First published in 1986: The Purpose of this book is to provide working managers with a comprehensive introduction to practical operational aspects of hazardous waste management and with an extremely important foundation in relevant laws, rules and regulations.

The Politics of Trash explains how municipal trash collection solved odorous urban problems using nongovernmental and often unseemly means. Focusing on the persistent problems of filth and the frustration of generations of reformers unable to clean their cities, Patricia Strach and Kathleen S. Sullivan tell a story of dirty politics and administrative innovation that made rapidly expanding American cities livable. The solutions that professionals recommended to rid cities of overflowing waste cans, litter-filled privies, and animal carcasses were largely ignored by city governments. When the efforts of sanitarians, engineers, and reformers failed, public officials turned to the habits and tools of corruption as well as to gender and racial hierarchies. Corruption often provided the political will for public officials to establish garbage collection programs. Effective waste collection involves translating municipal imperatives into new habits and arrangements in homes and other private spaces. To change domestic habits, officials relied on gender hierarchy to make the women of the white, middle-class households in charge of sanitation. When public and private trash cans overflowed, racial and ethnic prejudices were harnessed to single out scavengers, garbage collectors, and neighborhoods by race. These early informal efforts were slowly incorporated into formal administrative processes that created the public-private sanitation systems that prevail in most American cities today. The Politics of Trash locates these hidden resources of governments to challenge presumptions about the formal mechanisms of governing and recovers the presence of residents at the margins, whose experiences can be as overlooked as garbage collection itself. This consideration of municipal garbage collection reveals how political development often relies on undemocratic means with long-term implications for further inequality. Focusing on the resources that cleaned American cities also shows the tenuous connection between political development and modernization. -- Cornell University Press

Environmental Epidemiology and Risk Assessment Tim Aldrich and Jack Griffith Environmental Epidemiology and Risk Assessment addresses the historical development of environmental epidemiology, touching on recent sensationalized environmental tragedies such as Love Canal and Chernobyl. Understanding the importance that public opinion plays in the success or failure of any important regulatory decision involving human studies, the authors elaborate the issue of communicating scientific findings to the public. The authors have employed the material in this book while teaching graduate courses in epidemiology and in the application of field studies for environmentally related risk assessment. Environmental Epidemiology and Risk Assessment is convenient for students to use in independent study, while instructors can use it as a reference and background source for classroom lectures. Each chapter contains a list of specific learning objectives, a detailed narrative including illustrations and case histories, and instructive assignments. The authors have also provided a list of recommended reading which complements the extensive bibliography and selected glossaries. This comprehensive text provides state-of-the-art instruction in the methodologic considerations with the design and conduct of environmental epidemiologic studies. The authors discuss disease mechanisms, the study of disease clusters, and surveillance techniques as these topics relate to environmental epidemiology. Environmental Epidemiology and Risk Assessment is a compilation of over thirty years of practical experience, university and public agency instruction, federal agency experiences, and community investigations, bringing together disparate scientific disciplines and offering the most comprehensive compendium of information to be found on the subject. Although this book serves as a reference text for trained epidemiologists, it places considerably more emphasis than is commonly found in epidemiologic texts on exposure monitoring, the use of biomarkers in epidemiologic studies, laboratory practices for environmental sampling, risk assessment, risk management, and environmental law. This "how to" book is an invaluable source for public health professionals with limited didactic training in epidemiology, but with interests and professional responsibilities that require a working understanding of the discipline.

This book presents an overview of the characterization of electronic waste. In addition, processing techniques for the recovery of metals, polymers and ceramics are described. This book serves as a source of information and as an educational technical reference for practicing scientists and engineers, as well as for students.

