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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The breakdown of US waste production
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11 billion tons/ year
1/2 = agriculture 1/3= mining 3% industrial 232 MT = municipal 60 million otns are hazardous waste 19% industrial waste |
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threee R's
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reduce
reuse recycle 57% of waste is recyclable 25% could be composted only 18% belon in trash |
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Dump problems
(social) |
refuge for poor people
atttract poor people to landfills--they go dumpster diving health defects if poorand live around there |
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Waste disposal methods (4)
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landfills: US, limited space
recycling: can be done forcertain key products composting: only wth organic material incinerate |
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Changes in waste methods
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EPA (environmental protection agency) now regulates landfill
reduce landfill 1950: 95% go into landfill, 2005: 50% |
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Landfills
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contained box under the ground so garbage doesnt get nto land
gas caps: reuse gas |
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Incinerator
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once was the only system
still common for leaves and garden waste |
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modern incinerator
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you must sort out garbage before putting it in
reduces air pollution within system reduce waste **costs energy has own cleaning system ash--> gets landfilled *IF dont separate and metals ge into the environment, it is very dangerous mass burns: would have a huge pollution burden |
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Recycling
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reprocess discarded materials into new products
reduces the use of newly mined or collected natural resources (57% waste can be recycled) requires processing at home |
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recycling benefits
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-builds awareness
- reduce consumption of natural resources and energy -increase environmental awareness |
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Composting
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garden and kitchen waste: anything organic
biodegradables can be composted - doesnt really work well in landfill because needs O2 in order to decompose -if dont do it right, degradation lead to methan production -byproduct is fertilizer |
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reuse
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keep in production
-nergy and material use from production through use and disposal -if production is the highest cost and burden THEN IT IS BEST FOR YOUTO REUSE -use longer- less energy and less material cost |
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Packaging
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move awa from plastic and styrophom
and flotsam (turn to beach litter) -kll animals move biodegradable/photodegradable plastics |
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Environmental justice
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location of hazardous disposal sites
poor and minority communities can build industrial facilities on cheap land NIMBY: not in my back yard in reality it is in everyone's backyard **extremely tied to race--moreso than income |
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hazardous waste
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contain a substance that is fatal at low dose
-toxic -carcinogenic: radio-active, can casue cancer -flammable at low temp -corrosive -explosive -reactive **CANT be safely disposed into landfill |
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problems with managing hazardous waste
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it is very hard to prove health risked caused by hazardous waste
especially sublethal exposure (won't kill you immediately) |
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precautionary principle
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when activity raise threasts of harm to human health, environ should take precautionary measures even if some cause and effect
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problems with way see hazardous waste
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polluters should prove it is unharmful rather than public haing to prove that it is harmful
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hazardous waste handling
2 kinds |
cant just put in regular landfill: none of it can get out into environment
NIMBY really aplies here OR hazardous waste incinerators NIMBY burn at really high temps really careful about what comes out |
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Hazardous waste regulations
RCRA 1976 |
resource conservation and recovery act
record of hazardous waste use from cradle to grave |
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superfund 1980
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contain, clean, or remediate abandoned waste
-est. priority list of sites |
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superfund issues
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there are a lot of sites
who is the respomsible party? polluter pay principle -often avoid by declaring bankruptcy BUT new owners should not have to pay the cost of land degradation of previous owner |
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remediating hazardous sites
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remove soils and treat
cant move it though: too dangerous all you can do is hope for technology |
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current management
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reduce use of toxic material
reduce production dispose properly and allow treatment store permanetly in secure landfill |
