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Waste Management

waste

Terms

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STATIC USE
Rate of use of a natural resource remaining level (not increasing or declining).
PERMEABILITY
A measure of the rate at which water can percolate through soil.
BOTTOM ASH
Solid residual which remains after burning. Found in the bottom of an incinerator.
PETROCHEMICAL
Chemical made from petroleum; used in making plastic.
SOURCE REDUCTION
Reducing waste at the source, producing less waste or decreasing its toxicity.
CULLET
Ground or crushed glass.
HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL
A chemical that is dangerous to handle or dispose of.
METHANE
An odorless and colorless gas that is produced by anaerobic decomposition of solid waste. Its chemical formula is CH4. Methane can cause asphyxiation and is explosive.
DECOMPOSITION
To process of breaking down or rotting.
HUMUS
Decayed organic materials (grass, leaves, etc.); rich soil.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Valuable, naturally occurring materials such as wood, minerals, air, or water.
BAUXITE ORE
Mineral from which aluminum is made.
LANDFILL
A place where unwanted materials are dumped. They are then compacted with large machines and covered with soil. Modern landfills have a liner under the garbage and a cover on top.
SLUDGE
Solid muddy materials left after sewage has settled.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The managment of garbage through a variety of methods including reduction, recycling, composting, incineration, landfilling, etc.
TRASH
Material considered worthless, unnecessary or offensive that is usually thrown away. Generally defined as dry waste material and not including food waste and ashes. The term is often used interchangeably with the word garbage.
RESERVE BASE:
The amount of a nonrenewable natural resource that still remains to be used.
DIOXIN
A toxic chemical which may be formed from processes such as bleaching paper or burning certain materials.
HARDNESS
A characteristic of water, caused by salts of calcium, magnesium, and iron.
ECOSYSTEM
A system made up of a community of living things and the physical and chemical environment with which they interac
EFFLUENT
Liquid discharged as waste, such as water used in an industrial process, or treated sewage.
WASTE-TO-ENERGY
Process of burning waste to produce energy/electricity.
VARIABLE COSTS
Costs which rise or fall as the volume of business increases or decreases.
DUMP
Now illegal, dumps were open unsanitary disposal sites used prior to sanitary landfills. (Verb) To throw away garbage or solid waste in a place set apart for the purpose.
BIODEGRADABLE
The ability of a substance to be changed into simpler, usually harmless, substances by the action of microorganisms.
REDUCTION
Decreasing the amount of trash produced by buying only what is needed, avoiding disposables, and choosing products that are not overpackaged.
# ENERGY RECOVERY FACLITY
A resource recovery plant which generates energy by burning solid waste.
# TURBIDITY
A cloudy condition caused by particles suspended in a liquid.
EMISSIONS
Effluents such as those resulting from the combustion of a fuel.
# PULP
Fiber material from which paper and cardboard is made.
ORGANIC
Derived from living organisms. Also, designating any chemical compound containing carbon.
# RENEWABLE RESOURCE
A resource derived from an endless or cyclical source, such as the sun, wind, falling water (hydroelectric), biofuels, fish, and trees. With proper management and wise use, the consumption of these resources can be approximately equal to replacement by natural or human-assisted systems.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
A waste material that is dangerous to handle or dispose of, including toxic chemicals, radioactive wastes, old explosives, and some biological wastes.
MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
Management of resources that we used to dispose of in landfills. Examples include source separation and recycling.
# TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Materials that can cause death or disease, mutations, deformities, or malfunctions in organisms or their offspring.
MUNICIPAL SOLID
Solid waste produced within a community by residential,
COST AVOIDANCE
Finding the least expensive option for accomplishing a task. In the case of waste disposal, recycling can be a cost avoidance measure if it saves tipping fees at the landfill.
ILLEGAL DUMPING
To unlawfully throw away garbage or waste in any place not authorized to accept waste material.
CONTAMINANTS
Materials that pollute and harm our environment.
WASTE
commercial and institutional generators.
AEROBIC
Occurring or living in the presence of oxygen.