This volume is a continuation of the five volumes of "The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements" (published 2006). It expounds on topics in actinide science that are undergoing rapid scientific developments and that are germane to the safe development of nuclear energy in the 21st century, from nuclear fuels to the environmental science and management of waste. The scope of Volume 6 encompasses: actinides in the geosphere, subsurface interactions of actinides species with microorganisms, chemistry of nuclear fuels, actinide waste forms and radiation effects, analytical chemistry of plutonium, actinide chalcogenide compounds, molecular spectroscopy and reaction of the actinide ions in the gas phase and rare gas matrices, and hydrothermal synthesis of actinide compounds. This volume is written by active practitioners and recognized experts in their specialty areas. Each of the topics represents the current state of knowledge in this fascinating area of science and technology.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

The population of cities around the world is growing at an alarming rate, and as a result the landscapes of most cities are going through enormous changes. In particular, fertile agricultural lands at the periphery of cities are being developed without consideration of holistic planning. As such, peri-urban areas, zones of transition from rural to urban land uses located between the outer limits of the urban and the rural environment are experiencing significant losses of agricultural land, increased runoff, and water quality degradation. Concurrently, the demands for water, food and energy are increasing within cities, and unless a balance is struck the liveability of these cities will soon be compromised. The current water and land use changes have serious consequences on lifestyle, environment, health and overall well-being of urban communities. This book therefore helps readers to understand the current issues and challenges and examines suitable strategies and practices to cope with current and future pressures of urbanisation and peri-urban land-use changes. The book examines a number of critical aspects in relation to the future of cities and peri-urban regions, including the suitability of policies and institutions to sustain cities into the future; impact of current trends in land use change, population increase and water demand; long term planning needs and approaches to ensure the secured future for generations ahead; and strategies to adapt the cities and land uses so that they remain viable and liveable. The readership of the book will include policy makers, urban planners, researchers, post-graduate students in urban planning and environmental and water resources management and managers in municipal councils.

The aim of this book is to offer a river-basin management plan which is directly implementable and consistent with the European Union -Water Framework Directive (EU WFD).The contributors, who are leading world experts in their respective fields, develop an integrated water resources management plan for the Asopos river basin in Greece which is economically efficient, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. The program offers explicit technical and investment solutions, socioeconomic and legal instruments and recommendations for institutional restructuring. The introductory chapter describes the water situation in Greece and assesses the potential of timely implementation of the EU WFD. Special emphasis is given to the cost-recovery principle. Chapter 2 introduces the case study area highlighting the particular pressures and impacts as well as the environmental functions and values of Asopos River and Oropos Lagoon. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the economic characterisation of Asopos River Basin in order to identify the economic sectors and social groups that will bear the cost and benefits of the implementation of the EU WFD. In particular, Chapter 3 presents the main water uses and pricing for water supply in the industrial and the agricultural sectors. Chapter 4 completes the baseline appraisal, presenting the details of water use by the residential and touristic sectors. The following chapters assess valuation and decision-making tools from a range of perspectives, including agricultural needs, valuing the impacts of industrial activity, the costs and benefits of environmental preservation and management. The water resources management plan is presented in Chapter 9; the concluding chapter offers recommendations on institutional changes and presents the lessons learned as resources applicable to other river basins in Greece and elsewhere. The book applies state-of-the art market and non-market valuation methods to estimate water demands in the residential, industrial, agricultural, tourism, environmental and health sectors and to balance these, over time and space, with water supply. Given the well-known challenge of managing natural resources in a way that maximizes and sustains social welfare, this book will provide an invaluable point of reference for applied researchers and policy makers working in water resources management.

