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54-597: In the United States, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 led to establishment of federal standards for the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste . RCRA requires that industrial wastes and other wastes must be characterized following testing protocols published by EPA. TCLP is one of these tests. The Environmental Compliance Supervisor at a typical municipal landfill (as defined by RCRA Subtitle D ) uses TCLP data to determine whether

108-581: A CCR regulation in 2015 that would restrict the continued use of unlined ash ponds (surface impoundments) by coal-fired power plants. This regulation, was which was modified by the Trump administration in 2018, has been challenged in litigation and remanded to EPA for further revision by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit . In response to the court decision, EPA published

162-415: A combination of impermeable liners several metres thick, geologically stable sites and collection systems to contain and capture this leachate. It can then be treated and evaporated. Once a landfill site is full, it is sealed off to prevent precipitation ingress and new leachate formation. However, liners must have a lifespan, be it several hundred years or more. Eventually, any landfill liner could leak, so

216-429: A proposed rule on December 2, 2019 that would establish an August 31, 2020 deadline for facilities to stop placing ash in unlined impoundments. The proposal would also provide additional time for some facilities—up to eight years—to find alternatives for managing ash wastes before closing surface impoundments. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as "Superfund,"

270-440: A viable and abundant source of materials and energy . In the developing world, waste pickers often scavenge for still-usable materials. In commercial contexts, companies have also discovered landfill sites, and many have begun harvesting materials and energy. Well-known examples include gas-recovery facilities. Other commercial facilities include waste incinerators which have built-in material recovery. This material recovery

324-469: A waste may be accepted into the facility. If TCLP analytical results are below the TCLP D-list maximum contamination levels (MCLs) the waste can be accepted. If they are above these levels the waste must be taken to a hazardous waste disposal facility and the cost of disposal may increase from about $ 50.00/ton to as much as $ 1200.00/ton. As extremely contaminated material is expensive to dispose of, grading

378-551: Is CO 2 . The gas also contains about 5% molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), less than 1% hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), and a low concentration of non-methane organic compounds (NMOC) , about 2700 ppmv . Landfill gases can seep out of the landfill and into the surrounding air and soil. Methane is a greenhouse gas , and is flammable and potentially explosive at certain concentrations, which makes it perfect for burning to generate electricity cleanly. Since decomposing plant matter and food waste only release carbon that has been captured from

432-753: Is called "interim status." Interim status requirements appear in 40 CFR Part 265. The permitting requirements for TSDFs appear in 40 CFR Parts 264 and 270. TSDFs manage (treat, store, or dispose) hazardous waste in units that may include: container storage areas, tanks, surface impoundments, waste piles, land treatment units, landfills, incinerators, containment buildings, and/or drip pads. The unit-specific permitting and operational requirements are described in further detail in 40 CFR Part 264, Subparts J through DD. City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey , 437 U.S. 617 (1978). The United States Supreme Court held that states could not discriminate against another state's articles of commerce. A New Jersey statute that prohibited

486-442: Is first established, and then leached with an acetic acid / sodium hydroxide solution at a 1:20 mix of sample to solvent. For example, a TCLP jug may contain 100g of sample and 2000 mL of solution. The leachate mixture is sealed in extraction vessel for general analytes, or possibly pressure sealed as in zero-headspace extractions (ZHE) for volatile organic compounds and tumbled for 18 hours to simulate an extended leaching time in

540-461: Is necessary to ensure safe disposal and to avoid paying for disposal of "clean fill." The TCLP procedure is generally useful for classifying waste material for disposal options. Spent abrasive or soil from a construction site usually needs to have a TCLP for lead done to determine where the waste goes next. TCLP comprises four fundamental procedures: In the TCLP procedure the pH of the sample material

594-626: Is necessary to protect human health and the environment. The amendments established a trust fund to pay for the cleanup of leaking UST sites where responsible parties cannot be identified. It is also recommended that above-ground storage tanks are used whenever possible. RCRA Subtitle J regulated medical waste in four states ( New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Rhode Island ) and Puerto Rico , and expired on March 22, 1991. ( See Medical Waste Tracking Act .) State environmental and health agencies regulate medical waste, rather than EPA. Other federal agencies have issued safety regulations governing

