Waste Flashcards
Waste
Material perceived to be negative value
MSW def and trends
Municipal solid waste
Trash or garbage
Recycling, landfill, composition, combustion
Major source of MSW
Paper
Landfill- oldest form of getting rid of trash
Landfills and structures
Site for the disposal of waste materials
4th ranking in priority
-Bottom liner
-System for collecting leachates
-Cover
-Away from environmental impact
Combustion process, benefits and risks
n
Composting
aerobic biological decomposition of organic material
useful material that resembles soil and can be used for gardening
Recycling
Process of collecting and reprocessing a resource so it can be used again
EPAs hierarchy for management of MSW
More favored to less favored
Source reduction and reuse- reducing waste at the source
Recycling/ composting
Energy recovery
Treatment and disposal
Hazardous waster sources
Hazardous materials used in homes- cleaning products, pesticides
Medical waste- infectious agents, radioactive materials
Industrial hazardous waste- heavy metals from plating operations, toxic chemical solvents
Radioactive waste- nuclear fuel and tailing from uranium processes
Mining waste and extracting waste- Toxic chemicals left over from mining operations including acids and heavy metals
Medical waste
Waste generated in healthcare facilities, hospitals, physician offices, dental practices, blood banks, veterinarian hospitals/clinics, medical research facilities and laboratories
Landfills benefits and risks
Risk- Air pollution, gas, groundwater, leachates,- toxic heavy metal, gases like methane
Benefits- good energy source, cheap way to deal with waste, solvents and cleaning agents
Combustion
Waste is burned in an oxygenated single combustion chamber. Materials burned at high temps, waste being completely combusted leaving nothin but gas and ash