By the end of the 1970s, contaminated sites had emerged as one of the most complex and urgent environmental issues affecting industrialized countries. The authors show that small and prosperous Switzerland is no exception to the pervasive problem of sites contamination, the legacy of past practices in waste management having left some 38,000 contaminated sites throughout the country. This book outlines the problem, offering evidence that open and polycentric environmental decision-making that includes civil society actors is valuable. They propose an understanding of environmental management of contaminated sites as a political process in which institutions frame interactions between strategic actors pursuing sometimes conflicting interests. In the opening chapter, the authors describe the influences of politics and the power relationships between actors involved in decision-making in contaminated sites management, which they term a "wicked problem." Chapter Two offers a theoretical framework for understanding institutions and the environmental management of contaminated sites. The next five chapters present a detailed case study on environmental management and contaminated sites in Switzerland, focused on the Bonfol Chemical Landfill. The study and analysis covers the establishment of the landfill under the first generation of environmental regulations, its closure and early remediation efforts, and the gambling on the remediation objectives, methods and funding in the first decade of the 21st Century. The concluding chapter discusses the question of whether the strength of environmental regulations, and the type of interactions between public, private, and civil society actors can explain the environmental choices in contaminated sites management. Drawing lessons from research, the authors debate the value of institutional flexibility for dealing with environmental issues such as contaminated sites.

This book presents novel techniques to evaluate electrodialysis processes, to synthesize ionic membranes and to characterize their properties. It shows the potential use of membrane process to the treatment of effluents generated in many industrial sectors such as refineries, leather industries, mining and electroplating processes. The book is based on the results obtained by the author's research group during the past decade. It is useful for students, researchers and engineers interested in membrane technologies for water reuse.

Natural saline water, waste water, and irrigation return flow endanger the groundwater aquifers in the Rift. In the long run this will ruin the socio-economic backbone of the settlements in the area. Sustainability of the water resources will only be achieved when the process of water replenishment and its underground flow is understood and water extraction is regionally controlled. Rare earth element and spider patterns are presented as new tools for studying the hydrology. Progress in 3-D modelling of groundwater flow proved successfully the impact of pumping on the surroundings of wells and overexploitation of aquifers.

"Water and Health" strengthens the dynamic relationship between human health and water. The book has the potential to ignite our minds about several water-related diseases due to biological and chemical contamination, and to their high-end solutions. The contents are original, comprehensive and highly informative, and gradually take the reader around the component most important to his or her quality life, and not just existence. The book is set in social, scientific and economic dimensions, and is a must read for all those who cherish and celebrate human life and dignity.

This book contains peer reviewed papers accepted for presentation at the National Conference on Advances in Environmental Science & Technology. Topics include environmental regulations, groundwater remediation technologies, waste to energy, climate change, economics, environmental justice, fate and transport of contaminants, food bio-processing, innovative environmental technologies, sustainable energy and water resources and waste management. Federal agencies, private agencies and university professors set the stage for the September 12, 2013 National Conference on Advances in Environmental Science and Technology. The purpose of the National Conference on Advances in Environmental Science and Technology which was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, was to provide a forum for agencies to address advances in environmental science and technology including problems, solutions and research needs.

Contaminated sites and facilities may pose significant risks to the local populations because of the potential health and environmental effects associated with environmental contamination problems. Also affected are property owners and financiers due to reduced property values and possible financial liabilities. The effective management of contaminated sites is therefore an important environmental issue, requiring careful planning. This book addresses the issues relevant to the investigation and management of contaminated sites, emphasising problem diagnosis/characterisation and the development of site restoration/corrective action programs. The book focuses on methodologies that will allow scientifically justifiable/defensible, technically feasible, and economically viable corrective action assessment and response decisions to be made. This includes methods for developing effectual site restoration tasks, methods for evaluating the progress of corrective action programs, and the application of risk assessment methods as a decision-making tool. The goal of the book is to synthesise technically sound principles and techniques that can be applied globally to contaminated sites in different regions of the world.

This Issue follows on from the review of waste incineration in Issue 2, providing a thorough and detailed review of other waste management options. Waste generation affects everyone, and its treatment and disposal are matters of increasing complexity and urgency. This book examines the environmental impact of sewage and industrial effluent treatment on inland and coastal waters, in the atmosphere and on land. It also looks into current practice in the design, engineering, operation and control of landfill sites, and the effect of changes in regulatory policy. A wide range of waste management practices result in atmospheric discharges and this book reviews the localized impacts and mitigation of the discharge and the regulatory framework within which waste management has to operate. The book also covers the general and technical issues facing the materials recycling industry; looks into the factors affecting deep underground storage of radioactive fuel waste produced by nuclear reactors; and provides data from a number of case studies in cost-benefit analysis, demonstrating the utility of a consistent economic theory of waste management.

