Introduction

This paper examines the method for waste disposal of a number of identified substances. The substances in question being that of  coal waste, oil waste, nuclear waste and tires.  Each represents its’ own unique challenge in terms of disposal and safety to the environment.  The paper analyses the sources of these waste materials, how they impact biodiversity and impact environmental considerations.

Impact of Waste disposal

Coal Waste : Coal is the largest source of consumption for domestic energy in the United States.  Some 90% of all coal being used in power plants.  The residue of burnt coal is mostly slurried into an impoundment allowed to settle and then receive other chemical additives in order to break the residue up.  This is often then buried in landfill sites.  It is stated that fly ash accounts for some 58% of the waste product from power stations.  This substance is reused in the making of cement and therefore has an important secondary use.  Some 100 million tons of ash and sludge are dumped annually in the United States and these contain some lethal substances ” Lethal substances contained in the ash and sludge include arsenic, selenium, lead, boron, cadmium, and cobalt. Adverse effects on human health and local ecological systems can linger for well over a century, typically peaking 78 to 105 years from the time the pool or impoundment is filled.”  (Sweet, 2009).

Oil Waste : Oil is one of the most dangerous pollutants to our environment.  Not disposed of correctly it can have lasting impacts on both our health and environment ” Illegally disposed of oil can pollute the groundwater with contaminants such as lead, magnesium, copper, zinc, chromium, arsenic, chlorides, cadmium and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).  One quart of oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water. Used oil from a single oil change can ruin a million Gallons of fresh water – a one year’s supply for 50 people! One Quart of Used Motor Oil will pollute up to 40,730 Square Feet of Soil! ”  (Synlube, 2010).  Where possible oil should always be recycled and the waste product placed in a secure container and delivered to one of the many waste oil recycling centres.

Nuclear Waste : Perhaps the most dangerous, toxic and lethal of all waste disposal products. In the USA most of the nuclear power plants are nearing the end of their useful life and this will leave a great deal of nuclear material to dispose of. ” Nuclear waste can be generally classified a either “low level” radioactive waste or “high level” radioactive waste. Low level nuclear waste usually includes material used to handle the highly radioactive parts of nuclear reactors (i.e. cooling water pipes and radiation suits) and waste from medical procedures involving radioactive treatments or x-rays. Low level waste is comparatively easy to dispose of. The level of radioactivity and the half life of the radioactive isotopes in low level waste is relatively small. Storing the waste for a period of 10 to 50 years will allow most of the radioactive isotopes in low level waste to decay, at which point the waste can be disposed of as normal refuse.”  (Gold, 2010).   This method of waste disposal and reprocessing of nuclear waste is often placed in the hands of specialist subcontractors under government supervision.

Tire Disposal : Around 1 billion tires are disposed of in the world each day. The method of disposal ranging from: 50% to landfill sites, 40% incinerated and 10% recycled. From these figures it is obvious that we need to increase the number of recycled products in order to stop widespread pollution and contamination of our environment.  There are generally three accepted methods of recycling: Mechanical ambient grinding, Cryogenically freezing and crushing, pyrolysis microwave to melt rubber.