FAQ-Waste

Animal wastes from farm animals does not only include manure and urine, it also consists of animal carcass, bedding material, wasted feed, and other organic matter. Hogs and cattle produce manure fairly liquid in nature, which is handled by flushing with water from the facilities to storage areas. Whereas poultry waste is more dry and is mixed with straw or other dry material for easier handling. All these comprise of animal waste from livestock operation facilities.

How serious is the pollution problem due to animal waste?

In the United States, animal waste production is more than 100 times more than human waste production. US Department of Agriculture has classified animal waste problem as 'a serious policy problem'. This is due to the lack of sufficient land for handling animal waste. High nutrient loadings in our lakes, streams and rivers have also raised public concern as it has started to threaten aquatic life and as well as terrestrial life, equally. The pathogen in animal manure

How does animal waste enter our waterways?

Animal waste enters our waterways through several pathways. When animal manure is applied in agricultural land, many a times, over-application causes nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and other organic and inorganic nutrient to leach into the groundwater, polluting the most pristine water-source. Spills from waste storage facilities directly to our streams have occurred in the past, causing drastic number of fish kills and depletion in the population of other aquatic species.

What are some of the problems generated from animal waste?

Eutrophication resulting from high nutrient loading has resulted in high algal population in the rivers and streams, giving rise to the episodes of destruction of aquatic life. High organic content has increased microbial function in the water sources that has resulted in high biological oxygen demand of such waterbodies, which has eventually resulted in degradation of water quality. Pathogens in animal waste has affected human and animal health due to its toxic effects.

Are there ways to protect our waterbodies animal-waste-pollution?

There are several common sense, engineering and preventive measures that can help reduce animal waste from polluting our waterways:

Waste lagoons with liners, either plastic, clay or cement, has been proven to reduce pollutants from entering groundwater systems
Controlled and measured application of animal waste on agricultural lands, minimizes pollutants in the runoff water from entering the waterbodies
Buffer strips or filter strips built between agricultural lands and stream or river banks helps catch sediments, organic matter and other pollutants from the runoff water, before it enters a waterway
Location of an animal facility should be at a safe distant will help minimize the flow of pollutants in the runoff water
Animal facilities located on the upstream side of a waterbody poses more threat to a waterbody than the one located downstream
Animals entering the water stream may cause direct pollution from defecation and urination in the water
Grazing areas should have their own watering facilities so that the animals are not attracted to the adjacent waterbody, if any, for watering purposes
Treat manure before applying it to the land as fertilizer
Apply manure to plants that can use the nutrients in manure
Do not apply manure when chances of runoff (rainfall season, flooding) is higher than usual
Use calibrated applicator devices
Inject or incorporate manure in the soil, surface application increases chances of pollution through runoff
Analyze manure before application, for pathogens and other toxins
Prevent overflowing of waste storage facilities
Add gutters to livestock housings to keep rainwater away from the waste flow

Composting

What is composting?

Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It's easy to learn how to compost.

What can I compost?

Most yard wastes like, leaves, grass, plant stalks, twigs, branches, and weeds can be composted easily. Other wastes that can be composted with some care are food wastes like, fruit scraps, vegetables, coffee grounds, stale breads and eggshells.

What is the process of composting?

Composting that happens through an aerobic process, which involves biological breakdown of materials through microbes in presence of oxygen. The main byproducts of this biological breakdown are carbon dioxide and heat. Composting through anaerobic process happens in absence of oxygen. The main byproducts of anaerobic process are, methane, carbon dioxide, and many organic acids and alcohols. Among the two processes aerobic process is more efficient.

What are the advantages of composting?

Destroys weed seeds and disease pathogens
Quantity of manure to be applied is reduced by up to half
Odors are decreased in spreading operations
Produces a quality soil conditioner with stabilized organic matter
Slow release of nutrients (especially nitrogen) in composted manure is beneficial to crops and soil microbes

What are the benefits of applying compost to soil?

Compost is an organic source which has an unique ability to condition the soil by improving its chemical, biological and physical characteristics. Some of its benefits are mentioned below:

It can improve soil constitution
Reduce soil compaction or compression
Provide nutrients both of micro and macro kind
Improve soil water holding capacity by increasing aeration
Diminish soil erosion and leaching of nutrients
To some extent may suppress soil borne diseases
Improve the presence of good bacteria in the soil

What household waste can be composted?

