Waste Disposal

Introduction & History Types of waste Disposal methods Disposal sustainability

(data and slides provided by DEFRA with permission)

Definition of Waste
Article 1(a) of the European Waste Framework Directive provides that:"waste" is "any substance or objectwhich the holder discards or intends or is required to discard.

When is waste a waste?

Unwanted material that is discarded Recycling or reclamation? Still waste even though it is purchased

Discarding of a material does not mean to pass it to another person. Keeping waste on own land is waste disposal

Definition of Waste
Waste Framework Directive: (EC Directive 2006/12/EC)

European legislation that governs waste disposal practice:

Waste recovered or disposed of without endangering human health AND without harming the environment

Encourages waste recovery over its disposal Oversees disposal practice through;

Permitting & inspection

To control pollution from waste Promotes disposal as a last resort

Waste Hierarchy

Waste Disposal versus Waste Recovery

Waste is not just sent to landfill

mrw.co.uk

Organics.org

Recycled-papers.co.uk

Waste Quantities

Total UK wastes (1998-2003)

434Mt

per year in the UK

250Mt controlled waste 184Mt uncontrolled waste (mining tailings, building foundations & agricultural)
7.38t/capita

arising each year

controlled waste
Domestic,

commercial & industrial waste that has to be managed in licensed facilities Regulated due to toxicity of biodegradable byproducts

History of Waste

Pre-industrial revolution Situation similar in many developing countries today - waste is not an issue in mainly agricultural societies

Food waste is fed to farm animals or composted Ashes from coal fires are used as fertiliser Wood reused in construction Rag and Bone Men used to trade reused materials house to house

Pre-Clean Air Acts (1956) Ash from coal fires household waste comprised mainly dense ash Post-industrial revolution Increased organics (food waste is no longer fed to animals) Increased packaging of food and all goods Widespread use of plastics Increase in affluence and associated consumerism & waste

The Industrial Revolution

Began in 18th Century Increased availability of:

Raw

materials through trade Workers as population flocked to cities Scientific research

Led to new inventions and; Coal powered machinery

Large

quantities of products made quickly and cheaply

Impact of Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution Start of consumerism generation of waste Migration of population to towns and cities greater impact of waste health/environment need for measures to be put in place to manage waste Public Health Act 1848 start of waste regulation local authorities responsible for collecting household waste from moveable bins on weekly basis 1874, first energy from waste plant in Britain (Destructor in Nottingham)

1950s 1970s

Introduction of National waste management practices:

Clean

Air Act (1956) encouraged the move away from open fires in homes less ash disposed of lead to change in waste composition CAA (1956) Intention: Minimise dark smoke (smog) Control of smoke emissions Shift towards boilers Address health & environmental concerns

City of Dundee, pre-CAA

1950s 1970s

Introduction of National waste management practices: Introduction of first ever legislation to control hazardous waste;
Deposit

of Poisonous Waste Act 1972 consequence of cyanide waste drums incident (Nuneaton)

Press coverage; newspapers

1950s 1970s

Introduction of National waste management practices: Dumping of more organic waste (food & paper etc) environmental problems at dump sites;
Control

of Pollution Act (CoPA) 1974 wider control of waste disposal and regulation of sites, and start of tightening up of waste disposal methods

These three acts highlights the populations desire to a clean environment

1970s 1990s

Development and dominance of landfill, BUT: Increasingly tighter environmental controls on waste management

Producer Responsibility Obligation 1997: recover & recycle

Higher

standards of landfilling lining, leachate collection and treatment, landfill gas control and utilisation
Duty of Care 1992 relates to waste responsibility

Still

plenty of mineral workings (quarries) available for landfill landfill still inexpensive, even with landfill tax 1996 Significantly tighter air emissions controls on incinerators resulting in increasing capital and operating costs

Types of Waste 1. Municipal Solid Waste 2. Construction & demolition 3. Radioactive 4. Sewage 5. Agricultural 6. Mining

Types of Waste

NERC

Cornwall.gov.uk

Arcadis.co.uk

Types of Waste
Municipal Solid Waste
NERC

Cornwall.gov.uk

Arcadis.co.uk

Types of Waste
Mining Waste Municipal Solid Waste
NERC

Cornwall.gov.uk

Arcadis.co.uk

Types of Waste
Mining Waste Municipal Solid Waste
NERC

Cornwall.gov.uk

Agricultural Waste
Arcadis.co.uk

Types of Waste
Mining Waste Municipal Solid Waste
NERC

Cornwall.gov.uk

Sewage Agricultural Waste

Arcadis.co.uk

Types of Waste

theguardian.com ukgbc.org

Types of Waste
Construction & demolition
theguardian.com ukgbc.org

Types of Waste
Construction & demolition
theguardian.com ukgbc.org

Radioactive Waste

UK Total Waste Composition

UK (most up-to-date data) 23% 20% agriculture (1999) minerals (2003) sewage sludge (1999/00) dredged material (1999) 13% municipal waste (2001) 22% commercial (1998) industrial (1998) 6% 8% 8% C&D (2001) <1%

UK Total Waste Composition

UK (most up-to-date data) 23% 20% agriculture (1999) minerals (2003) sewage sludge (1999/00) dredged material (1999) 13% municipal waste (2001) 22% commercial (1998) industrial (1998) 6% 8% 8% C&D (2001) <1%

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Definition and sources: Household waste and waste collected by a waste collection authority or its contractors, such as

municipal parks and gardens waste beach cleansing waste and any commercial and industrial waste for which the collection authority takes responsibility

organic fraction Arisings: 29.1Mt (2003/04) England

Large

Composition: British Standard Waste (BSW) typical composition of bin waste in the UK!

