Goals - Define terms related to waste reduction
- Hazardous waste recycling
- Discuss advantages associated with waste reduction and recycling.
- Discuss recycling of specific MSW components
- Discuss ways to increase recycling
Terminology - Reduction: Reduction in generation, reduction in amount of material, increase lifetime, or eliminate the need
- Recycle - used, reused, or reclaimed, use of the material as a source raw material, involves physical transformation
- Reused: The direct use or reuse of a secondary material without prior reclamation
- Reclaimed: regeneration of wastes or recovery of usable materials from wastes (e.g., regenerating spent solvents in a solvent still). Wastes are regenerated when they are processed to remove contaminants in a way that restores them to their usable condition materials that must be reclaimed/recycled prior to use or reuse
- Recovery - Process to recover useful material from mixed waste (energy is an example)
Hazardous waste materials that are recycled may be: - Excluded from the definition of solid waste and fall out of RCRA altogether;
- Subject to less-stringent regulatory controls; or
- Required to comply with the full universe of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal regulations.
Inherently waste-like materials - The following materials are solid wastes when they are recycled in any manner:
- (1) Hazardous Waste Nos. F020, F021 (unless used as an ingredient to make a product at the site of generation), F022, F023, F026, and F028.
- (2) Secondary materials fed to a halogen acid furnace that exhibit a characteristic of a hazardous waste or are listed as a hazardous waste
Materials are solid wastes (and potentially hazardous waste) if they are recycled in the following ways: - Used in a manner constituting disposal - Directly placing wastes or products containing wastes on the land is considered to be use constituting disposal.
- If, however, direct placement on the land is consistent with its normal use (e.g., pesticides), then the material is not regulated as a solid waste.
- For example, heptachlor can potentially be a P-listed waste. This pesticide is not regulated as a solid waste, however, when it isused as a pesticide.
- Burned for energy recovery
- Reclaimed (with some exceptions) - materials that must be reclaimed/ recycled prior to use or reuse
- Accumulated speculatively
Materials that are not solid waste (and therefore not hazardous wastes) when recycled: - (i) Used or reused as ingredients in an industrial process to make a product, provided the materials are not being reclaimed; or
- (ii) Used or reused as effective substitutes for commercial products; or
- (iii) Returned to the original process from which they are generated, without first being reclaimed or land disposed.
Materials Subject to Less Stringent Standards - Universal Waste regulations include batteries, pesticides, lamps (e.g., fluorescent bulbs), and mercury-containing equipment (e.g., thermostats) (see 40 CFR Part 273).
- Used Oil includes petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used (see 40 CFR Part 279 ).
- Waste-Derived Fertilizers (e.g., zinc fertilizer products) and Other Materials Used in a Manner Constituting Disposal (see 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart C).
- Materials Utilized for Precious Metal Recovery (see 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart F).
- Spent Lead-Acid Batteries (see 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart G - note that lead-acid batteries may also be managed as a Universal Waste).
- Hazardous Waste Burned in Boilers and Industrial Furnaces
Recycling Advantages - Prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants,
- Saves energy,
- Supplies valuable raw materials to industry,
- Creates jobs,
- Stimulates the development of greener technologies,
- Conserves resources for our children’s future, and
- Reduces the need for new landfills and combustors.
MSW Recycling Goals - 25% by 1995 (was met)
- 30% by 2000 (was met)
- 35% by 2005 (not met)
Recycling Challenges - Location of wastes (9000 curbside programs)
- Uncertainty of supply
- Administrative and institutional constraints
- Legal restrictions
- Uncertain markets
- Technical challenges to recycling
- Changes in materials (i.e. light weighting)
- Too many items in waste
- Actually encourages waste production (because recycling will take care of it)
SWANA Recommendations to Increase Reduction/Recovery - Encourage more extensive product stewardship by product designers, manufacturers retailers, and consumers
- Expand efforts by federal, state, and provincial governments to develop markets for recycled materials and recovered energy
- Provide financial incentives for investments in recycling, composting and the use of recovered materials
SWANA Recommendations to Increase Reduction/Recovery - Include WTE and conversion technologies in renewable portfolio standards and green power programs
- Encourage the recovery and use of landfill gas by maintaining federal tax credits and through renewable portfolio standards and green power programs
- Support technology transfer and research efforts that have the potential to increase waste recovery rates
Paper Recycling - Problems
- Chlorination produces dioxins/furans
- Inks are petrochemical based
- Acid used to break fibers shortens life
- Coating of high gloss paper
- Demand for high quality paper
- Glues, laminates, plastics, inks not water soluble
- Paper can only be reused 4-12 times, always need a virgin source
Paper Recycling - ~ 50% of consumed material and growing
- Goal 55% by 2012
- Strong markets for old corrugated cardboard (OCC) and newsprint (ONP)
- Expanding domestic and international demand
- Office paper lower demand
Steel Recycling - Expanding economy – increased steel demands; China and India biggest markets
- 36.4% of steel is recycled
- Use of plastic for automobiles is a problem
- One ton steel recycled saves 2500 lb of iron ore, 1000 lb of coal, 40 lb of limestone, and significant energy savings
Aluminum Recycling - About 51 percent of aluminum cans is being recycled
- Twenty years ago it took 19 aluminum cans to make one pound, but today, aluminum beverage cans are lighter and it takes 29 cans to make a pound.
- Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
- Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy and 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.
- Domestic recycling has declined recently, collection is expensive
Glass Recycling - Glass always lags other recyclables
- Alternative markets needed – grind for construction fill, “glassphalt,” fiberglass
- Transportation of heavy glass is expensive
- Raw materials are inexpensive
- Contamination is an issue
- Reuse used to be common practice; however as manufacturing plants became larger and decreased in number, bottles had to be carried further for refilling.
- More colored glass is imported than used domestically
Plastic Recycling - Problems
- Light weight, bulky, low density
- Wide variety of polymers
- Concerns over contamination for reuse
- Difficult to differentiate among types
Plastic Recycling - PET and HDPE have high prices due to domestic and international demand
- Curbside recycling is down, driving prices up
- More expensive oil prices makes virgin plastic more expensive
Return to Home Page - Last updated July 2008 by Dr. Reinhart
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