Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Waste Not: On Disposing Hazardous Material

Many synthetic substances were formulated in order to serve useful roles, such as lubrication and fuel. However, these same substances also happen to be pollutants, and are extremely dangerous to the environment, animals, and people. Materials such as propane, gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, fertilizer, mercury, household cleaning agents, and even certain types of paint are considered hazardous, and need to be disposed of properly to prevent toxic contaminations.

Due to the danger it poses, hazardous waste cannot be dumped into a landfill. Certain chemical waste also cannot be disposed of through incineration, since these materials could give off poisonous fumes upon burning. Most importantly, toxic waste should not be left to stand under the rain, since rainwater can mix with the materials and create a highly noxious storm water runoff.

Fortunately, there are ways to safely dispose of hazardous waste. Toxic waste that is safe to burn can be burnt securely inside a controlled environment while the more dangerous materials can be buried inside secure containers. Perhaps one of the most effective and sustainable methods of disposing these substances is to dilute the materials by adding other chemicals or biological agents into them, turning the resulting mixture into a harmless substance.

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