chapter 21 notes
-Global waste production is a critical issue in environmental quality. Global waste production is growing, as nonbiodegradable materials grow in a waste stream
-Solid waste includes domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and mining wastes that are primarily nontoxic. About 60% of N American domestic and industrial wastes are deposited landfills; the rest is incinerated or recycled
-old landfills are often leaky and messy, modern fills have impermeable liners added
-incinerators are our second most important method of waste disposal. Can destroy organics, can produce energy
-Recycling and composting are growing in N America and globally. Japan is the world leader in recycling, with about 60%of domestic waste being recycled
-Reusing, demanufacturing and reducing material consumption are important additional strategies for reducing waste stream.
-Hazardous materials cause health problems including birth defects, neurological disorders reduced resistance to infection and cancer. Environmental costs of hazardous and toxic waste and destruction of habitat.
-Hazardous materials are flammable, explosive, reactive. Disposal of solid and hazardous wastes have often been unsatisfactory. Thousands of abandoned waste sites still leak toxic materials into the environment.
-Wastes are taken from rich countries, extracted and moved to poor countries
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