Unit 8: Pollution: module 4.50 solid waste

2026 Q4 plan:

6 weeks, then AP week

• 3.24 Solid waste, mining, BZ 019  AP diagnostic
  
• 3.27 Human waste, sewage treatment BZ 030
  
• -
  
• 3.31 Health, LD50, BZ 032
  
• 4.2 Infectious diseases
  
• -
  
• 4.6 Biodiversity, human threats, BZ 035
  
• 4.8
  
• 4.10
  
• -
  
• 4.14 Ozone BZ 033
  
• 4.16
  
• -
  
• 4.20 Climate change BZ 034
  
• 4.22
  
• 4.24
  
• -
  
• 4.28-begin iPad review
  
• 4.30 Weak spots: Land use, forestry, fishing BZ 019, 020, 021, 016, 017, 018
  
• -
  
• 5.4-AP weeks-review
  
• 5.6
  
• 5.8
  
• -
  
• 5.12
  
• 5.14
  
• 5.15-AP exam

Topics:

• 4.50 solid waste
  
• 4.51 recycling
  
• 4.52 human waste->sewage treatment
  
• 4.53 toxicity, LD50
  
• 4.54: health, Infectious diseases
  
• 4.55 ozone
  
• 4.56 greenhouse effect
  
• 4.57 greenhouse gases
  
• 4.58 ocean acidification
  
• 4.59 Biodiversity: Shannon’s index, threats

• 4.50: solid waste
  
• 4.51: waste reduction
• 4.52: sewage treatment
• 4.53: LD50
• 4.54: Human health: pathogens and infectious diseases

• "Tipping" fee: very high in Hawaii (limited space), even higher on other islands (San Juan Is. = $6 per bag)
  
• Another option: incineration-can be for energy (H-power on Oahu) or others
  
• Japan uses plasma incineration for medical waste: completely ionizes viruses
  
• Fly ash is toxic, banned for use in EU (heavy metals, toxins)
• Ocean dumping was common, now largely illegal (still done though, watch "The Sopranos")

• toxic: e.g. fly ash, heavy metals
• flammable: burns
• reactive: chemically active, e.g. oxidizers
• radioactive: just like it sounds

You may have seen signs like this on the back of trucks:

• Color Coding: Colors indicate the hazard class:
  • Red: Flammable liquids and gases.
  • Orange: Explosives.
  • Yellow: Oxidizers.
  • Green: Non-flammable gases.
  • Blue: Water-reactive substances.
  • White: Toxins/Poisons.
  • Half Black/Half White: Corrosives.
• Nine Hazard Classes:
  • Class 1: Explosives.
  • Class 2: Gases (Flammable, Non-Flammable, Poison).
  • Class 3: Flammable Liquids.
  • Class 4: Flammable Solids, Spontaneously Combustible, Dangerous When Wet.
  • Class 5: Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides.
  • Class 6: Poison (Toxic) and Infectious Substances.
  • Class 7: Radioactive Materials.
  • Class 8: Corrosives.
  • Class 9: Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods.

Nuclear waste: 

• not just fuel rods-everything
  
• dangerous for thousands of years
• nobody wants them in their state (Yucca Flats) or country
• in some cases, spent fuel rods can be used in next generation reactors:

Download What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste? | MIT Technology Review.pdf (application/pdf, 7.6 MB)

Special to Waimea:

• You may have seen random people walking around fields in our area planting little flags...
  
• These are EOD contractors, looking for unexploded ordnance (bombs, bullets, shells)
  
• These are known as UXO for unexploded ordnance from WWII when this was a training ground for the assault on Japanese Islands (Okinawa was the main one)
  
• As these weapons age, they become less stable, and can detonate with little shock
• Hikers and kids often find UXO in the streams, even above the HPA campus...
• Another local issue with solid waste is the use of DU or depleted Uranium shells in training grounds on the saddle road (Pohakaloa Training Area, or PTA for short)
• Since these shells are used for training, the possible contamination of folks in Kona by windborne Uranium dust is an issue

Mining waste:

• called "tailings" or "overburden" by miners
  
• heavy metals, acids
• can runoff into streams, water bodies
• classic case: Butte MT

Laws:

Superfund: created in 1980, as CERCLA

Note recycling by state: why?

Bottle bills by state-compare with map above:

• Who pays for this?
  
• Who holds the money?
  
• Does all of it get refunded?
  

H-power on Oahu looks similar-look this up:

One solution to hazardous liquid waste:

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