AR151

/ BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 6 SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE

DROWNING IN E-WASTE
ELECTRONIC WASTE OR E-WASTE
consists of discarded television sets, cell phones, computers,
iPods, and other electronic devices.
Is also a source of toxic and hazardous pollutants, including
polyvinylchloride (PVC), brominated flame retardants, lead,
and mercury

WHAT ARE SOLID WASTE AND HAZARDOUS WASTE,
AND WHY ARE THEY PROBLEMS?
Solid waste represents pollution and unnecessary waste of resources,
and hazardous waste contributes to pollution, natural capital
degradation, health problems, and premature deaths.

WE THROW AWAY HUGE AMOUNTS OF USEFUL THINGS AND
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
One major category of waste is SOLID WASTE any unwanted or
discarded material we product that is not a liquid or a gas

SOLID WASTE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES
1. INDUSTRIAL SOLID WASTE produced by mines, agriculture,
and industries that supply people with goods and services.

2. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW), garbage or trash, which
consists of the combined solid waste produced by homes and
workplaces.
*MSW also include E-WASTE

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

Another major category of waste is HAZARDOUS, or toxic waste
threatens human health or the environment because it is poisonous,
dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable. *Household
pesticides, dry cell batteries need to be incinerated

The two largest classes of hazardous wastes:
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (such as various solvents, pesticides,
PCBs, and dioxins)
NONDEGRADABLE TOXIC HEAVY METALS (such as lead,
mercury, and arsenic)
Another form of extremely hazardous waste is HIGHLY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE produced by nuclear power plants and
nuclear weapons facilities.

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH SOLID WASTE?
A sustainable approach to solid waste is first to reduce it, then to
reuse or recycle it, and finally to safely dispose of what is left.

WE CAN BURN OR BURY SOLID WASTE OR PRODUCE LESS OF IT
WASTE MANAGEMENT manage wastes in ways that reduce
their environmental harm without seriously trying to reduce
the amount of waste produced
WASTE REDUCTION produce much less waste and pollution,
and the wastes we do produce are considered to be potential
resources that can be reused, recycle, or composted.
*prevention is the the best

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 6 SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

WASTE REDUCTION IS BASED ON THREE Rs:
REDUCE: consume less and live a simpler lifestyle
REUSE: rely more on items that can be used repeatedly
instead of on throwaway items, and buy necessary items
secondhand or borrow or rent them
RECYCLE: separate and recycle paper, glass, cans, plastics,
metal, and other items, and buy products made from recycled
materials

SEVEN STRATEGIES THAT INDUSTRIES AND GOVERNMENTS CAN USE
TO REDUCE RESOURCE USE, WASTE AND POLLUTION
1. redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less
material and energy
2. redesign manufacturing processes to produce less waste and
pollution
3. develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, and
remanufacture, compost or recycle
4. eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging
5. use fee-per-bag waste collection systems
6. cradle-to-give responsibility laws
7. urban transpo sys

GARBOLOGY is the study of modern refuse and trash

WHY IS REUSING AND RECYCLING MATERIALS SO IMPORTANT

Reusing items decreases the use of matter and energy resources and
reduces pollution and natural capital degradation; recycling does so
to a lesser degree

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

REUSE IS AN IMPORTANT WAY TO REDUCE SOLID WASTE AND
POLLUTION AND TO SAVE MONEY
Reuse involves cleaning and using materials over and over and thus
increasing the typical life span of a product

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF RECYCLING
Recycling involves reprocessing discarded solid materials into new,
useful products. Households and workplaces produce five major types
of mats that can be recycling: paper prod, glass, alum, steel and some
products

SUCH MATERIALS CAN BE REPROCESSED IN TWO WAYS
1. PRIMARY OR CLOSED-LOOP RECYCLING materials are
recycled into new products of the same type
2. SECONDARY RECYCLING waste materials are converted into
different products

Scientists distinguish between two types of wastes that can be
recycled:

TWO TYPES OF WASTES THAT CAN BE RECYCLED:
1. PROCONSUMER, OR INTERNAL WASTE, generated in a
manufacturing process
2. POSTCONSUMER, OR EXTERNAL WASTE, generated by
consumer use of products

COPY NATURE & RECYCLING BIODEGRADABLE SOLID WASTE

COMPOSTING

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 6 SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

-
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is a form of recycling that mimics natures recycling of

nutrients one of the three principles of sustainability.
It involves using decomposer bacteria to recycle yard
trimmings, food scrap, and other biodegradable organic
wastes

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BURNING
OR BURYING SOLID WASTE?
Burning contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and
buried wastes can eventually go to air and water pollution and land

BURNING SOLID WASTE HAS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
MSW is burned in more than 600 large WASTE-TO-ENERGY
INCINERATORS (89 in the United States), which burn MSW to boil
water to make steam for heating water or space or for producing
electricity

BURYING SOLID WASTE HAS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Two type of landfills:
1. OPEN DUMPS are essentially fields or holes in the ground
where garbage is deposited and sometimes burned
2. SANITARY LANDFILLS, solid wastes are spread out in thin
layers, compacted, and covered daily with a fresh layer of clay
or plastic foam, which helps to keep the material dry and
reduces leakage of contaminated water (leachate) from the
landfill

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH HAZARDOUS WASTE

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

Produce less of it, then to reuse or recycle it, then to convert it

to less hazardous materials, and finally to safely store what is
left.

WE CAN DETOXIFY HAZARDOUS WASTES
The first step in dealing with hazardous wastes is to collect them.
Scientists and engineers consider biological methods for
treatment of hazardous (future)
BIOREMEDIATION bacteria and enzymes help to destroy
toxic or hazardous substances or convert them to harmless
compounds
PHYTOREMEDIATION involves using natural or genetically
engineered plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants
from polluted soil and water. There are plants that were
discovered to be pollution sponges.
PLASMA ARC TORCH decomposes liquid or solid hazardous
organic waste into ions and atoms that can be converted into
simple molecules, cleaned up, and released as a gas

WE CAN STORE SOME FORMS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
1. The most common form of burial DEEP-WELL DISPOSAL
liquid hazardous wastes are pumped under pressure through a
pipe in to dry, porous rock formations sometimes located far
beneath aquifers that are tapped for drinking and irrigation.
2. SURFACE IMPOUNDMENTS are ponds, pits, or lagoons in
which wastes are stored. It is widely used for storage of
hazardous ash produced by the burning of coal in power
plants.
3. Liquid and hazardous wastes are put into drums or containers
and buried in a carefully designed and monitored SECURE
HAZARDOUS LANDFILLS

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 6 SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

WHAT CAN YOU DO? (HAZARDOUS WASTE)
Avoid using pesticides and other hazardous chemicals or use in
smallest amounts
Use less harmful and usually cheaper substances instead of
commercial chemicals for most household cleaners
Do not dispose of pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze or
other hazardous chem. By flushing in toiled or pouring them
down drain, buring in garage etc.

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO