Chapter 22 - Managing Our Waste Flashcards
Waste management
Strategic decision making to minimize the amount of waste generated and to dispose of the waste safely and effectively
Waste
Any unwanted product that results from a human activity or process
municiple solid waste
non-liquid waste that is not especially hazardous and that comes from homes, institutions, and small buisnesses
industrial solid waste
non-liquid waste that is not especially hazardous and that comes from production of consumer goods
hazardous waste
liquid or solid waste that is toxic, chemically reactive, flammable or corrosive
waste stream
the flow of waste as it moves from its sources forward disposal destinations
waste-to-energy (WTE) facility
An incinerator that uses heat from its furnace to boil water to create steam that drives electricity generation or that fuels heating systems
sources reduction
the reduction of the amount of the material that enters the waste stream to avoid the costs of disposal and recycling, help conserve resources, minimize pollution, and save consumers and businesses money
recovery
waste management strategy composed of recycling and composting
recycling
the collection of materials that can be broken down and reprocessed to manufacture new items
composting
the conversion of organic waste into mulch or humus by encouraging, in a controlled manner, the natural biological processes of decomposition
sanitary landfill
a site of which solid waste is buried in the ground or poled up in large mounds for disposal, designed to prevent the waste from contaminating the environment
resource conservation and recovery act (RCRA)
congressional legislation (enacted in 1976 and amended in 1984) that specifies, among other things, how to manage sanitary landfills for protect against environmental contamination
incineration
a controlled process of burning solid waste for disposal in which mixed garbage is combusted at very high temperatures
landfill gas
a mix of gases that consists roughly half methane produced by anaerobic decomposition deep inside landfills
industrial ecology
a holistic approach to industry that integrates principles from engineering, chemistry, ecology, economics, and other disciplines and seeks to redesign industrial systems in order to reduce resources inputs and minimize inefficiency
materials recovery facility (MRF)
a recycling facility where items are sorted, cleaned, shredded, and prepared for reprocessing into new iteams
life-cycle analysis
a quantitative analysis of inputs and outputs across the entire life cycle of a product – from its origins, through its production, transport, sale, and use, and finally its disposal – in an attempt to judge its sustainability of the process and make it more economically efficent
electronic waste (e-waste)
discarded electronic products such as computers, monitors, printers, televisions, DVD players, cell phones, and other devices. Heavy metals in these products means that this waste may be judged hazaardous
surface impoundments
(1) a disposal method for hazardous waste or mining waste in which waste in liquid or slurry form is placed into a shallow depression lined with impervious material such as clay and allowed to evaporate, leaving a solid residue on the bottom. (2) the site of such disposal
deep-well injection
a hazardous waste disposal method in which a well is drilled deep beneath an area’s water table into porous rock below an impervious soil layer. wastes are then injected into the well, so that they will be absorbed into the porous rock and remain deep underground, isolated from ground water and human contact
super-fund
a program administered by the EPA in which experts identify sites polluted with hazardous chemicals, protect ground water neat these sites, and clean up the pollution. Established by the comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability act (CERCLA) in 1980
Brownfield
an area of land whose redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous waste