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648-548: Is possible through the use of filters ( electro filter , active-carbon and potassium filter, quench, HCl-washer, SO 2 -washer, bottom ash -grating, etc.). In addition to waste reduction and recycling strategies, there are various alternatives to landfills, including waste-to-energy incineration, anaerobic digestion , composting , mechanical biological treatment , pyrolysis and plasma arc gasification . Depending on local economics and incentives, these can be made more financially attractive than landfills. The goal of

702-667: Is rapidly displaced by CO 2 in the effluent gas. Hydrolysis of the biodegradable fraction of the solid waste begins in the acid formation phase, which leads to rapid accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the leachate. The increased organic acid content decreases the leachate pH from approximately 7.5 to 5.6. During this phase, the decomposition intermediate compounds like the VFAs contribute much chemical oxygen demand (COD). Long-chain volatile organic acids (VOAs) are converted to acetic acid (C 2 H 4 O 2 ), CO 2 , and hydrogen gas (H 2 ). High concentrations of VFAs increase both

756-518: Is the first stage by which wastes are broken down in a landfill. These are followed by four stages of anaerobic degradation. Usually, solid organic material in solid phase decays rapidly as larger organic molecules degrade into smaller molecules. These smaller organic molecules begin to dissolve and move to the liquid phase, followed by hydrolysis of these organic molecules, and the hydrolyzed compounds then undergo transformation and volatilization as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), with rest of

810-403: Is the longest decomposition phase. The rate of microbiological activity slows during the last phase of waste decomposition as the supply of nutrients limits the chemical reactions, e.g. as bioavailable phosphorus becomes increasingly scarce. CH 4 production almost completely disappears, with O 2 and oxidized species gradually reappearing in the gas wells as O 2 permeates downwardly from

864-905: The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is the primary authority enforcing the RCRA requirements, as well as the California Hazardous Waste Control Law (HWCL) of 1972. Arguably the most notable provisions of the RCRA statute are included in Subtitle C, which directs EPA to establish controls on the management of hazardous wastes from their point of generation, through their transportation and treatment, storage and/or disposal. Because RCRA requires controls on hazardous waste generators (i.e., sites that generate hazardous waste), transporters, and treatment, storage and disposal facilities (i.e., facilities that ultimately treat/dispose of or recycle

918-679: The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme has been established for local authorities to trade landfill quotas in England. A different system operates in Wales where authorities cannot 'trade' amongst themselves, but have allowances known as the Landfill Allowance Scheme. U.S. landfills are regulated by each state's environmental agency, which establishes minimum guidelines; however, none of these standards may fall below those set by

972-576: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Permitting a landfill generally takes between five and seven years, costs millions of dollars and requires rigorous siting, engineering and environmental studies and demonstrations to ensure local environmental and safety concerns are satisfied. The status of a landfill's microbial community may determine its digestive efficiency. Bacteria that digest plastic have been found in landfills. One can treat landfills as

1026-574: The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and VOA concentrations, which initiates H 2 production by fermentative bacteria, which stimulates the growth of H 2 -oxidizing bacteria. The H 2 generation phase is relatively short because it is complete by the end of the acid formation phase. The increase in the biomass of acidogenic bacteria increases the amount of degradation of the waste material and consuming nutrients. Metals, which are generally more water-soluble at lower pH, may become more mobile during this phase, leading to increasing metal concentrations in

1080-736: The landfill gas utilization and generation of electricity . Landfill gas monitoring alerts workers to the presence of a build-up of gases to a harmful level. In some countries, landfill gas recovery is extensive; in the United States, for example, more than 850 landfills have active landfill gas recovery systems. A Solar landfill is a repurposed used landfill that is converted to a solar array solar farm . Landfills in Canada are regulated by provincial environmental agencies and environmental protection legislation. Older facilities tend to fall under current standards and are monitored for leaching . Some former locations have been converted to parkland. In

