Solid Waste
What are the 3 general types of solid waste?
1. Household Waste (Municipal Waste)
2. Industrial Waste
3. Biomedical or Hospital Waste
Define thermal treatment.
Waste that is treated at high temperatures to process and sanitize it.
What is the difference between a point source and a non-point source? Provide an example of each.
Point Source - Waste coming from a single identifiable place
(E.g., the cleaner on the sponge you washed in your laundry sink)
Non-Point Source - Waste coming from many places and combining
(E.g., A sewer on your street contains many contaminants)
What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of recycling programs?
Advantages:
- Conservation of natural resources, reduced energy use/greenhouse gas emissions, diversion from landfill, money/economics, people become more aware of the waste they generate
Disadvantages:
- Energy use, pollution, market/price for recycled products can change, only certain items with certain conditions can be recycled, people driven
What is the difference between HHPS and WHMIS?
HHPS - used for household products
WHMIS - used for products found in the workplace
The compaction and decomposition of material within a landfill produces 2 byproducts of concern, what are they?
- Leachate
- Landfill gas
Which method of thermal treatment involves oxygen being added to all combustion to occur?
Incineration
What is the difference between wastewater, sewage and stormwater?
Wastewater - any water that is used by people and is now dirty
There are 2 types of wastewater!
1. Sewage - the dirty water that comes from toilets, sinks, showers, and other drains in homes and buildings
2. Stormwater - Wastewater that drains from lawns, driveways, roofs, roads and other urban surfaces
What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of composting programs?
Advantages:
- Environmentally friendly, healthy natural nutrients for plants, process is cheap, easy
Disadvantages:
- Smells, attracts rodents and bugs, expensive to transport compostable waste (heavy and bulky)
What are the 4 characteristics of hazardous waste?
Bonus: How many of the characteristics does a substance have to have in order to be hazardous?
1. Toxic
2. Reactive
3. Flammable
4. Corrosive
Bonus: 1
Waste “flows” from a variety of sources to one or more common destinations.
What is this called? What are some common destinations?
Waste stream
Common destinations: Landfill, dump, recycling depot, composting facility, hazardous waste facility
Which method of thermal treatment involves waste being heated in the absence of oxygen?
Pyrolysis
We looked at a case study of estrogen being released into the Grand River. Where did the estrogen come from and what effect did it have on the aquatic organisms?
- Excess estrogen from birth control pills was not able to be removed from the wastewater at the Water Treatment Plant and was released into the Grand River
- Male fish downstream from the treatment plant began producing eggs
- Upgrades were made to the treatment plant and it is now able to remove estrogen from the wastewater
Contamination of water by sand, soil and other minerals is ________________ pollution.
What is the best way to manage hazardous waste?
Not produce it in the first place!
Reduce/produce less of it.
What are 3 factors that have contributed to an increase in solid waste production?
- Population increase
- Garbage collection
- Prevalence of plastics
- Convenience foods
What are 2 pros and 2 cons of thermal treatment?
Pros:
- Reduce the amount/volume of waste going to landfills
- Convert waste into a reusable product
- Can generate some energy
Cons:
- Often more energy goes into heating the waste then is extracted
- Air pollution
- Expensive
Identify the error is the steps below that describes how a septic system works.
1. Wastewater leaves the home and drains into a septic tank.
2. The greywater will exit to the drainfield.
3. The water enters the ground and the soil continues to treat and clean the wastewater.
4. The water enters a sedimentation zone within the tank and is separated into 3 components.
5. Eventually the wastewater joins the groundwater.
Correct order:
1. Wastewater leaves the home and drains into a septic tank.
2. The water enters a sedimentation zone within the tank and is separated into 3 components.
3. The greywater will exit to the drainfield.
4. The water enters the ground and the soil continues to treat and clean the wastewater.
5. Eventually the wastewater joins the groundwater.
Which type of water pollution (nutrient, toxic, sediment or bacterial), can cause excessive algae to grow which reduces the amount of oxygen in the water?
Nutrient pollution
List 3 options to deal with hazardous waste.
- Reduce/produce less of it
- Reuse
- Convert to less hazardous substance
- Incineration
- Land disposal (secure landfill, permanent retrievable storage)