British Standard Waste (BSW)

6% 8% 3% 2% 1% 5% 5% 1% 7% 5% 2% 3% 21% 31% 2% Sanitary towels Organic Fine material Plastic film Paper and card Textiles Combustibles Non-ferrous metal Ferrous metal Dense plastic Hazardous waste WEEE Wood Non-combustibles Glass

British Standard Waste (BSW)

6% 8% 3% 2% 1% 5% 5% 1% 7% 5% 2% 3% 21% 31% 2% Sanitary towels Organic Fine material Plastic film Paper and card Textiles Combustibles Non-ferrous metal Ferrous metal Dense plastic Hazardous waste WEEE Wood Non-combustibles Glass

~ 50 % of UK bin waste is organic & biodegradable

Minerals Waste

Mining and extractive industry waste Comprises: Colliery waste, coal, china clay, clay, slate, and metalliferous and quarrying materials Much of the waste generated will be chemically inert (unreactive) & non-hazardous Some waste may contain high levels of metals Sources: Mining and quarrying waste is generated during the extraction and on-site processing of materials e.g. solid lumps of rock, sludge-like or liquid Arisings: 96.1Mt (2003) UK

Sewage Sludge

Definition: Sewage consists of wastewater from domestic, trade and industrial sources as well as rainfall and surface water It contains faeces and urine 0.1 % solid materials

Carlisle Sewage Treatment Works bbc.co.uk

Arisings:
Dry

weight: 1.13Mt and 20kg/capita (1999/00) UK

Agricultural Waste
By-products of farming:
Empty pesticide containers Old silage wrap Livestock medicines Tyres & oils Batteries Surplus & O.O.D. milk

~40 % UK waste: Farmers permitted to carry out certain disposal activities

Construction & Demolition Waste

Definition: Unwanted material produced by construction industry Bricks, concrete, nails, wood, rebar, electrical wiring, rubble Mostly inert but hazardous materials such as lead piping, asbestos
Uses: ground improvement; reused in construction projects, e.g. foundations (crusher and screener) & made ground Arisings: 90.9Mt (2003) England & Wales

Samphire Hoe, Hampshire

loneswimmer.com

Hazardous Waste

Definition: Considerable threat to human health and the environment because of its properties: Flammable, reactive, corrosive or toxic and are often liquids Defined by hazardous properties and not by its source Solvents, pesticides, electronics, aerosols, caustics, ammunition What is hazardous is defined by: Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 (England and Wales) Arisings: 5.37Mt (2002) UK

Radioactive Waste

Wikipedia.org

Definition: Radioactive waste is waste contaminated by, or incorporating, radioactivity above certain levels Sources: Civil nuclear power industry: up to 89% Dungeness Nuclear Power Station Research and development activities: 9% Military activities: 2% Medical treatment & equipment: <1% Arisings: 1.75Mm3 (2001) UK Disposal depends on degree of contamination:
Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine guardian.co.uk

Low-, intermediate- & high-level waste

Waste Disposal Methods

UK vs Abroad Municipal Solid Waste fate

Waste Disposal Methods

UK vs Abroad Municipal Solid Waste fate

Typical Landfill Site

Inert waste:
Unreactive municipal

Non-hazardous waste:
Municipal & biodegradable

Hazardous waste:
Toxic material within waste acceptable limits of TOC, DOC & LOI Landfill Liner Structure Above WACs HTI Chemical & Oil Production

(Bell 2007)

Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility

High-level radioactive waste: deep multi-barrier geological disposal system Bury waste to minimise radioactive waste exposure to ecosystems & environs

Barriers act to: isolate waste and contain the radionuclides for ~1,000 years Prevent groundwater from interacting and transporting waste
NDAReportno.NDA/RWMD/010

Radioactive Waste Disposal

Zooming in: Six potential barriers prevent groundwater interacting with high-level waste

NDAReportno.NDA/RWMD/010

Sustainable Waste Management

The Landfill Directive brought about a change in emphasis: Waste disposal waste management resource utilisation Overall aim: Minimise quantity of MSW sent to landfill by: (1) Reducing quantity of waste materials: Waste Minimisation (2) Separating waste into usable parts by pre-landfill treatment processes such as:

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) & Energy from Waste

(1) Waste Minimisation

= reducing the amount of waste generated

Changing manufacturing processes:

To produce less waste

Examples:

Avoid excessive/over-packaging Buying in bulk/loose reduced weight per unit weight of product Avoiding plastic bags bag for life

(2) Separating waste by pre-landfill treatment processes such as:

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)

slwp.org.uk

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)

Mechanical (M) refers to various sorting, separation, size reduction and sieving technologies achieve a mechanical separation of waste fractions into potentially useful products and/or streams suitable for biological processing Biological (B) refers to an aerobic or anaerobic biological process converts the biodegradable waste fraction into a stabilised compost-like output and, if using anaerobic digestion, biogas combustible material sent to energy from waste plant

Purpose of Pre-Landfill Treatment

The purpose of this form of treatment is to:

Reduce

the waste volume going to landfill Improve the disposal of waste at landfill Lengthen the stability, useful life and efficiency of landfill Reduce the rate of gas formation and leachate

Summary
Disposal of waste is a major environmental problem for society Landfill containment or slow dispersion Hazardous waste deep repositories To meet EU regulations the UK has to reduce the amount of material going to landfill (hence MBT & Landfill Directive)

The Landfill Directive

The main regulation driving increased take-up in MBT (Mechanical Biological Treatment) is the Landfill Directive (EC/31/1999) The diversion targets laid down in Article 5(2) of the Landfill Directive state By 2010, to reduce amount of British Municipal Waste going to landfill by no less than 75% of 1995 baseline By 2013, by no less than 50% of 1995 baseline By 2020, by no less than 35% of 1995 baseline