Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Slide 21Slide 22Slide 23Slide 24Slide 25Slide 26Slide 27Slide 28Slide 29Slide 30Slide 31Slide 32Slide 33Slide 34Slide 35Slide 36Slide 37Slide 38Slide 39S. Hughes 2000Chapter 12 in textbook (Keller, 2000)For this section, and all sections in this course, look up and study all concepts and terms in various resources:• other textbooks• library books• journal articles• websites (in addition to the links in this presentation)NOTE: Always be prepared to discuss any of the concepts in class. Focus on highlighted terms.Diagrams in this presentation are from various sources:• Keller (2000) textbook• Idaho Virtual Campus -- Environmental Geology course• others by S. HughesWaste ManagementWaste ManagementS. Hughes 2000What is the need for waste management? On Staten Island, New York, a mountain of trash is growing, entirely manmade.• Each day: 11,000 tons of municipal and corporate waste disposed of at Fresh Kills Landfill• Facility: 3,000 acres (>1200 ha), and by the year 2005 the mountain of trash is expected to reach 150 to 200mWaste ManagementWaste Management• New landfills are constructed each year; some are many kilometers away from where the trash was generated.• What is the greatest contributor (by volume) to solid waste at a landfill? Answer:S. Hughes 2000Waste Management Concepts and ProblemsWaste Management Concepts and Problems• Many people live in areas where concentration of toxic pollutants exceeds standards (e.g. 25% of people in Russia)• In 1991, 90% of countries had uncontrolled dumping of industrial hazardous waste, >60% had hazardous chemicals disposed of in uncontrolled sites• Urban areas produce more waste than there is space for disposal (1/2 of U.S. cities running out of landfill space) and the costs for treatment and disposal are increasing dramatically• Siting of new landfills depends on:  favorable environment for disposing waste  cost of land, transportation and disposal  social justice -- economic and social status of citizens  environmental justice -- healthy disposal• Resources are depleted, health problems are growing, and widespread environmental damage is occurring• Waste disposal sites may become the mines of the future.S. Hughes 2000Philosophy of Waste Disposal and ManagementPhilosophy of Waste Disposal and ManagementThe search for safer methods of waste management and disposal has begun. This search is exemplified by the paradigm shift occurring in the field of Waste Management• Philosophy #1 -- Out of sight out of mind: widespread environmental damage, the philosophy persists, and continues to pose serious problems• Philosophy #2 -- Dilute and Disperse (“the solution to pollution is dilution”): First century of Industrial Revolution, no longer suitable for waste disposal; many environments have reached their maximum compensation points• Philosophy #3 -- Concentrate and Contain: the most popular today, very energy intensive and expensive• Philosophy #4 -- Resource Recovery: waste converted to useful material, requires technology, and volumes too large• Philosophy #5 -- Integrated Waste Management: Complex set of alternatives: source reduction, recycling, composting, landfill, and incinerationS. Hughes 2000Integrated Waste Management (IWM)Integrated Waste Management (IWM)Trend to develop new methods of waste management that will not cause health problems or become a nuisance waste products = resources out of place Reduce, Recycle, Reuse -- the three “Rs” of IWM; difficult to have a balance of all three, also add Eliminate to the listTechnological AdvancesTechnological Advances -- increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes, minimize waste generation• Resource Recovery -- reuse and recycling is on the rise• Sequential Land Use -- establish new developments over old• Alternative Methods of Waste Treatment NOTE: ONE THIRD of all waste in the United States is packaging!S. Hughes 2000Materials ManagementMaterials Management -- Part of IWM, but provides a new goal: Zero Production of Waste• Eliminate subsidies for extracting virgin materials (timber, minerals, oil, etc.)• Establish “green building” incentives that use recycled materials in new construction• Establish financial penalties for production of products that do not meet objectives of material management• Establish financial incentives for industrial practices that benefit the environment by enhancing sustainability• Provide incentives for producing new jobs in technology of materials management and practice of reducing, recycling and reusing resourcesS. Hughes 2000Solid-Waste DisposalSolid-Waste Disposal -- primarily an urban problem, common methods include:• On-site Disposal: most common in households (grinding of kitchen food waste), disposal in sewage treatment plant• Composting: a biochemical process, organic materials decompose to humus-like material• Incineration: the reduction of combustible waste to inert residue; burns at high temperatures (900 to 1000 °C) convert large volume of waste to small volume of ash combustion used to supplement other fuels for power• Open Dumps: oldest and most common way to dispose of solid waste, without regard to safety, health, or aesthetics• Sanitary Landfills: defined by the American Society of Civil Engineering as a method of solid-waste disposal that functions without creating a nuisance or hazard to public health or safety -- This is an important geological problem.S. Hughes 2000Solid Waste DisposalSolid Waste DisposalTypes of materials or refuse commonly transported to a disposal site.Source: Keller, 2000, Figure 12.1S. Hughes 2000Solid Waste DisposalSolid Waste DisposalGeneralized composition of urban solid waste (by weight) for 1986 and projected for 2000Material 1986 (%) 2000 (%) Paper 36 39 Yard Waste 20 19 Plastics 7 9 Metals 9 9 Food Waste 9 7 Glass 8 7 Wood 4 4 Other 7 6(source: Keller, 2000, Table 12.1)S. Hughes 2000Sanitary LandfillsSanitary LandfillsEngineering principles used to:• confine waste to smallest practical area• reduce waste to smallest practical volume• cover waste with layer of compacted soil (or tarps) each day (finishing cover is ~50 cm or more of compacted clay-rich soil)Two types of sanitary