Household wastes like bread, ground coffee, egg-shells, fruit and vegetable scrapes, garden trimmings, grass clippings, hair clippings, leaves, shredded non-recyclable Paper, tea leaves, wood ash and wood chips all can be composted successfully.

What household waste cannot or should not be composted?

Bones, pet manure, dairy products, diseased plants, fish bits, lard, mayonnaise, meat bits, oil and salad dressing should be excluded from the waste to be composted.

What are the basic steps of composting?

Break all the materials to be composted in to small pieces
Dig two inches of soil from the site where the container used for composting will be placed. Add aeration by adding stones or twigs in the dug area
Place dry and moist compost material in 4: 1 ratio. Dry material is rich in carbon, whereas moist material will provide appropriate amounts of nitrogen
Place dry and moist materials in alternating layers, also keep adding some soil every now and then to the layers
Add water to make the layers moist but not drench them with water
After filling up the container add two inches of soil
The heat in the containers rises when decomposition begins to as high as 160 degree Fahrenheit. This may kill all the weeds and their seeds that may be present in the compost mixture
When the air in the container begins to cool down, allow air penetration by mixing up the contents or transferring the contents into another container. If needed add more plant residues or water
Repeat these steps until the material is dark in color and smooth in texture
Before using compost for application sift the material to remove large debris, which may be materials of un-composted waste. This can be used again for composting

General Waste Information

What is municipal solid waste?

Municipal Solid Waste or MSW, which is commonly called trash or garbage consists of everyday discarded items such as, bottles, food scrapes, newspapers, appliances, paint, batteries, and oil.

How much MSW is produced?

Environmental Protection Agency, reported that in 2001, more than 229 million tons of MSW was produced, nationwide, which is almost 4 lbs per person on a daily basis.

As mentioned in FDEP annual report, from 1999-2000 data, about 25 million tons of solid waste is generated in the state of Florida every year. This is equivalent to almost 9 tons produced per day by each person. Polk, Indian River, and Flagler counties produced the largest amounts of wastes in that year.

What practices are involved in a good MSW management?

Source reduction practices such as composting, two-sided copying of paper, and grass-cycling are helpful in reduction of waste at the source. Source reduction can help in attaining many environmental benefits such as- reduction in greenhouse gases, pollution prevention, energy conservation, and reduction in landfill use.

Recycling is another management practice diverts waste away from landfills and incinerators. Materials that can be recycled are batteries, paper and paperboard, and yard trimmings. In addition to the benefits similar to those provided by source reduction, recycling also helps in providing valuable raw materials to the industries, creates jobs, stimulates the development of greener technology, and conserves the resources for our future generations.

Combustion and incineration is another and least preferred way of managing municipal waste. It reduces waste by 90 percent in volume and 75% in weight. In addition to this benefit combustion provides energy, without the use of fossil fuels.

What are landfills?

Land disposal sites for non-hazardous solid wastes where waste is spread in layers, compacted to the smallest practical volume, and covered with material applied at the end of each operating day. It also is a provision for hazardous waste disposal to minimize the chance of release of hazardous substances into the environment.
Are landfills important?

With the high amount of waste generated in the nation, landfills have become important as they provide convenient way to dispose our waste, hazardous and non-hazardous. As long as we keep producing the waste as we do now, landfills will exist.

Why are landfills considered bad?

Landfills, in themselves, are not bad, but they do signify a serious problem. Higher the rate of waste-generation faster the landfills fill-up. They also take up a large area of land making that area and a big area surrounding them, largely useless. If there is a leak in the liner of a landfill, or if maintenance is not proper, there is a higher risk of pollution to our groundwater and even surface water, than from any other source.

In the recent years the number of landfills have decreased but the closed landfills still pose a threat. The waste in a landfill takes a long time to degrade and decompose in the process many toxic gases are produced, which may cause not only odor problems but health risks. In many cases years after the landfills were closed and the land was used for residential or industrial use, many cases of degenerative diseases that were linked to the landfills, were reported.

Hazardous Waste

What qualifies for hazardous waste?

Under the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act, waste that has any one of the following characteristic should be considered hazardous:

Ignitable
Corrosive
Reactive or
Toxic

Is medical waste considered to be hazardous?

Not all, but most medical waste is considered hazardous because of its high reactive nature. They can pose a threat to human and animal health due to infection probability. Needles, glassware, discarded instruments (scalpels, sheers etc) pose not only the threat of infection but people can also get hurt from them.

