
 Secure Landfills: Sometimes hazardous
waste are put into drums and buried in
carefully designed and monitored sites.
Secure Hazardous Waste Landfill
 In
the U.S. there
are only 23
commercial
hazardous waste
landfills.
Bulk Gas Topsoil
waste vent
Earth
Impervious
clay
Plastic cover
Sand
Impervious Clay
clay cap
cap
Water
table
Earth
Groundwater
Leak
detection
system
Double leachate Plastic Reactive
collection system double wastes
liner
in drums
Groundwater
monitoring
well
What Can You Do?
Hazardous Waste
• Use pesticides in the smallest amount possible.
• Use less harmful substances instead of commercial
chemicals for most household cleaners. For example use
liquid ammonia to clean appliances and windows; vinegar
to polish metals, clean surfaces, and remove stains and
mildew; baking soda to clean household utensils,
deodorize, and remove stains; borax to
remove stains and mildew.
• Do not dispose of pesticides, paints, solvents, oil,
antifreeze, or other products containing hazardous
chemicals by flushing them down the toilet, pouring
them down the drain, burying them, throwing them
into the garbage, or dumping them down storm
drains.
Case Study: Lead
 Lead
is especially
harmful to children
and is still used in
leaded gasoline and
household paints in
about 100 countries.
Solutions
Lead Poisoning
Prevention
Control
Phase out leaded gasoline
worldwide
Sharply reduce lead emissions from old
and new incinerators
Phase out waste incineration
Replace lead pipes and plumbing
fixtures containing lead solder
Test blood for lead by age 1
Remove leaded paint and lead dust
from older houses and apartments
Ban use of lead solder
Ban use of lead in
computer and TV monitors
Remove lead from TV sets and
computer monitors before incineration
or land disposal
Test for lead in existing ceramicware
used to serve food
Ban lead glazing for ceramicware
used to serve food
Ban candles with lead cores
Test existing candles for lead
Wash fresh fruits and vegetables
Case Study:
Mercury
 Mercury
is released
into the
environment mostly
by burning coal and
incinerating wastes
and can build to
high levels in some
types of fish.
Solutions
Mercury Pollution
Prevention
Control
Phase out waste
incineration
Remove
mercury from
coal before it
is burned
Sharply reduce
mercury
emissions from
coal-burning
plants and
incinerators
Convert coal to
liquid or
gaseous fuel
Tax each unit of
mercury emitted
by coal-burning
plants and
incinerators
Switch from
coal to natural
gas and
renewable
energy
resources
such as wind,
solar cells,
and hydrogen
Phase out use
of mercury in
all products
unless they
are recycled
Collect and
recycle mercurycontaining
electric
switches, relays,
and dry-cell
batteries
Require labels
on all
products
containing
mercury
AIR
WINDS
PRECIPITATION
PhotoElemental chemical
mercury
vapor
(Hg)
Hg2+ and acids
Inorganic
mercury
and acids
(Hg2+)
Inorganic mercury
and acids
(Hg2+)
Deposition
Incinerator
Coalburning
plant
PRECIPITATION
Hg2+ and acids
Hg and SO2
Human sources
WINDS
Runoff of Hg2+ and acids
WATER
Large fish
Deposition
Vaporization
Deposition
Deposition
Small fish BIOMAGNIFICATION
IN FOOD CHAIN
Phytoplankton
Oxidation
Elemental
mercury liquid
(Hg)
Settles
out
Inorganic
mercury
(Hg2+)
Bacteria
and acids
Bacteria
Settles
out
SEDIMENT
Zooplankton
Organic
mercury
(CH3Hg+)
Settles
out
ACHIEVING A LOW-WASTE
SOCIETY
 In
the U.S., citizens have kept large numbers
of incinerators, landfills, and hazardous
waste treatment plants from being built in
their local areas.
 Environmental justice means that everyone is
entitled to protection from environmental
hazards without discrimination.
Global Outlook: International Action to
Reduce Hazardous Waste
 An
international treaty calls for phasing out
the use of harmful persistent organic
pollutants (POPs).



POPs are insoluble in water and soluble in fat.
Nearly every person on earth has detectable
levels of POPs in their blood.
The U.S has not ratified this treaty.
Making the Transition to a Low-Waste
Society: A New Vision
 Everything
is connected.
 There is no “away” for the wastes we
produce.
 Dilution is not always the solution to pollution.
 The best and cheapest way to deal with
wastes are reduction and pollution
prevention.