This work presents the findings of an extensive study on the state-of-the-art regarding the problem of food waste in Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The results show that the problem of food waste can be found at different levels in each country and that our knowledge of it is limited by the current lack of studies in the area. The problem is primarily due to food waste generated by the manufacturing sector, mostly in the form of unused or inefficiently used by-products, as well as on a share of food thrown away by households that is still suitable for human consumption. The main reduction/prevention method, applied across the countries, is food donation; the remaining methods are the same ones used for biodegradable waste in the respective countries. The findings gathered in this study show a number of potential measures/methods for sustainable food waste management, which may be considered in future works in order to reduce the amounts of food waste generated in each of the aforementioned countries.

Global society in the 21st century is facing challenges of improving the quality of air, water, soil and the environment and maintaining the ecological balance. Environmental pollution, thus, has become a major global concern. The modern growth of industrialization, urbanization, modern agricultural development and energy generation has resulted in the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources for fulfilling human desires and needs, which has contributed in disturbing the ecological balance on which the quality of our environment depends. Human beings, in the truest sense, are the product of their environment. The man-environment relationship indicates that pollution and deterioration of the environment have a social origin. The modern technological advancements in chemical processes/operations have generated new products, resulting in new pollutants in such abundant levels that they are above the self-cleaning capacity of the environment. One of the major issues in recent times is the threat tohuman lives due to the progressive deterioration of the environment from various sources. The impact of the pollutants on the environment will be significant when the accumulated pollutants load will exceed the carrying capacity of the receiving environment. Sustainable development envisages the use of natural resources, such as forests, land, water and fisheries, in a sustainable manner without causing changes in our natural world. The Rio de Janeiro-Earth Summit, held in Brazil in 1992, focused on sustainable development to encourage respect and concern for the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner for the protection of the environment. This book will be beneficial as a source of educational material to post-graduate research scholars, teachers and industrial personnel for maintaining the balance in the use of natural sources for sustainable development.

This book, written by specialists from Canada, India, Italy, Palestine, Peru, Spain and the Netherlands, is a guide to establishing a city on a sustainable path. It addresses sustainable urban planning issues by breaking the city down to its components. A broad range of planning and sustainability considerations are discussed. Important concluding chapters provide a 'what to do and how to do it' practical roadmap for implementing a sustainability program.

The construction industry is the largest single waste producing industry in the UK. Ensuring a supply chain of recycled materials affords many potential gains, achieved through: reducing the material volume transported to already over-burdened landfill sites, possible cost reductions to the contractor/client when considering the landfill tax saved and the potential for lower cost material replacements, a reduction in the environmental impact of quarrying and the saving of depleting natural material resources. Reuse of Materials and Byproducts in Construction: Waste Minimization and Recycling addresses use of waste and by products in the construction industry. An over view of new "green" design guides to encourage best practice will be examined and current legislation that channels on site practices, such as site waste management plans. Fundamental individual construction materials are discussed and the process of reforming by products and waste products into new construction materials is investigated, examining the material performance, energy required to convert waste into new products and viability of recycling. The main range of constructional materials will be examined. Aimed at postgraduate students, lecturers and researchers in construction and civil engineering, the book will also be of interest to professional design practices.

