- issue in environmental quality=global waste production
-rapidly growing as nonbiodegradable materials grow in waste stream
-solid waste incudes domestic, commerical, industral, agriculture, and mining wastes all primarly toxic
-60%of n.a and industaral depeosits are in landfills
-old landfills are leaky, messy, and they have been an important source of ground water contam.
-modern landfills impermeable layers prevent seepage to groundwater, must be covered with soil and monitered for gas emissions and h2o contam.
-2nd important method is inceration
-destroys organic compounds and used to produce energy.
-air contam. results in buring esp. if incinerators of optmial
-recycling and composition growing globally
-makes collection increaningly cost effective
-principal obsitcel to recycle weak or unstable markets
-growing use of disposible palastic drink containers prob of recycling
-reusing, demanufaturing, and reducing material consumption are important additional stratigies
-hazardous and toxic waste materials are causing major health problems including birth defects, neuroglocial disorders, reduce resistance to infection and cancer.
-hazardous and toxic waste costs on the environment inclucde contamination of water supplies, posining of soil, and destruction of habitat.
-catagories: ignitable, corrosive, reactive, explosive, and toxic
-matierals of greatest concern: heavy metals, solvents, and syntheic organic chems.
-disposiable practices for soilds and hazardous wastes often failed
-abandoned, often unknown waste desposial sites still leak materials into the envrionment
-controlling: not making the materials, incineration, secure landfulls, phsyically chem or bioglocial treatment.
-superfund= fund to fincally clean up some of our worst hazardous waste sights.
-established by CERCLA in 1980
-sites are many abandoned factories or dumps
-dangerous watse often removed from weathly countires or neighborhood to poor ones.
-proponets of envi. try to justify patterns
-people often resist transfer facitlies of hazardous materials.
