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Good hazardous waste management
The problem of hazardous waste disposal
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umans generate millions of tons of waste which goes to who knows where. In 2013, the United States alone accumulated 254-million tons of trash. (EPA, 2013) Unfortunately, this massive amount of garbage does not just go away. Instead, it goes somewhere else. Many developed countries, such as the European Union, resort to “environmental dumping”. This is when trash from a developed country is literally dumped onto the territory of undeveloped countries, like Africa. Although there are agreements between countries, illegal dumping still occurs. (Syeda et al., 2013)
Green Wiki defines environmental dumping as the transfer of waste from the boundaries of one country to another. Developed Countries often do this to countries which have lesser environmental laws or enforcement. It is a sought out practice because it is a cheaper and easier way to dispose of waste without regulatory constraints within the country. Dangers arise when countries begin to incorporate hazardous waste into trans-frontier shipments of waste.
The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimated that there is more than 400
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When sewage is treated, the remainder ends up getting dumped into the ocean. Sewage waste could be used as an alternative to agricultural fertilizer, but most actors in the process prefer to dump waste in the ocean because it is a cheaper means of disposal. Less than thirty-years ago (1990), there was 12-million tons of sewage waste dumped into the ocean in a single year. (MarinoBio,2015) In this instance, those who manage the sewage treatment could choose a safer alternative, but would risk loss of money. The practices of the United Nations implies that they do not think there is an effect eutrophication or human health. Why doesn’t the government have a type of subsidy that would encourage treatment facilities to “recycle” the
Harmfull Effects of Ocean dumping include animals in danger with trash in their habitat, as well as contamination of public waters.
"An Ocean Of Trash." Scholastic Action 33.12 (2010): 16. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
The ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousand of different creatures, provides a great source of food, and provides the earth with about one half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution especially plastic, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically plastic, which is a material designed to last forever is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides either way it finds its way to the ocean.(Biomass Packaging Co., et al)
Ocean polluting is also caused by a legal act of ocean dumping. The definition of ocean dumping refers to the dumping of garbage, sewage, waste chemicals, and construction debris into the ocean (Mckenzie, Kevin Hinton & Ryan). There are many cases where ocean dumping is controlled and regulated. However, this act is allowing hazardous materials to regularly be dumped into the sea by tankers and ships (Mckenzie, Kevin Hinton & Ryan). In October of 1972, Congress enacted the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), sometimes referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act, declaring that it is the policy of the United States to regulate the dumping of all materials which would adversely affect human health, welfare or amenities, or the marine
Our oceans take a large beating every day by the extremely large amount of pollution humans produce. Our society easily dumps their waste into the oceans to dispose of the excessive amount of garbage, sewage, and chemicals, but this small and simple solution is creating an even bigger problem. The way humans dispose of their wastes is causing the death of our beloved marine life. Not only are we killing off our animals, our food source, and our resources, we are also minimizing our usable water. By having a better understanding of the problem on the severe dumping, it will be easier to find ways to help minimize the pollution that is going into the ocean.
The most beneficial place to set our deep sea mining site is directly off the sea of PNG in the Bismarck Sea because there are ports and docks to ship the minerals to and from. We are running out! We have no time, no option, and no choice. The world’s population is increasing by 228 000 each day. We have around 14 500 days left so only 40 years till the end of oil, 165 years of gas left and 415 years left of coal. We are using these minerals at a phenomenal rate. We need to start to deep sea mine off the coast of PNG. We need state of the art technology, structures and materials, one mistake can be the destruction of an entire habitat.
This waste should not be pressured upon a geographical area if they do not create it. A clean and healthy environment is the only thing many lesser-developed countries have to cherish.
Today's waters are constantly being treated like sewage dumps or trash cans. We use them as garbage cans every day polluting the water more and more. "Pollution is often by way of rivers, drains and outflow pipes." Causing an outflow of sewage into our ocean waters. This is not only affecting the community but also the marine life and other sea creatures living in the ocean." This pollution includes human sewage and domestic waste water, factory outflows of acids and poisonous metals, engine oil from roadside drains and garages, farm chemicals washed off the land by rain, building-site rubble, nuclear waste from power plants, and oil from wells, refineries, and tankers." Stating that most of today's waste is from factory or factory ran products that shouldn't be polluting the water
Untreated sewage can contaminate the environment and cause diseases, such as diarrhea. The sewage is mainly biodegradable and can be treated in water treatment plants, but it is a major problem in countries that are not quite developed yet.
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being
Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.
The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...
...or lakes (Weber 2). When people just dump waste products instead of recycling, it is a misuse of the soil and can contribute to serious health conditions in animals, plants and humans.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (2008), an American produces 250 million tons of garbage per year (para.2). There are different circumstances that are based on the society, environmental conditions, occupation and size of each of the different families. As Richmond (2010) stated, if no administration organizations has the responsibility or resources to concentrate their efforts on the waste disposal, then the responsibility to do that is on the nongovernmental organizations and ordinary people (para.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Open dumping is prohibited by law and create a public nuisance, divert land from productive use and sends the value of surrounding land down. Open dumps attracts littering, scavenging, open burning, placement of waste in standing or flowing water, increase of disease-carrying organisms, discharged of liquids (leachate),standing or flowing, (rainwater is most common source for...