1134-427: The types of tanks permitted. EPA established a tank notification system to track UST status. UST regulatory programs are principally administered by state and U.S. territorial agencies. The regulations set standards for: The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) required owners and operators of USTs to ensure corrective action is completed when a tank is in need of repair, or removal, when it

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1188-566: The 20th century, but gained wide use in the 1960s and 1970s, in an effort to eliminate open dumps and other "unsanitary" waste disposal practices. The sanitary landfill is an engineered facility that separates and confines waste. Sanitary landfills are intended as biological reactors ( bioreactors ) in which microbes will break down complex organic waste into simpler, less toxic compounds over time. These reactors must be designed and operated according to regulatory standards and guidelines (See environmental engineering ). Usually, aerobic decomposition

1242-692: The European Union, individual states are obliged to enact legislation to comply with the requirements and obligations of the European Landfill Directive . The majority of EU member states have laws banning or severely restricting the disposal of household trash via landfills. Landfilling is currently the major method of municipal waste disposal in India. India also has Asia's largest dumping ground in Deonar, Mumbai. However, issues frequently arise due to

1296-566: The RCRA regulatory program with enactment of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA). At that time there were about 2.1 million tanks subject to federal regulation, and the EPA program led to closure and removal of most substandard tanks. As of 2009 there were approximately 600,000 active USTs at 223,000 sites subject to federal regulation. The federal UST regulations cover tanks storing petroleum or listed hazardous substances, and define

1350-613: The Subtitle C regulations, such as hazardous wastes from households and from conditionally exempt small quantity generators. In 1980 Congress designated several kinds of industrial wastes as "special wastes," which are exempt from Subtitle C, including oil and gas exploration and production wastes (such as drill cuttings, produced water , and drilling fluids ), coal combustion residuals generated by electric power plants and other industries, mining waste , and cement kiln dust. See Solid Waste Disposal Amendments of 1980 . The operation of underground storage tanks (USTs) became subject to

1404-415: The age of landfill, type of waste, moisture content and other factors. For example, the maximum amount of landfill gas produced can be illustrated a simplified net reaction of diethyl oxalate that accounts for these simultaneous reactions: 4 C 6 H 10 O 4 + 6 H 2 O → 13 CH 4 + 11 CO 2 On average, about half of the volumetric concentration of landfill gas is CH 4 and slightly less than half

1458-507: The alarming growth rate of landfills and poor management by authorities. On and under surface fires have been commonly seen in the Indian landfills over the last few years. Landfilling practices in the UK have had to change in recent years to meet the challenges of the European Landfill Directive . The UK now imposes landfill tax upon biodegradable waste which is put into landfills. In addition to this

1512-510: The atmosphere through photosynthesis, no new carbon enters the carbon cycle and the atmospheric concentration of CO 2 is not affected. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change . In properly managed landfills, gas is collected and flared or recovered for landfill gas utilization . Poorly run landfills may become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can spread infectious diseases . The occurrence of such vectors can be mitigated through

1566-418: The compacted waste and the cover material is called a daily cell. Waste compaction is critical to extending the life of the landfill. Factors such as waste compressibility, waste-layer thickness and the number of passes of the compactor over the waste affect the waste densities. The term landfill is usually shorthand for a municipal landfill or sanitary landfill. These facilities were first introduced early in

1620-447: The environment. Southern Union Co. v. United States , 567 U.S. 343 (2012). The Supreme Court held that any fact, other than a prior conviction, that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the statutory maximum must be submitted to the jury and determined beyond a reasonable doubt . Landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal , although

1674-467: The federal government's sovereign immunity from liability for civil fines imposed by a state for past violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) or RCRA. Meghrig v. KFC Western, Inc. , 516 U.S. 479 (1996). The Supreme Court held that the RCRA does not authorize a citizen suit to recover past cleanup costs when the toxic waste does not, at the time of suit, continue to pose an endangerment to health or

