Waste disposal is the disposal of waste in water or on land. The waste arrives at the facilities where they are constantly contained and can prevent the release of pollutants into the environment. When solid waste is disposed of, it is often placed on the ground in a landfill. Liquid waste is disposed of in injection wells, which bury the waste underground. These wells are carefully controlled to prevent harmful contaminants from seeping into drinking water.
The United States alone produces about 208 million tons of solid waste per year, and is expected to only grow. Each person actually produces about 4.3 pounds of waste per day. Despite the fact that we have developed many different ways to dispose of waste, there is still no absolutely safe way to dispose of and store waste.
Waste Management History
Waste disposal has not always been verified so carefully. In the 18th century in England and France, people with wagons were paid for the removal of garbage from the city and its sharps containers and sharps disposal. However, since then, our garbage has become more complex and cannot simply be placed in a hole in the ground. We have many different types of garbage, and they must be disposed of properly to avoid environmental pollution.
Types of waste
There are many different types of waste, and they are classified according to their physical, chemical and biological characteristics. One of the main ways to classify it is the sequence; either solid or liquid waste. For classification as a solid waste, the material must contain less than 70% water. This classification often covers materials such as; household waste, industrial waste, mining waste and some oil field waste. Liquid waste must be less than 1% solid and, often, wastewater. Wastewater often contains a large amount of dissolved salts and metals. Mud is the final classification of consistency; be somewhere between a liquid and a solid. The mud often contains 3 to 25% solids, and the rest consists of materials dissolved in water.
The federal government classifies waste into 3 categories; Non-hazardous, dangerous and special waste. Non-hazardous waste does not pose an immediate threat to health or the environment. This category includes household waste. Hazardous wastes may be flammable / reactive or leachable. This means that hazardous wastes are flammable or can eliminate toxic chemicals. Specific wastes have very specific guidelines to regulate this. Examples of special waste include radioactive waste and medical waste.
How do we get rid of this?
There are many ways to dispose of garbage and waste. Landfill use is the most common and can represent more than 90% of municipal waste in the country. However, landfills have been shown to contaminate drinking water in some regions. Landfills are the cheapest way to get rid; Collection and transportation represent 75% of the total cost. In modern landfills, garbage is dispersed in thin layers and then covered with fresh soil. Landfills minimize pollution by leveling the well, contouring the landfill, compacting and planting the top layer of the pavement, draining the drainage and selecting sites that are not usually affected by flooding or high levels of groundwater.