Hazardous Waste

Background and Problems

Dumping of Hazardous Waste
photo by Donna Lacombe

The problems associated with hazardous waste were virtually unknown prior to the 1970s, but in less than 20 years, they climbed to the top as a source of environmental concern to people in the United States. Most Americans know that Love Canal and Times Beach are locations where hazardous wastes were disposed of and serious environmental problems resulted. Millions of dollars were spent cleaning up the contamination at these sites. Other situations involving oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, have substantially increased the public's awareness to the need for environmental protection.

Since the end of World War II, the production of organic chemicals in the U.S. has grown from one billion pounds annually to more than 300 billion pounds annually, and its associated chemical waste has grown proportionally. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory in 1992, over 4.3 billion pounds of hazardous wastes were released to the environment by industry in the U.S. Of the approximately 300 million pounds of hazardous wastes disposed of annually in the U.S., 72% of it is hazardous due to a characteristic--ignitable, corrosive, reactive or toxic.

To help control this serious problem, Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976, giving the EPA specific authority to regulate the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste from "cradle to grave." Other major pieces of federal legislation having to do with hazardous waste are the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), or "Superfund" and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA). These Acts provide EPA with both authority and funding to address threats to the public health and environment resulting from uncontrolled spills or dumping of hazardous waste.

Batteries Recycled
photo by Barbara Trujillo

In the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area (AMA), our most notable problems resulting from improper hazardous waste disposal is the closing of San Jose #6 well in the South Valley adjacent to the South Valley Superfund site. This site was placed on the Superfund national priorities list (NPL) in 1982, and the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) site, also in the South Valley, was placed on the NPL in 1995. Both sites are currently being studied to determine the most appropriate remedial action

In September of 1982, the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department (EHD) created a plan program to evaluate and deal with the problem of hazardous waste in the AMA. Even though our hazardous waste problems in the AMA are relatively minor compared with the heavily industrialized eastern states, the combined quantity of hazardous and toxic substances could create dangerous and unhealthy situations.

Mismanagement of hazardous wastes, particularly improper disposal and accidental releases, can cause numerous threats to the public health and environment. Improperly managed or disposed wastes can lead to ground or surface water pollution, air pollution, fire and explosions, poisoning via the food chain, and poisonings to human beings through direct contact. Some of the effects of toxic and hazardous wastes on human health include cancer, birth defects, reproductive anomalies, brain and kidney damage, and skin, lung, and heart diseases.

Surveys Yield Data on Local Needs

In order for the Albuquerque EHD to develop a successful hazardous waste program, it was first necessary to assess the needs and problems of the local community. For the AMA, the first priorities were the collection of data on local generation of hazardous waste, the quantity of hazardous waste disposed of, and the identification of storage and disposal methods.

An industrial hazardous waste survey for the AMA was conducted in 1981, followed by a residential survey in 1983. From the results of these studies, it is estimated that over eight million pounds of hazardous waste were produced annually in Albuquerque and approximately one-third of it was being disposed of improperly in local landfills, sewer systems (which end up in the Rio Grande), ditches, arroyos, and open spaces.

The residential survey indicated that 1.6 million pounds of hazardous waste per year were disposed of by 96,320 households in Albuquerque. Of this amount, 56% was used motor oil, 19% antifreeze, 11% paints, 10% other recycled oil products, and 2% solvents or thinners The remainder consisted of pesticides, poisons, household cleaners, polishes, drain openers, weed killers and fertilizers, totaling about 2%.

The 1981 industrial waste survey indicated that of the approximately 6.7 million pounds of hazardous waste produced per year by industry in the AMA, 1.0 million pounds were improperly disposed of. In total then, some 2.5 million pounds of hazardous waste and waste oil per year were disposed of in an improper or illegal manner in the sanitary landfill, sanitary sewer system, storm sewer system, or in arroyos or open spaces.

The non-existence of hazardous waste management facilities in the local community at that time contributed to the problems of illegal and indiscriminate hazardous waste disposal. Since the mid 1980s environmental management firms have begun accepting waste for proper disposal at permitted treatment, storage or disposal sites out of state. Used motor oil can be taken to several collection sites in the AMA.