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1728-436: The ground around landfills must be tested for leachate to prevent pollutants from contaminating groundwater . Rotting food and other decaying organic waste create decomposition gases , especially CO 2 and CH 4 from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, respectively. Both processes occur simultaneously in different parts of a landfill. In addition to available O 2 , the fraction of gas constituents will vary, depending on

1782-525: The ground during an earthquake . Once full, the area over a landfill site may be reclaimed for other uses. Operators of well-run landfills for non-hazardous waste meet predefined specifications by applying techniques to: They can also cover waste (usually daily) with layers of soil or other types of material such as woodchips and fine particles. During landfill operations, a scale or weighbridge may weigh waste collection vehicles on arrival and personnel may inspect loads for wastes that do not accord with

1836-464: The ground. It is then filtered so that only the solution (not the sample) remains and this is then analyzed. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( RCRA ), enacted in 1976, is the primary federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste . Congress enacted RCRA to address the increasing problems

1890-522: The handling of medical waste, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Occupational Safety and Health Administration , and the Food and Drug Administration . Congress exempted several types of wastes from classification as hazardous under Subtitle C in its 1980 amendment to RCRA. The Solid Waste Disposal Amendments of 1980 designated the following categories as "special wastes" and not subject to

1944-953: The hazardous waste), the overall regulatory framework has become known as the "cradle to grave" system. States are authorized to implement their own hazardous waste programs. The statute imposes stringent recordkeeping and reporting requirements on generators, transporters, and operators of treatment, storage and disposal facilities handling hazardous waste. Subtitle D provides criteria for landfills and other waste disposal facilities, and banned open landfills. EPA published its initial standards in 1979 for "sanitary" landfills that receive municipal solid waste. The "solid waste" definition includes garbage (e.g., food containers, coffee grounds), non-recycled household appliances, residue from incinerated automobile tires, refuse such as metal scrap, construction materials, and sludge from industrial and sewage treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants. Subtitle D also exempted certain hazardous wastes from

1998-602: The importation of waste that originated or was collected outside New Jersey was held to violate the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. Hallstrom v. Tillamook County , 493 U.S. 20 (1990). The Supreme Court held that a citizen suit under the RCRA must be dismissed if the plaintiff fails to meet the statute's notice and 60-day delay requirements. Department of Energy v. Ohio , 503 U.S. 607 (1992). The Supreme Court held that Congress did not waive

2052-427: The landfill bioreactor strata gradually decreases. Microbial populations grow, density increases. Aerobic biodegradation dominates, i.e. the primary electron acceptor is O 2 . The O 2 is rapidly degraded by the existing microbial populations. The decreasing O 2 leads to less aerobic and more anaerobic conditions in the layers. The primary electron acceptors during transition are nitrates and sulphates since O 2

2106-469: The landfill can be significant and can be mitigated by wheel washing systems . Pollution of the local environment , such as contamination of groundwater or aquifers or soil contamination may occur, as well. When precipitation falls on open landfills, water percolates through the garbage and becomes contaminated with suspended and dissolved material, forming leachate. If this is not contained it can contaminate groundwater. All modern landfill sites use

2160-451: The landfill's waste-acceptance criteria. Afterward, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front, where they unload their contents. After loads are deposited, compactors or bulldozers can spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles may pass through a wheel-cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to

2214-456: The leachate. The acid formation phase intermediary products (e.g., acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) are converted to CH 4 and CO 2 by methanogenic microorganisms. As VFAs are metabolized by the methanogens, the landfill water pH returns to neutrality. The leachate's organic strength, expressed as oxygen demand, decreases at a rapid rate with increases in CH 4 and CO 2 gas production. This

Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-518: The nation faced from its growing volume of municipal and industrial waste. RCRA was an amendment of the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965 . The act set national goals for: The RCRA program is a joint federal and state endeavor, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) providing basic requirements that states then adopt, adapt, and enforce. RCRA is now most widely known for the regulations promulgated under it that set standards for

