Hazardous wastes are harmful to man and his biological environment. These materials could be flammable, infectious, corrosive, and harmful to vital organs in the human body. They may also have short-term and/or long-term effects. Waste can be termed hazardous if they have shown one or more of the following: ignitability, corrosivity, toxicity, and reactivity. Examples of dangerous waste include waste from hospitals and mortuaries, radioactive waste, and agricultural waste like fertilizers, insecticides, and paints.
Answer Paragraph
The cost of harmful waste disposal varies from region to region and from state to state. The type of hazardous waste is also determined to a great extent by the financial requirements needed to handle such delicate waste.
Classification of waste
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) on environment matters gives a classification for the transportation of dangerous materials, which could help in grading hazardous waste.
- Class 1: Explosive materials
- Class 3: Flammable materials
- Class 5: Oxidizing materials
- Class 6: Poisonous and infectious materials such as biomedical wastes from laboratories, hospitals, mortuaries, etc.
- Class 7: Radioactive materials
- Class 8: Corrosive material.
- Class 9: Toxic (delayed or chronic).
However, the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has a system of classifying hazardous wastes. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is a regulatory law passed for monitoring resources and waste management specifically hazardous waste in this case. The EPA has a list of hundreds of waste materials that have been ascertained to be hazardous or harmful to the biological environment.
Waste disposal
What is an environmental policy without a system for waste management? Anywhere in the world waste management is an increasingly important issue, especially in current times of climate change and global pandemics. Waste disposal is one of the last stages or methods of waste management which is the focus of this article.
Forms of waste disposal
- Incineration: this is one of the oldest ways to dispose of waste, particularly harmful waste. It is controlled the complete combustion of harmful waste. The products are usually water gas, producer gas, and ash. The effluents may be toxic and are treated by professionals before it is released into the environment. This method can be cost-intensive and is usually employed by big multinational companies.
- Underground injection: According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Class IV wells are for the treatment of drinking water that has been contaminated with hazardous and radioactive liquid wastes. Operations of such wells require strict licenses and as such obtaining such services would imply huge monetary investments.
- Landfill: Here, the waste is buried deep into the ground at a location that is far from residential areas and far from water bodies, and away from water pathways. This is done for waste that can no longer be recycled and or would be economically unfeasible to treat. It is one of the cheapest means to dispose of hazardous waste.
- Recycling: Some recycling methods include reclamation, combustion for energy recovery, etc. this method is also cost-intensive though, in the long run, it is safe for man and his environment.
Cost implications of the various disposal methods.
- Cost of landfill: Consider a hypothetical landfill of about 4 million cubic yards. Considering tipping fees, grade surveying, excavation fees, lining costs, leachate systems, and the cost of installing a groundwater monitor system, etc., this method is economically feasible for large and bulky wastes like asphalt and radioactive materials. Also, a substantial amount of money is incurred, during the obtaining of several government and agency approvals.
- Cost of incineration: some sources give this cost to be between $1.75 and $1.90 per ton making it to be significantly higher than the cost of landfills. However, this method ensures that the problem of leakage and contamination in the future is eliminated. Also, viable lands are left available for other profitable uses instead of being occupied with hazardous materials. The effluents from this method can be channeled as fuel gases for industrial purposes.
- Cost of recycling: this is even a higher cost incurring method. Sources give that it ranges from about $50 to $150 per ton. That is the reason that it is still not a popular method even though it is touted as one of the most eco-friendly methods of waste disposal. Also, current technology cannot guarantee the quality of recycled products for specific uses. An example would be recycled hydrocarbons bags used to store delicate medical supplies, food products, and some light and pressure-sensitive drugs.
Conclusion
As the population of man and his technology increases steadily, it is important to consider the short-term and long-term effects of accumulating harmful substances on the earth. Also, cheaper and more effective ways of disposing of waste should be developed.
FAQs
- What should be the criteria for choosing an appropriate hazardous waste disposal method?
Answer: A trade-off between cost-effectiveness and environmental implications can be reached by consulting the appropriate authorities in your region. Regulatory bodies concerned with the type of waste have written guidelines that must be followed. A professional environmental engineer can help you out.
- How can one determine the extent of hazard or toxicity in the waste?
Answer: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has codes and protocols for this. Whenever hazardous material is suspected, it is imperative to always consult a certified professional immediately.
- How can one contact a professional?
Answer: Depending on the type of waste, the local regulatory body has a registry of the contacts of professionals should you need the services of one.
- What measures should I take to reduce the amount of hazardous waste?
Hazardous compounds sometimes occur when reactions are not brought to completion which may be due to faulty reactors, poisoned catalysts, clogged tubing and piping, insufficient heating and/or oxygen supplies, etc. To reduce the amount of hazardous waste to handle, all the aforementioned and more should be properly addressed.
