CHAPTER 24: SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTES

Types of Solid Waste

solid wastes from homes, offic stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, prisons, libraries, and other commercial and institutional facilities.

• This huge amount of ____ solid waste only comprises
about 1.5% of all solid waste produced.
• Most solid waste (98.5%) is ____ solid waste.

includes mining waste (75%),
agricultural waste (13%), and industrial waste (9.5%).

Disposal of Solid Waste
• The traditional view of solid waste is that it contains materials
no longer of use and that there are four way to get rid of solid
waste

an old method of disposing of solid waste was to simply dump it directly on the ground or in the ocean with no attempt to protect the surrounding soil or groundwater from damaging environmental effects of the waste.

Problems with open dumps

an engineered hole that receives solid wastes
and is covered with a thin layer of soil on a daily basis. They
include a soil liner to prevent (reduce) spread of chemicals.

Problems with sanitary landfills

something that
breaks down when exposed to light.
Some newer plastics are purposely
made to be photodegradable and
biodegradable.

materials that can be broken down by microorganisms.

burning.

Problems of incineration:

huge furnaces designed to burn all burnable solid waste.

produce a chemical spray to neutralize acidic gases and
reduce acid deposition (acid rain)

give ash a positive charge so that it is attracted to negative plates rather than being released into the air.

____ and ____ serve to reduce air pollution but make the ash that remains behind even more toxic (concentrated).

2 kinds of Ash are produced in incineration:

the residue ash left at the bottom of the incinerator.

ash from the flue or smoke stack

____ is more toxic than ____ ash.

conversion of organic
waste into soil
conditioner.

Goals of waste prevention in order of priority:

conservation of resources by converting used products into new
ones (Aluminum cans)

conservation of resources by using the product over and over.

intentional design of products to decrease volume of
solid waste and hazardous waste

progressive decrease in the size and weight of products as a result of technological improvements

____ only results in source reduction if the new product is as durable as the one that was replaced.

combination of techniques
including of 3 R’s (source reduction, reuse, and recycling) to
minimize waste.

____ represents the most effective way to deal with solid and hazardous waste.

any discarded chemical that
threatens human health or the environment.

hazardous chemical formed as
unwanted by-products during the
combustion of many chlorine compounds.

hazardous oily industrial chemicals
composed of carbon, hydrogen and
chlorine.

unstable isotopes that emit harmful radiation energy particles.

use of bacteria and fungi to breakdown toxic wastes

use of plants to absorb and accumulate toxic wastes from the soil.

• ____ decreases the amount of materials used during production. Because it stops waste before it starts, it is the top solid waste priority.

a new branch of chemistry
in which commercially important
chemical processes are redesigned to
significantly reduce environmental harm
through source reduction.

Using tiny amounts of chemicals to see chemical reactions and interaction. This significantly reduces the amount of chemical used and therefore the hazardous waste generated.

the right of every citizen worldwide to have adequate protection from
environmental hazards.

____ restricts the international transport of
hazardous waste.
• It allows the export of hazardous waste only with prior consent of the
importing country and any other countries the hazardous waste must
pass through.

the idea that quality of life and
individual happiness are not
linked to the material goods
(toys) you have.
• It includes community sharing
of tools and cars.