Hazardous Waste Management
Hazardous wastes are unwanted by- products remaining in the
environment and posing an immediate potential hazard to human life,
animal life and the environment when improperly managed. Their
composition is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes can be liquids,
solids, contained gases, or sludge. They can also be the by-products of
manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products, like
cleaning fluids or pesticides. They also comprise of all toxic
chemicals, radioactive materials, and biologic or infectious waste.
These materials threaten workers through occupational exposure and the
general public in their homes, communities, and general environment.
Exposure to these materials can occur near the site of generation, along
the path of its transportation, and near their ultimate disposal sites.
Most hazardous waste results from industrial processes that yield
unwanted byproducts, defective products, and spilled materials.
Household hazardous wastes are any goods or materials that are discarded
from a home like paint or glue around for a long period of time, the
fumes could irritate your nasal passages, and could even cause skin
irritation and breathing problems. Even things like furniture cleaners,
cooking oils, or garden pesticides. This hazardous waste can be avoided
by purchasing cleaning products that are all-natural.
Hazardous wastes affect human life and environment in various ways
like for example when industries dump their waste in the rivers it
causes a contamination to the ground and surface water. This is harmful
to human health and aquatic life.
With this obvious danger to human and the environment are there
effective ways of disposing this hazards? The starting point is by
making companies sensitive to the environment and encouraging them to
use alternative methods of disposal like incineration. To begin it is
important for the hazardous waste to be treated.
Treatment is any process that changes the physical, chemical, or
biological character of a waste to make it less of an environmental
threat. Treatment can neutralise the waste; recover energy or material
resources from a waste; render the waste less hazardous; or make the
waste safer to transport, store, or dispose. After the treatment the
next step should be disposal.
Disposal is the placement of waste into or on the land. Disposal
facilities are usually designed to permanently contain the waste and
prevent the release of harmful pollutants to the environment.
Waste management technologies:
- Incineration
- landfill
- composting
Incineration is a waste treatment technology that involves the
combustion of organic materials and/or substances. Incineration and
other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal
treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into
incinerator bottom ash, flue gases, particulates, and heat, which can in
turn be used to generate electric power. The flue gases are cleaned of
pollutants before they are dispersed in the atmosphere.
Landfill, also known as a dump is a site for the disposal of waste
materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment.
Composting is the aerobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter,
producing compost. Or in a simpler form: Composting is the decaying of
food, mostly vegetables or manure.
There are other advanced methods of waste treatment technologies,
which include: anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment,
tunnel composting and many others.
The above methods are suitable for solid wastes, so what about liquid
wastes? Underground injection wells are the most commonly used disposal
method for liquid hazardous waste. Because of their potential impact
upon drinking water resources, injection wells are also regulated under
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
The cost of disposal services might be a little expensive but it is
highly important and essential to preserve the environment and prevent
it from being contaminated. The greener the environment, the brighter
our future |