What are the hazards posed by hazardous wastes?

The risks from hazardous wastes can be life-threatening. Toxicity from these wastes cannot only cause injury or death but can also result in cancers, genetic damage, and fetal harm.

Acute damages, which are felt soon after getting affected from hazardous wastes are skin-burns from acids, fire caused by explosive nature of wastes, or an overnight death of the fish to which the waste must have reached.

Headaches, allergic reactions, slow pollution of the groundwater are some of the effects that felt over a period of time and are more chronic in nature.

How can we protect ourselves from these hazards?

To protect yourselves from hazardous waste is to seek medical assistance as soon as you suspect an exposure. There are many preventive measures that one can take to protect oneself. Be informed, read the labels of the material you are handling. Industries are required to label a hazard note on all hazardous materials. Use protective wear like gloves, protective glasses and clothing when dealing with these wastes. Dispose any unidentified chemical with compliance to the hazardous material disposal regulation.

How should we dispose hazardous waste?

Don't discard hazardous waste into household trash

Keep hazardous products in the original containers

Never mix chemical wastes

Never reuse any pesticide or chemical container for any other purposes as the residues remaining in the container can contaminate other materials

Use non-hazardous alternatives whenever possible.

Call the office of local Environmental authorities, if you are not sure about how to dispose of household hazardous waste.

What are some of the hazardous wastes that are generated in households?

Button batteries (used in watches, hearing aids, calculators, etc.)
Fertilizers with herbicides
Gasoline and other unwanted fuels
Herbicides
Household and automotive cleaning products
Insecticides
Oil-based paint
Paint thinners & solvents
Pesticides
Photographic chemicals
Rechargeable batteries
Swimming pool chemicals

Laws and Regulations

Who overseers waste disposal and management in Florida?

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal authority which regulates waste nationwide. In Florida the state authority that supervises EPA's regulation is Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

What are the laws that regulate agricultural wastes?

Agricultural industry is heavily regulated under the Florida Agricultural Law. These laws are associated with three basic categories:

Uses and storage of water
- Law regarding permitting the consumptive uses of water
- Law regarding construction, repair, and abandonment of wells
- Law excluding agricultural activities from FDEP dredge and fill permits
- Law regarding management and storage of surface waters
- Law regarding use of wastewater for spray irrigation
Activities on farmland
- Law releasing property owners from liability for cattle-dipping vats
- Law excluding farming and forestry activities from certain environmental standards
- Law promoting preservation of native flora
- Florida Endangered and Threatened Species Act of 1977
- Laws regarding solid waste management
- Laws regarding pollutant storage tank systems
- Laws regarding onsite sewage disposal
Conservation of soil and water, and of farm and forest land in general
- Laws regarding soil and water conservation
- Law regarding conservation easement
Information about these laws can be found in detail at Handbook of Florida Agricultural Laws: Environmental and Conservation Regulations that May Impact Agriculture Lands

Do wastewater lagoons structures have to follow a governmental specification?

Yes, all wastewater lagoon have to meet provision as described in the Water Quality Policy, issued by the EPA. EPA has described and has provided number that should be taken into consideration, while building a lagoon. The specification focuses on lagoon lining, materials to be used to maintain certain amount of permeability, permissible volume and overflow, thickness of the lining layers, embankments, cover for protection. The guidelines also describe the methods, type and timing of maintenance and risk management of the wastewater lagoons.

What policies are related to hazardous wastes?

Hazardous waste policies in Florida, as regulated by Florida Department of Environmental Protection, has divided the hazardous waste policies in three sections:

Permitting and Corrective Actions
- Anyone in the process of treating, storing, or disposing of Hazardous Waste in the State of Florida must have a Permit.
Program Development involves
- identification of hazardous waste
- enforces maintenance of standards of hazardous waste for generators, transporters, and owners and operators of hazardous waste facilities
- enforces land disposal restrictions and
- standards for universal waste management
Compliance and Enforcement
- generators and management facilities of hazardous waste have to notify the state of those activities
- these facilities are subject to compliance evaluation by RCRA inspectors, from the district DEP office

More on Florida Hazardous Waste Law can be read here- Summary of Hazardous Waste Regulations

Recycling and Conservation

What is recycling?

Recycling is the act of utilizing used products for reuse, or the process of transforming materials into raw materials for manufacturing new products, which may or may not be similar to the original product.

How can recycling help in combating the problem of pollution?