2322-409: The past. In 1984 Congress expanded the scope of RCRA with the enactment of Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA). The amendments strengthened the law by covering small quantity generators of hazardous waste and establishing requirements for hazardous waste incinerators , and the closing of substandard landfills . The Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996 allowed some flexibility in

2376-496: The procedures for land disposal of certain wastes. For example, a waste is not subject to land disposal restrictions if it is sent to an industrial wastewater treatment facility, a municipal sewage treatment plant, or is treated in a "zero discharge" facility. Treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs) manage hazardous waste under RCRA Subtitle C and generally must have a permit in order to operate. While most facilities have RCRA permits, some continue to operate under what

2430-483: The stricter permitting requirements of Subtitle C: These legislative exemptions, known as the "Bevill exclusion" and the "Bentsen exclusion", were intended to be temporary, pending studies conducted by EPA and subsequent determinations as to whether any of these waste categories should be classified as hazardous. In its reviews following the 1980 amendments, EPA determined that most of the exempted waste types would continue to be classified as non-hazardous. EPA published

2484-563: The systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was simply left in piles or thrown into pits (known in archeology as middens ). Landfills take up a lot of land and pose environmental risks. Some landfill sites are used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or for various stages of processing waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling. Unless they are stabilized, landfills may undergo severe shaking or soil liquefaction of

2538-761: The treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste in the United States. However, it also plays an integral role in the management of municipal and industrial waste as well as underground storage tanks . EPA has published waste management regulations , which are codified in Title ;40 of the Code of Federal Regulations at parts 239 through 282. Regulations regarding management of hazardous waste begin in part 260. States are authorized to operate their own hazardous waste programs, which must be at least as stringent as federal standards, and are tasked with creating state implementation plans for managing solid waste. In California,

2592-531: The troposphere. This transforms the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) in the leachate toward oxidative processes. The residual organic materials may incrementally be converted to the gas phase, and as organic matter is composted; i.e. the organic matter is converted to humic -like compounds. Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. Infrastructure disruption, such as damage to access roads by heavy vehicles, may occur. Pollution of local roads and watercourses from wheels on vehicles when they leave

2646-432: The use of daily cover . Other potential issues include wildlife disruption due to occupation of habitat and animal health disruption caused by consuming waste from landfills, dust, odor, noise pollution , and reduced local property values. Gases are produced in landfills due to the anaerobic digestion by microbes. In a properly managed landfill, this gas is collected and used. Its uses range from simple flaring to

2700-404: The waste depend on how well microbial populations function in syntrophy , i.e. an interaction of different populations to provide each other's nutritional needs.: The life cycle of a municipal landfill undergoes five distinct phases: As the waste is placed in the landfill, the void spaces contain high volumes of molecular oxygen (O 2 ). With added and compacted wastes, the O 2 content of

2754-435: The waste remaining in solid and liquid phases. During the early phases, little material volume reaches the leachate , as the biodegradable organic matter of the waste undergoes a rapid decrease in volume. Meanwhile, the leachate's chemical oxygen demand increases with increasing concentrations of the more recalcitrant compounds compared to the more reactive compounds in the leachate. Successful conversion and stabilization of

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2808-416: The weighbridge for re-weighing without their load. The weighing process can assemble statistics on the daily incoming waste tonnage, which databases can retain for record keeping. In addition to trucks, some landfills may have equipment to handle railroad containers. The use of "rail-haul" permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips. Typically, in

2862-399: The working face, the compacted waste is covered with soil or alternative materials daily. Alternative waste-cover materials include chipped wood or other "green waste", several sprayed-on foam products, chemically "fixed" bio-solids, and temporary blankets. Blankets can be lifted into place at night and then removed the following day prior to waste placement. The space that is occupied daily by

2916-419: Was enacted in 1980 to address the problem of remediating abandoned hazardous waste sites, by establishing legal liability , as well as a trust fund for cleanup activities. In general CERCLA applies to contaminated sites, while RCRA's focus is on controlling the ongoing generation and management of particular waste streams. RCRA, like CERCLA, has provisions to require cleanup of contaminated sites that occurred in

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