The "cradle to grave" concept mandated by RCRA places responsibility on the waste generator for properly disposing of hazardous wastes d. In reality, however, this is a responsibility which must be shared by everyone--the generator, the transporter, the disposal facility, state and federal regulatory agencies, government health agencies, and the general public. This process is expensive but less so than the costs associated with the clean-up of sites where hazardous wastes were illegally dumped.

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HAZARDOUS WASTE.
YOUR HOME SHOULD NOT BE.

The Albuquerque EHD has taken several steps to address the local hazardous waste problem. These include the following:

• Taking a local leadership role in conducting a hazardous waste facility feasibility study to determine the economics of construction and operation for a storage and transfer facility. It was believed that such a facility would have positive effects on industrial development, as well as helping to solve one of the most serious environmental problems we face.
• Conducting community-wide hazardous waste collection projects from households and small-quantity generators since 1985 to develop community awareness of the hazardous waste problem and the city's initiatives to solve that problem.
• Operating the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County residents since 1991. Over 150,000 pounds of household hazardous wastes are removed from the solid and liquid waste streams each year by this program and sent for recycling, reuse, or proper disposal.
• Providing technical assistance to small-quantity generators of hazardous waste to facilitate their compliance with RCRA (as reauthorized by Congress in 1984) by providing, upon request, advice on proper disposal of hazardous wastes.
• Promoting a used-oil recycling program in the AMA, with a public information campaign about the 40 locations that accept used oil.
• Conducting a public information campaign about hazardous wastes, proper disposal, and waste- minimization techniques.
• Encouraging pollution prevention in the home as well as industry.

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Options and Opinions

Discussion Questions

1. Who should have the ultimate responsibility for disposal of hazardous waste--the generator of the waste? Local government? State and federal government?
2. How serious is the hazardous waste problem in Albuquerque/Bernalillo county?
3. Should Albuquerque/Bernalillo County have better hazardous waste facilities?
4. What can the average citizen do to help decrease hazardous waste in our area?

Possible Solutions/Opinions

1. Most people who contribute to the hazardous waste problem in Albuquerque do so either because they are ignorant of the problem or don't know how to dispose of the waste properly.
2. The lack of a full-time hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities in New Mexico perpetuates the problem of improper disposal.
3. Local laws regulating disposal of hazardous wastes by small businesses should be instituted.
4. All regulation of hazardous waste should be under the control of the EPA.

Activities

1. Do a "hazardous waste" hunt at home. Look in kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, garages, cellars, and closets for substances (cleaning supplies, lubricants, medicines, paints, solvents, weed killers, pesticides, fertilizers, antifreeze, etc.). Have students discuss with their parents how they dispose of hazardous or toxic substances they no longer need. Prepare a class composite on this data. Enter number of students who reported each disposal method for each substance.

   	Disposal Method
   Substance	city refuse service	dumped down drain	hauled to landfill	dumped in backyard or open space

   • Do parents find it a problem to know what to do with these substances?
   • Which method(s) are most frequently used?
   • Which substances are most difficult to dispose of?
   • How do students and their families think the disposal problem could best be resolved?
2. Contact the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department (768-2600) for additional information on hazardous waste management issues. Find out if the local, state, or federal governments are considering additional legislation concerning hazardous wastes. If so, become informed on the issues by reading or inviting knowledgeable speakers to class. After discussion, have the class take a position on the legislation and inform the appropriate elected officials of their opinions.
3. Use the table showing the survey of residential hazardous/toxic waste in 1983 and in---

   City of Albuquerque Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
   Waste processed in 1994

   Paints (latex)	28,600 pounds
   Used motor oil	68,640
   Anti-freeze	34,760
   Toxic substances (pesticides, etc)	11,510
   Flammable materials (gasoline, etc.)	27,860
   Corrosives (cleaners, acid/basic)	7,180
   Oxidizers (pool chemicals, etc.)	820
   Aerosol Cans (paints, pesticides, etc)	4,792
   Automotive batteries	1,500
   Asbestos	5,100
   Misc.	4,400
   Total of all wastes for 1994......................195,164 pounds