LAND POLLUTION

Environmental ScienceChapter 19Pages 304-317

19.1 SOLID WASTE Humans produce lots of solid waste. Disposing waste has been a problem since

ancient Greece. Solid waste thrown into streets caused

outbreaks of deadly diseases (cholera, typhoid). Water was contaminated with waste (water

pollution). Land contaminated with waste (land pollution). NYC: waste thrown into streets then dumped into the Atlantic Ocean

SOLID WASTE

19.1 SOLID WASTE

Landfill Problems: Space for waste in landfill is limited. Waste leads to populations of rats, flies,

cockroaches. Decaying waste produce incredibly bad

odors and methane gas (think the Meadowlands on a really hot day).

Rain and snow carry pollutants from the landfills into the soil and water around the landfills (leaching).

NJ MEADOWLANDS LANDFILL

LANDFILL DIAGRAM

LANDFILL SOLUTIONS

Layers of clay, thick plastic liners to prevent leaching.

Compacting waste very tightly to put more into the same space.

Planting grass and trees on top of closed landfills. (Mount Trashmore, Virginia Beach)

Pipes that allow methane gas to escape from the landfill. (Bioreactors)

HW: SECTION REVIEW

What are solid wastes? List three different ways humans have

used to dispose of solid wastes. What effects do you think the

Meadowlands landfill has on organisms in the wetlands and Newark Bay?

19.2 HAZARDOUS WASTES Hazardous wastes: any solid liquid or

gas that even in small amounts can be harmful to humans.

Industrial wastes are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

19.2 CLASSIFICATIONS Reactive Wastes – can explode (metal form of

sodium, gunpowder, gas, oil, propane) Corrosive Wastes – can eat through steel

(concentrated acids, lye, batteries, bleach) Ignitable Wastes – can burst into flame at low

temperatures (paint thinners, oil, cleaning fluids) Radioactive Wastes – radiation releasing

compounds (mining, medical, scientific research) Medical Wastes – (used syringes, blood and tissue

samples, old medicines)

19.2 TOXIC WASTE SPILLS Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY – Hooker

Chemical Company began dumping toxic chemical wastes into the Love canal in 1940’s.

In 1953 the company sold the land to the town for a school and housing. 56% of all children had birth defects. 900 families effected.

First Superfund cleanup site.

80+ toxic chemicals found

19.2 SUPERFUND SITES Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Company,

South Plainfield, NJ

19.2 CORNELL-DUBILIER SUPERFUND SITE Electronics company in South Plainfield, NJ from 1936-

1962. Dumped chemicals (PCB’s, TCE, metals and volatiles)

into the soil around the factory. 8,700 people live within 1 mile of the site. The toxic

chemicals were found in nearby homes and businesses.

Fish from the Bound Brook also showed high levels of the same chemicals.

In 1998, the EPA placed this site in the SuperFund for immediate cleanup.

The cleanup and monitoring is still going on today.

19.3 TOPSOIL EROSION

Loss of the top layers of soil is known as erosion.

Areas where deserts meet grasslands can be lost through process called desertification.

Clearing forests, overgrazing of livestock, water loss and bad farming can all cause top soil loss.

19.3 SOIL EROSION

Desertification

DeforestationDrought/overgrazing

Bad Farming practices

19.3 CONTROLLING SOIL EROSION

Strip-cropping divides fields into strips that are plowed alternating with strips that are planted.

Contour farming follows the natural rise and fall of the fields leaving spaces between rows to collect water.

Terraces or platforms built into the side of a very steep hill slowing water flow and soil loss.

Shelter belt or windbreaks slow down wind erosion.

19.3 CONTROLLING SOIL EROSION

Strip-cropping Contour farming

Terracing Shelter Belts

19.4 CONTROLLING LAND POLLUTION

Problem: Disposable items makeup ¼ of landfills. (paper towels, paper plates)

Solution: Substitute reusable or recycled items (washable cloth towels, china plates) Recycling paper, metal, glass, cardboard. Biodegradable items decompose easily and enrich the soil. Compost tree, grass clippings and other plant materials.

19.4 DISPOSABLE SOLUTIONS

19.4 HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

Waste Exchange – hazardous waste from one company is collected by a waste exchange agency to be used by other companies to make their products.

Deep-well Injection – hazardous waste from oil drilling is injected deep into the earth.

Secure chemical landfill – hazardous waste is sealed in a deep pit dug into bedrock. Pipes are used to collect collect any leaked materials.

19.4 HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

Controlled Incineration – hazardous wastes are burned at very high temperatures (542-1662oC) This method was used for most of the contaminated soil in South Plainfield, NJ

Chemical/Biological treatment plants - some hazardous waste can be neutralized by treatment.

Radioactive disposal – sealed in steel drums encased in concrete then placed under water in deep vaults.

19.4 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was created in 1970 to protect the environment.

Superfund Act (1980): Cleanup hazardous waste dumps Make the polluters responsible pay for

cleanup Develop a list of the worst sites Emergency action in the case of spills