Types of Hazardous and Toxic Waste Disposal Methods

most common = least desirable
USA makes _____% world's waste

the three R's: re_____, re_____, re______

Ocean Dumps
_________ in US (hooray!)
55 million lbs/yr of packaging are dumped into ocean
330 million lbs/yr of fishing gear lost or discarded
deadly to marine life (ex. seals) :(

Landfills
fate of _______ municipal solid waste
Paper is ______ ________ in landfill
trash buried with an impermeable lining (______, _______) to prevent leaching
controls pollution of aquifer (_____, chemical compounds, _____ metals, contaminated rainwater). It's supposed to anyway.
methane gas burned for energy
Once very effective, landfills are now ________ landhogs- $1 billion/hectare
many aquifers already ______ from leaks
Natural Hydrogeologic Setting-
New landfills must now be set on stable, impermeable bedrock, away from streams, rivers, lakes etc.
Must include Leachate Collection System - contaminated fluids seep to bottom of landfill where they are collected by complex ________ pipes

Exporting
Often sent to _______, un-educated communities or countries ex. American Indians
____ _______ plastics calamity- $3 million bribe for dumping toxic waste in Cambodia
"garbage materialism" and NIMBY

Living off trash Manila and London

Incineration
volume of waste reduced _____%
45,000 tons/day burned in US
energy production as by product- ______ or ________
expensive to build and operate
high levels of toxins in ________ & ________
ex. dioxins, mercury, lead, cadmium, PVC
Refuse-dervied fuel-remove ________ and _________ first for cleaner burn
Mass burn- throw everything in smaller than Volkswagon. Dirty air indeed.

Reduction and Reuse
reuse vs recycling
- reuse is simply re-using an item (ex. __________)
- recycling is re-processing discarded materials (ex. _________, ___________)

Recycling - ITS A GOOD THING
glasses to glasses, rust to rust
bottles may be reforged as bottles
tires may be turned into roadways or _____________!
benefits include more efficent use of non-renewable resources
- cheaper method of waste disposal
- less air and water pollution
- cuts waste volume in landfill

Alternatives to Household Chemicals

1.

2.

3.


Long Term Storage
It has to go somewhere
non bio-degradables
- permanent retrievable storage vs. non-retrievable storage

EPA ranks best strategy for Muncipal Solid Waste (MSW)
1. Source ___________ (including reuse)
2. Recycling and ___________
3. _____________
4. Landfilling