Solid Waste

Question 1

What are the main components of a modern landfill?

Answer 1

Top to Bottom:

1) Gas vent
2) Clay cap with vegetation
3) Granular drainage material
4) Low permeability liner cap
- - refuse –
5) Perforated leachate collection pipe
6) Clay and synthetic liners

*groundwater monitoring probe
*gas monitoring probe

Question 2

What 4 additional measures might be required in a hazardous waste landfill?

Answer 2

1) operation/management program
2) double liner system
3) leak monitoring/detection system
4) increase distance between bottom & ground water

Question 3

What is landfill gas?

Answer 3

Methane generated from anaerobic respiration

Question 4

In RCRA, what 3 members make up the regulated community?

Why was RCRA enacted?

Answer 4

Regulated Community: generators, transporters, TSDFs

to control generation & disposal of solid and hazardous waste

Question 5

What is meant by the term “cradle to grave”?

Answer 5

RCRA regulates hazardous wastes at business/industry/govt facilities from:

Generation – Transportation – Treatment – Storage – Disposal

Question 6

What are the two major ways that a waste can be classified as hazardous according to RCRA?

Answer 6

1) Hazardous waste listing
- -tied to specific industries/descriptions
- -waste either meets listing or it doesn’t

2) Hazardous waste characteristic
- -based on property of wastestream (eg, ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity)
- -not tied to specific industry/process