Reducing Hazardous Waste Generation An Evaluation and a Call for Action (1985) / Chapter Skim
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1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Pages 7-16
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From page 7... ...
The relationships between reductions in the quantities of waste generated and risks to public health and environmental quality are not clearly understood. The relationships are not necessarily linear; for example, a decrease in the quantities of waste generated does not necessarily imply a directly proportional decrease in the risks to public health and environmental quality.
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From page 8... ...
A schematic description of the phases in the development of industrial waste reduction programs is also introduced. In each of the phases of the conceptualized pattern of implementation of waste reduction strategies, various nontechnical factors affect industrial decisions about waste generation.
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From page 9... ...
A manufacturer, in contrast, may not consider a recycled material a hazardous waste if it is reused in a subsequent process on-site, since the material is never actually discarded. Also, a substantial fraction of the legally defined hazardous wastes are wastewaters that qualify as hazardous waste because materials specifically defined or listed as hazardous waste have been mixed with plant wastewaters; had the two waste streams not been mixed, the quantity of hazardous waste would be much less.
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From page 10... ...
. The differences in definition and the subsequent inconsistent treatment of data on hazardous waste generation make it difficult to obtain reliable historical data on generation and to estimate the amount of waste reduction that has occurred.
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From page 11... ...
THE ROLE OF WASTE REDUCTION IN WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Figure 1.1 shows the relationships between the options a waste generator could consider in developing a strategy for managing hazardous waste. This simplified diagram has three levels of options: waste reduction; conversion Hazardous Waste ~ .
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From page 12... ...
The committee, however, includes both changes in production processes and recycling and reuse of hazardous materials, either at or away from the site of generation, in the definition of waste reduction. To simplify the terminology, in this report waste reduction is divided into four general categories: abatement, minimization, reuse, and recycling.
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From page 13... ...
Replacement of cyanide in electroplating solutions Replacement of solvent-based paints by water-based ones Separation of waste streams to permit recovery Recovery of metals from electrodialysis Neutralization of waste and precipitation of smaller volume sludges Use of solvents from electronics industry in manufacture of paints Use of refinery caustic in pulping of wood Use of paint sludges as sealants . Waste oil refining Solvent distillation Secondary aluminum smelting Iron salts from pickle liquor be useful.
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From page 14... ...
DYNAMICS OF WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES The considerations affecting decisions by individual firms to reduce the generation of hazardous waste depend not only on technological and economic factors, but also on the stage of development of their waste management program. Ideally, public policies to encourage waste reduction would be flexible enough to allow shifts in emphasis as conditions change.
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From page 15... ...
It provides a planning framework within which to discuss possible institutional and public policy approaches to achieve the desired reduction in generation of hazardous waste. In the initial phase, external influences such as increasing costs of disposal, liability considerations, improved knowledge of health and environmental effects, increasing public concern, and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for land disposal cause industrial management to become aware of the problem and begin to develop waste reduction strategies.
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From page 16... ...
To achieve the most waste reduction that is technologically practical, it is likely that more capital would have to be expended and increasingly sophisticated waste reduction technologies implemented. As firms would have to undertake large capital expenditures in this phase, the need for a clear understanding of the relative risks associated with the remaining waste and for sound risk management increases.
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