| Waste disposal is either placing waste in water or onto | | | | thin in compacted layers and then is covered by fresh |
| land. Waste is taken to facilities where the waste is | | | | earth. Landfills minimize pollution by lining the hole, |
| permanently contained and can prevent the release of | | | | contouring the fill, compacting and planting the top |
| pollutants into the environment. When disposing of solid | | | | cover layer, diverting drainage, and by choosing sites |
| waste, it often is placed on land in a landfill. Liquid | | | | that are not often affected by flooding or high |
| waste is disposed of in injection wells that bury the | | | | groundwater levels. Clay is the best type of soil for a |
| refuse deep under ground. These wells are closely | | | | landfill because it is less permeable than other types of |
| monitored to prevent leakage of harmful pollutants into | | | | soil. Some materials that are disposed of in landfills can |
| the drinking water. | | | | be solidified into solid materials like cement, fly ash, |
| America alone generates nearly 208 million tons of | | | | asphalt, or organic polymers. |
| solid waste per year and it is only expected to | | | | Garbage is also disposed of using incinerators. This |
| increase. Each person actually generates about 4.3 | | | | method is more costly but safer than a landfill. Modern |
| pounds of waste per day. Even though we have | | | | incinerators can destroy nearly 99.9% of organic |
| developed many different ways to dispose of refuse, | | | | waste material. Many thermal processes recover |
| there is still no absolutely safe way to remove and | | | | energy from the solid waste that is incinerated. |
| store trash. | | | | Pyrolysis, the process of chemical breakdown can |
| History of Waste Disposal | | | | produce a plethora of gasses and inert ash. |
| The disposal of waste wasn't always so carefully | | | | Incinerators that burn garbage have been known to |
| monitored. In the 18th century in England and France, | | | | contaminate the air, soil, and water. Many communities |
| people with carts were paid to carry trash out of town | | | | near incinerators object to them for fear of possible |
| and dispose of it. Benjamin Franklin spurred the first | | | | harmful emissions. |
| municipal cleaning system in Philadelphia in 1757, making | | | | Hazardous waste is also pumped into deep wells |
| the dumping of trash in open pits a routine action. | | | | inside the earth. This is called waste injection. Many |
| However, since then our trash has become more | | | | people are strongly opposed to this because it has |
| complicated and can't simply be placed in a hole in the | | | | caused explosions and even earthquakes in the past. |
| ground. We have many different types of trash and | | | | Organic materials that contain little or no heavy metals |
| they must be disposed of properly to prevent | | | | can be detoxified biologically. This is often done by |
| contaminating the environment. | | | | composting and land farming; where waste materials |
| Types of Waste | | | | are spread over a large area of land so that microbes |
| There are many different types of waste and it is | | | | can easily work to decompose them. However, |
| classified according to its physical, chemical, and | | | | hazardous wastes must be detoxified before they |
| biological characteristics. One of the major ways it is | | | | leach into the groundwater causing water |
| classified is by consistency; whether it is solid or liquid | | | | contamination. |
| waste. To classify as a solid waste the material must | | | | Recycling solid waste is not a new idea. In prehistoric |
| contain less than 70% water. This classification often | | | | times, metal tools were often melted down and recast. |
| encompasses materials such as; household garbage, | | | | These days, recyclable materials are removed from |
| industrial wastes, mining waste, and some oilfield | | | | municipal waste by shredding, magnetic separation of |
| wastes. Liquid wastes must be less than 1% solid and | | | | metals, screening, and washing. Composting involves |
| is often from wastewater. Wastewater often contains | | | | the preparing of waste and breaking down the organic |
| high levels of dissolved salts and metals. Sludge is the | | | | matter using aerobic microorganisms. This has lead to |
| final consistency classification; being somewhere | | | | many municipalities and garbage collection agencies to |
| between a liquid and a solid. Sludge often contains | | | | require their customers to separate recyclable items |
| between 3 and 25% solids and the rest of it is made | | | | from other types of household waste. |
| up of water dissolved materials. | | | | Another type of waste is livestock waste. It is created |
| The Federal government classifies waste into 3 | | | | by large livestock companies. These generate more |
| categories; non-hazardous, hazardous, and Special | | | | than 30 times the waste that humans do. Yearly, |
| wastes. Non-hazardous waste does not pose any | | | | livestock waste accounts for 1.375 billion tons of |
| immediate threat to health or the environment. This | | | | refuse. The Environmental Products and Technologies |
| category includes household refuse. Hazardous | | | | Corporation has developed a system to reduce the |
| wastes can either be ignitable/reactive or leachable. | | | | amount of livestock waste. With their Closed Loop |
| This means that hazardous waste is either flammable | | | | Waste Management System they can turn animal |
| or has the potential to leach toxic chemicals. Special | | | | waste into commercial quantities of pathogen free, |
| wastes have very specific guidelines to regulate it. | | | | nutrient dense, soil building materials. |
| Examples of Special Waste would be radioactive | | | | The Future of Waste |
| waste and medical waste. | | | | Currently, the best way to reduce the amount of |
| How do we dispose of it? | | | | waste that must be disposed of is to prevent its |
| There are a variety of ways that we dispose of trash | | | | creation. Consumers must protest against the |
| and waste. Landfill use is the most common and can | | | | production of needless waste and push the movement |
| account for more than 90% of the countries municipal | | | | for using and producing recycled products. These |
| waste. However, landfills have been proven to | | | | strategies to reduce waste may cost us more upfront |
| contaminate drinking water in some regions. Landfills | | | | but we will pay a lesser price in the end. Reducing |
| are the most cost-effective way of disposing; | | | | waste can add extra years in which we can live on |
| collection and transport represents 75% of the total | | | | this planet healthfully. |
| cost involved. In modern landfills, the garbage is spread | | | | |