Question

Provide a visual diagram/drawing (with arrows & brief descriptions) of what happens if toxic waste (solid and liquid) is accidentally dumped and leached into the Zanker Recycling Facility in Alviso, CA (10 points)? For example, how do leachates recycle and affect the wildlife & people that live near the landfill? What about any groundwater under the facility? Also, list three federal acts administered by the US EPA that are in place to minimize and or regulate potential environmental damage to the natural resources. Provide support for each statement.

Answer 1

The Zanker Facilities in San Jose originally began as Zanker Road Landfill. Later on it developed into major service for resource management, composting/recycling facility. Different operational areas handle specific types of waste materials which include demolition debris, concrete, wood waste. The recycled materials are directed to other recycling operations on site or shipped directly to end product users.

   step 1 Building or house demolition debris, concrete, wood waste, yard waste

    step 2 Removed dirt, trash and insulation

step 3 Classified as trash or miscellaneous debris if contain less than 50% recyclable materials.

step 4 Recyclable items include lumber, sheetrock, concrete, brick, tile, granite, rigid plastics, paper, metals, brush and trees, rock, asphalt, appliances.

step 5 Materials are sorted into recyclables and non-recyclables

{Non recyclable (trash) items include pressure-treated wood, laminated wood, painted wood, sawdust, insulation, PVC pipes, film plastics and other packing materials, asphalt roofing, roofing felt, roofing insulation, fiberglass insulation, vinyl flooring, ceiling tiles, stucco, soil, windows, doors, carpeting, carpet padding, cabinets, sinks, furniture, Styrofoam, crushed materials, mattresses, textiles, linen, couches, chairs, desks, office partitions, signs, foam board, cabinets, wet materials.

step 6 Once the materials are unloaded at the site, non-acceptable materials are removed.

step 7 Cleaned concrete is then loaded into the primary crusher where it is crushed.

step 8 The material passes under a belt magnet where steel is removed

step 9 The material goes to a secondary crusher that reduces the particle size further.

step 10 Oversized pieces are removed and re-circulated back into crushing circuit.

step 11 Products such as base rock, utility sand, gravel are produced.

Similarly the wood waste is ground and wood chips and wood fines are created. The wood chips are stockpiled and then removed from site and used primarily as co-generation fuel and for landscaping and agricultural purposes. The wood fines are also used in landscaping or as soil amendment.

The US Congress has identified several environmental statutes, amended several keys and enforced laws through regulations by federal agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The key legislation includes Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). which regulates the production, importation, use, and disposal of chemical substances and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). which creates funds for the clean-up of hazardous sites, accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of hazardous substances into the environment. It also imposes strict liability on parties disposing the hazardous substances. Another act i.e. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates the handling, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes from the point of generation to their ultimate disposition. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) imposes reporting requirements related to storage, use, and release of hazardous substances. According to EPA, hazardous wastes are ignitable, reactive, corrosive or toxic. State and local governments also have primary responsibility for regulating non-hazardous solid waste. The EPA provides guidance and information to those governments regarding design and operation of municipal solid waste landfills and other solid waste disposal facilities. RCRA prohibits the disposal of untreated hazardous wastes and wastes that do not meet applicable waste treatment standards.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act/Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act:

It deals with clean up of abandoned hazardous waste sites and spills and provide support for industrial waste management practices. CERCLA/SARA establishes a fund (known as Superfund) that provides money to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites that pose a significant risk. The fund is in the form of taxes. The agency also establishes a National Contingency Plan for any emergency situation for chemical spills. The law develops a framework for strict, joint initiative for cleanup of abandoned hazardous waste sites.