Recycling, simply reduces wastes by diverting the used materials from the trash-cans and bringing them back in use. It helps in the conservation of our resources and slows down the process of their depletion. Recycling also optimizes financial cost of production, for example aluminum cans are cheaper to recycle than to be manufactured from raw materials, steel is 100% recyclable and can be used indefinitely. Benefits of recycling can be categorized into the following:

Energy savings
Environmental protection
Conservation of natural resources
Economization of production costs
Creates job opportunities

What does the term 'reuse' entail?

Recycling process also involves reuse of used products, thus the term 'reuse' means- use of a previously-used material in the same or different way.

What are some of the things we can recycle/reuse in day-to-day life?

Clear glass containers
Colored glass containers
High-grade office paper
Newsprint
Corrugated paper
Aluminum cans
Steel and bi-metallic cans
Plastics

What some of the things we can do to conserve in day-to-day life?

Ride a bike or walk-Cars are one of the worst pollutants in today’s society, and petrol is from a non-renewable source.
Save Water- Install a low-volume shower head, use mulch in gardens, use a bucket when washing the car.
Save Energy! Install energy saving light bulbs, turn off lights when you leave a room, purchase energy-efficient electrical goods, insulate your home to reduce heating and cooling energy needs.
Remove Pest Plants- many garden plants have become pests which can escape the garden, and out-compete natives.
Double side paper when printing and photocopying.
Compost your household and yard waste- they not only help conserve the environment but also provide good and safe nutrient source to the lawns and gardens
Get involved- Almost all communities in the United States have a governmental or volunteer program that is works to promote environmental conservation, either by doing it or by spreading the information.

Waste Disposal

What are some of the waste disposal methods?

Here are some of the waste disposal methods:

Ocean dumping
Landfills
Incineration
Open dumping
Recycling

Who regulates waste disposal standards?

By and large, EPA is the main federal authority that is responsible for regulating waste. Other federal authority that shares the responsibility to regulate nuclear waste is Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Natural Resources Conservation Service setup by the US Department of Agriculture provides public and governmental assistance to regulate wastes from agricultural sources, protect and conserve our natural resources. On the state level the agencies that help in waste regulation are:

Florida Department of Environmental Protection- DEP's waste management responsibilities include:
- regulates solid and hazardous waste management and disposal
- enforces federal laws regarding solid wastes of all kind
- regulates air, water, and noise pollution
- enforces preventive or cleanup measures of pollutant spills
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services- DACS's major responsibilities are associated with farming practices and products. These can be listed as:
- registration, labeling, and inspection of commercial fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline and oils
- registration (i.e. licensing and regulation) of pesticide applicators
- soil and water conservation
Department of Health- DOH does not enforce or make any regulations for hazardous waste but it can help provide valuable information related to hazardous wastes in three ways:
- Public health assessment
- Health consultations
- Exposure Investigations
Department of Community Affairs- DCA's affects waste management differently than the other authorities. Two divisions of DCA that are involved in waste management are:
- Division of Community Planning- is involved in local (urban and suburban) growth management plans
- Division of Emergency Management- is responsible for implementing the Florida Hazardous Materials Emergency Response and Community Right-to-Know Act (1988).

Do industries have to have licenses for waste disposal?

Yes, particularly industries that have waste byproduct that is hazardous, especially radioactive in nature, have to have a license for disposing their wastes.

Are there regular checks from the state authorities for industrial waste composition?

The hazardous and non-hazardous wastes both go through a regular inspection from the state authorities. A checklist is referred to when these inspections are made. If the inspection qualifies for non-conformant of waste regulations, appropriate measures or actions are advised to the generators of such wastes.

Waste Utilization

Is there really a way to utilize our wastes?

Yes, waste can to a large extent be utilized gainfully for reuse, fertilization, and production. Waste utilization does not only help in reduction of waste but also impacts environment, positively. It also helps us conserve our environment and the natural resources. For example composting is a very efficient way to utilize farm and domestic waste for fertilizing our agricultural lands, gardens and lawns. It is cheaper than inorganic waste and has lesser environmental impacts.

How can we utilize waste?

Waste can be utilized after proper treatment to kill pathogens and may need to be modified in form for utilization. Composting, using industrial sludge of organic nature as fertilizers, irrigation with wastewater, use of coal ash as building material- these are some of the ways waste can be reutilized for economical and environmental benefits.

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Last Revised on: 11/20/2007