HS345 solid and hazardous waste 2023 update with complete solutions

Solid and Hazardous waste ... where does solid waste come from? The largest amounts of solid waste come from agriculture and mining wastes 00:02 01:42 what poses a greater threat and why? However, municipal solid waste (MSW) poses a greater waste management challenge because: It is generated where people live, and It must be removed and properly disposed of to prevent serious environmental health problems open dumping Until the 1970s, the most common method of urban refuse disposal was open dumping - hauling garbage to a location at the edge of town and dumping it on the ground Open dumps support large populations of rats, flies, and cockroaches leachates They can also contaminate adjacent surface or groundwater supplies when leachates - liquids containing dissolved pollutants - run off or seep into the soil the great pacific garbage patch Covers a huge area 80-90% is plastic items Threat to marine wildlife where does most of it come from? Most comes from waste on land washed out to sea No country can be held responsible -- tragedy of the commons current waste disposal practices Sanitary Landfilling Source Reduction Recycling Composting Waste Combustion sanitary landfilling Differs from an open dump in that collected refuse is spread in thin layers and compacted by bulldozers When the compacted layers are 8-10 feet deep they are covered with about 6 inches of dirt why is it covered in a layer of dirt? To prevent litter blowing away, to minimize odors and to prevent pests When the landfill has reached ultimate capacity it is covered in at least 2 feet of dirt and the land can then be used for a park, golf course, etc. properly designed? When properly designed and utilized landfills can be an adequate means of refuse disposal They are the most economical option for waste management in most states problem with it? Unfortunately many have not been designed and run well, creating problems similar to open dumps Polluting nearby surface streams or groundwater The land cannot always be used afterward Uneven settling, accumulation of dangerous amounts of methane Approximately 20% of Superfund sites are former municipal landfills 00:00 01:42 it is the what cause of groundwater pollution? #2 cause of groundwater pollution, after petroleum leakage Federal regulation: EPA - Mandates that all landfills install groundwater monitoring wells and methane detection systems - Requires that new cells within a landfill be constructed with double liners and a leachate collection system to remove standing water - New municipal solid waste landfills will be virtually indistinguishable from hazardous waste land disposal facilities