A visionary approach to eliminating industrial waste streams . . .
Here is a revolutionary solution to problems of industrial waste management by creating a system of environmentally balanced "industrial complexes" in which groups of industrial plants consume each other's waste--not only benefiting the environment, but also significantly reducing production costs.
Providing a clear introduction to this novel approach, Zero Pollution for Industry goes right to the heart of what environmental scientists, engineers, and administrators grapple with these days. It takes pollution prevention to the next level, past current reduction and reuse methods, and anticipates government regulations and societal trends that would factor environmental damage into production costs.
Also suitable as a companion volume for traditional industrial waste management texts at the graduate level, this thought-provoking book:
* Covers hot new material under consideration by professionals and policymakers, including the EPA and the NSF
* Discusses the basics of waste minimization and waste reuse as well as zero-pollution industrial complexing
* Presents detailed examples of how complexes in different industries could be structured
* Describes how to change industrial plant design practices to prevent pollution
* Teaches innovative production techniques for environmental protection to future engineers and administrators
* Shows how to plan for a pollution-free environment from an administrative point of view

Concise and uncluttered, this book is an eye-opener for anyone who would like to work toward a world free of industrial pollution in our fragile environment.

Provides a comprehensive review and evaluation of waste containment technologies presently practiced in remediation applications. Covers the state-of-knowledge, construction and performance of the three main barrier types - vertical (walls), bottom (floors) and surface (caps).

The disposal of radioactive waste is a central issue in the future of nuclear power and poses considerable technical, political and social issues. This book addresses these topics in an integrated fashion using performance assessment of the disposal concept as a unifying theme. Subjects addressed include: regulatory criteria; waste types, sources and characteristics; man-made or "engineered" barriers; the selection and evaluation of geological disposal media; the use of underground research laboratories; the movement of radionuclides in the biosphere; repository performance assessment tools and approaches; addressing uncertainty and spatial variability; assessing information from natural systems; and looking at radioactive waste in relation to other wastes. The book provides an up-to-date picture of radioactive waste disposal issues and will be of interest to scientists, engineers and consultants working in the nuclear industry and the environmental field.

Former industrial and urban land is increasingly being recycled, a practice which follows current political policy and is appropriate in the more heavily populated areas of Europe. The contamination which soils and water below such land may have suffered due to past industrial activities could pose future risks to new occupiers, or to the environment as a whole, and therefore it is important that an assessment of the risk is undertaken before such land is re-used. This volume has been written specifically to assist developers, consultants and planners who are involved in the reclamation of contaminated land in ensuring that such recycling does not expose the public or the wider environment to unacceptable risks. It provides a clear rationale for why such risk assessments are needed, outlines the current legislation regulating such activities, and indicates where the responsibilities lie for control of this development. Inevitably, the assessment approach of this book draws mainly on UK experiences and regulations but the methodology and basic principles provided are universal, and would be applicable when the safe recycling of contaminated land becomes a more important issue of development in other countries. The risk assessment approach advocated in the book will be valuable to many developers of contaminated land, since it is affordable and logical, and adequately diagnostic to identify sites where re-use will not be hazardous. The book describes a comprehensive range of risks which have been given due consideration as potential problems when former industrial land is reused, whilst also dispelling many of the vague and often unjustified concerns over land contamination.

This book proposes the use of waste from oil drilling and sugar cane bagasse ash in the production of ecologically friendly soil-cement bricks. It offers a viable alternative to the traditional bricks available on the market, which use wood as fuel: manufacturing bricks from waste is less costly and does not require the consumption of trees and forests. It also proposes an alternative to the current discharging of the above-mentioned types of waste in sanitary landfills, avoiding additional environmental problems.

This book focuses on the treatment and disposal technology used for solid waste in China, puts forward an optimal management scheme that takes into account the complete lifecycle, and introduces a new technical model that reflects the synergies of resource utilization and secondary pollution control. In addition, it provides a set of methods for professional on-site investigation, risk assessment, classification management and control to minimize the risk of groundwater contamination by solid waste at landfill. Given the extent and depth of knowledge and experience gathered in the book, it offers an important reference guide for government managers, environmental researchers, and all those involved in and concerned about solid waste disposal.