Chapter 21: Solid and hazardous waste Flashcards
Solid Waste
Solid items discarded from households and industries
2 Types of Solid Waste
- Industrial Solid Waste: Produced by mines, farms, and industries
- Municipal Solid Waste: Commonly known as garbage or trash, produced by homes and workplaces
Environmental Impact Solid Waste
Solid waste can block drains, harm wildlife, and contribute to pollution. In developed countries, it often ends up in landfills, incinerators, or oceans. In less developed countries, it’s usually dumped in open areas.
Resource Loss of Solid Waste
Solid waste often contains valuable materials that could be reused or recycled, leading to a loss of potential resources
Hazardous Waste
Discarded materials that can harm human health or the environment due to their toxic, corrosive, flammable, or disease-causing properties
3 Types of Hazardous Waste
- Organic Compounds: Includes harmful elements like lead, mercury, and arsenic
- Radioactive Waste: Produced by nuclear power plants and certain industrial processes
- Electronic Waste: Discarded electronic devices, which can contain harmful chemical and metals
Environmental Impact of Hazardous Waste
Improper disposal can lead to air and water pollution, ecosystem degradation, and health threats. For instance, electronic waste can release toxic substances into the environment
Health Impact of Hazardous Waste
Exposure to hazardous waste can lead to various health issues, including respiratory problems, cancers, and other diseases
Nature’s Waste Management
In nature, there’s essentially no waste. Everything is recycled in a closed-loop system where the waste of one organism becomes a resource for another
Human Waste Management
Due to the law of conservation of matter and current human lifestyles, we produce waste that doesn’t fit into nature’s cycle. However, by adopting strategies like cradle-to-cradle design, we can significantly reduce waste.
3 Solutions for Waste
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Emphasizing waste reduction, reusing items, and recycling can help minimize the environmental impact of waste
- Proper Disposal: Ensuring that hazardous waste is disposed of correctly can prevent environmental contamination and health risks
- Innovation: Adopting innovative approaches, like cradle-to-cradle, can help in mimicking nature’s waste management system
Waste Management
Focuses on controlling and disposing of waste to minimize environmental harm, but doesn’t necessarily aim to reduce waste production
Waste Reduction
Emphasizes producing less waste and promoting reuse, recycling, and composting of the waste produced
Integrated Waste Management
A coordinated approach that combines various strategies for waste management and waste reduction
Goal of Integrated Waste Management
To address waste challenges holistically, considering both reduction and disposal
The 4 Rs of Waste Reduction
- Refuse: Avoid using products or materials that generate waste
- Reduce: Minimize the amount of waste produced by using less
- Reuse: Use items multiple times before discarding
- Recycle: Convert used resources into new products and support products made from recycled materials