 |  Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e William P. Cunningham,
University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham,
Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo,
St. Cloud State University
Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Waste
Chapter OverviewThis chapter addresses one of the root causes of our environmental problems: the production and disposal of ever-growing mountains of solid and hazardous waste materials.
Our production of solid waste is growing faster than our capacity to safely dispose of it. Hazardous substances are entering the environment in unprecedented amounts. The good news is that, for most hazardous substances, we know the cost-effective measures that can reduce this waste production at the source. In these pages, you will learn some disturbing facts but also some exciting options for corralling this serious environmental threat.
The puzzle: We don't want this stuff in our environment, and we don't want processing facilities in our communities. But we also seem to not want to go without the products that create this waste. The days of cheap waste disposal costs, leaving external costs for the future to pay, are over. Will dramatically increased disposal costs stimulate people to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and to consciously choose to buy products linked to less waste production?
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education