Solid Hazardous Waste Review:

New York plans to change largest landfill in the world to park -Love canal o Hooker Chemical sealed chemical wastes in Love canal. Sold to Niagra Falls school board for 1$. o Built schools and were warned not to disturb area. o President Carter declared a federal disaster area. o Superfund law created Waste o Any discarded material for which no further sale or use is intended o Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or gas o Municipal solid waste (MSW): produce directly from homes. o Industrial solid waste: produced indirectly by industries that supply people with goods and services. Ways to reduce waste that enters waste stream o Waste stream: flow of waste as it moves from its sources toward disposal destinations o Recovery: next best strategy in waste management o Recycling = sends used goods to manufacture new goods o Composting = recovery of organic waste o All materials in nature are recycled How much trash is generated? o 251 million tons of trash in US Electronic Waste o Consists of toxic and hazardous waste like lead, mercury o US produces half of worlds e-waste US sells its trash to China for recycling Burying Solid Waste o Open dumps: are fields or holes in the ground where garbage is deposited and sometimes covered with soil. Mostly used in developing countries. o Sanitary landfills: solid wastes are spread out in thin layers, compacted and covered daily with a fresh layer of clay or plastic foam. o Sanitary landfills = waste buried in the ground or piled in large, engineered mounds 40 CFR Parts 239-259 o RCRA regulates non-hazardous waste

o Siting o Design o Operation o Monitoring o Closure and post-closure o Financial assurance Why do we have landfills? o Protect groundwater o Protect surface water o Protect air quality o Control pathogenic migration Landfill design o Underlying soils o Depth to groundwater o Landfill liner (triple liner) o Leachate collection system o Leachate prevention through infiltration and drainage control o Cover soil and final landfill cap Landfills produce gas for energy o Bacteria can decompose waste in an oxygen-deficient environment o Landfill gas = a mix of gases that consists of roughly half methane o Can be collected, processed, and used like natural gas o When not used commercially, landfill gas is burned off in flares to reduce odors and greenhouse emissions Solutions: Reducing Solid Waste o Refuse: to buy items that we really dont need. o Reduce: consume less and live a simpler and less stressful life by practicing simplicity. o Reuse: rely more on items that can be used over and over. o Repurpose: use something for another purpose instead of throwing it away. o Recycle: paper, glass, cans, plasticsand buy items made from recycled materials. o Use reusable stuff Alternatives o Compost piles o Biodegradable Who pays for cleanup? o CERCLA operates under the polluter pays principle = polluting parties were to be charged for cleanup o An average cleanup costs $25 million and takes 12 - 15 years

Hazardous Waste Regulations in the US o Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Cradle-to-the-grave system to keep track waste. o Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Commonly known as Superfund program. Hazardous Waste Exclusions o Household waste o Agricultural waste returned as fertilizer o Mining overburden returned to mine site o Certain utility wastes from coal combustion o Certain oil & natural gas exploration drilling waste o Waste from mining and processing ores o Cement chromium bearing wastes o Cement kiln dust wastes o Arsenic-treated wood wastes from end users Dioxins o Regulated by TSCA o Carcinogen o Teratogen o Mutagen Bioaccumulators o Chlorinated Insecticides o Carbamates o Organophosphates o Herbicides o Metals Hydrogen Sulfide o Decomposition product of organic matter o Toxic gas Cyanides (-CN) o in plating operations and sludges o When mixed with an acid, Hydrogen Cyanide gas is released o Can cause instantaneous death o Acutely toxic Eight Heavy Metals (RCRA) o Arsenic o Barium o Cadmium o Chromium o Lead o Mercury o Selenium o Silver Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

o Group of chlorinated hydrocarbons Waste Minimization o Waste minimization is required by all Large Quantity Generators and can be achieved by o using an alternative process; o reducing the amount used; or o solvent substitution How is hazardous waste treated? o The EPA decides the appropriate method of disposal for each listed and typed waste. o Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDF) are permitted to handle hazardous waste. o Transporters of hazardous waste are also permitted. Treatment Methods o There are several categories of treatment options. o Landfill or Storage o Incineration or Destruction o Fuel Blending o Neutralization o Biological Treatment Conversion to Less Hazardous Substances o 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. o Plasma Torch: passing electrical current through gas to generate an electric arc and very high temperatures can create plasma. Long-Term Storage of Hazardous Waste o Deep-well disposal: liquid hazardous wastes are pumped under pressure into dry porous rock far beneath aquifers. o Surface impoundments: excavated depressions such as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are stored. Long-Term Storage of Hazardous Waste o 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. o Secure Landfills: Sometimes hazardous waste are put into drums and buried in carefully designed and monitored sites. Brownfields o Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated

by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Phytoremediation o use of living green plants for in situ risk reduction and/or removal of contaminants from contaminated soil, water, sediments, and air o Phytoremediation is actually a term for several ways in which plants can be used to clean up contaminated soils and water o more economically viable using the same tools and supplies as agriculture o less disruptive to the environment and does not involve waiting for new plant communities to recolonize the site o Disposal sites are not needed o more likely to be accepted by the public as it is more aesthetically pleasing then traditional methods o avoids excavation and transport of polluted media thus reducing the risk of spreading the contamination o It has the potential to treat sites polluted with more than one type of pollutant o Large scale operations require access to agricultural equipment and knowledge o Time taken to remediate sites far exceeds that of other technologies o