TIPPING FEE
Charge at a disposal site to dump garbage. Usually expressed in $/ton.
LITTER
Waste materials carelessly discarded in an inappropriate place. Littering is against the law.
PRECYCLING
Activities that reduce the amount of waste produced.
CARCINOGEN
A chemical or substance capable of causing cancer.
GARBAGE
Solid waste, anything that we no longer want or use.
# ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COUNCIL (EMC):
A group of citizens that advises and raises concerns for decision-makers about environmental issues.
AQUIFER
A geologic formation from which groundwater can be obtained.
LEACHATE
Liquid that has percolated through solid waste and/or been generated by solid waste decomposition and has extracted, dissolved or suspended materials in it. The liquid may contaminate ground or surface water if not properly managed.
# FINITE RESOURCE
A resource that exists in a measurable amount and is nonrenewable (once it is used up, it is gone forever).
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
The controlling, handling, and disposal of all trash.
PACKAGING
A covering used to protect and promote a product.
SEWAGE
Liquid/solid waste from our sewage systems.
REFUSE-DERIVED FUEL
A solid fuel derived from municipal solid waste that has been processed to improve its combustion characteristics.
SOURCE SEPARATION
The separation of recyclable materials from trash at home, in school, or by businesses.
SCRUBBER
# Machines used to remove particulate matters and pollutant gases from exhaust gas streams.
WASTE STREAM
The solid waste produced by people or industries within a given area, location, or facility.
FIXED COSTS
Costs that are unrelated to the volume of business conducted.
CONSERVATION
The preservation of natural resources from loss or waste.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
A government body that plans for a community's future with regard to space, land use, water supplies, et
RECYCLING
The act of removing from the overall waste stream those materials that can be reconstituted into new products.
FLY ASH
Small solid particles of ash and soot generated when coal, oil, or waste materials are burned.
NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES
Natural materials, which because of their scarcity, the great length of time required for their formation, or their rapid depletion are considered finite, i.e., exhaustibl
TRANSFER STATION
An intermediate collection facility temporarily holding solid waste en route to another facility.
SOLVENTS
Liquid that are able to dissolve other substances; often have detrimental effects to health.
SUPERFUND
A fund the U.S. Government has formed to handle hazardous waste problem.
INCINERATOR
A thermal device in which solid waste is burned for the purpose of volume reduction. An incinerator used to obtain energy is classified as an energy recovery facility.
POLLUTION
Harmful substances deposited in the air, water, or land, leading to a state of dirtiness, impurity or unhealthiness.
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
Designed to last for a limited period of time; not durable.
FEASIBILITY STUDY
An assessment of whether a project is capable of being completed, both physically and financially.
COMPOSTING:
The process of collecting organic materials such as lawn clippings, leaves, kitchen scraps and manure to be layered so as to decompose into fertile humus. When organic matter is broken down in an airtight container (without air), it is called anaerobic composting. When the organic matter is exposed to air, it is called aerobic composting.
WATER TABLE
The top of the groundwater layer
LEACH
To remove dissolved substances by the action of percolating water or other liquids.
ECOLOGY
The scientific study of the relation of living things to one another and to their environment. A scientist who studies these relationships is called an "ecologist".
RESOURCE RECOVERY:
Use of high technology to burn mixed solid waste and produce energy and, in some cases, industrial fuel. Resource recovery may involve mechanical separation of recyclables before or after burning.
SANITARY LANDFILL
A specially engineered site for disposing of solid waste on land constructed so as to reduce hazards to public safety and health.
INORGANIC
Composed of matter that is not animal or vegetable; not having the organized structure of living things. Most inorganic compounds do not contain carbon and are derived from mineral sources.
FERROUS METAL
Iron-based metal. You can tell if a metal is iron by using a magnet.
GROUNDWATER
Water which is in the spaces between soil particles or cracks in rocks under the ground.
ANAEROBIC
Occurring or living without oxygen.

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