Recent News About Waste

Nuclear Waste

Silverstein's article "Nuclear Waste Still Troubles Industry" talks about the ongoing debate on what to do with our nuclear waste disposal. Our temporary places for nuclear power plants are above ground and people want it moved. After the nuclear accident in Japan last March due to backup power failure, everyone is on the edge of their seats to make sure new strategies are put into place. This should be done now not only because there is a plethora of damages and costs if an accident occurred, but also because it is our responsibility and we shouldn't wait and force future generations to solve our problem. We need a permanent solution that is safer and more efficient.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/a-long-long-road-to-recycling-nuclear-fuel/?ref=nuclearwastes

The Bush Administration created the "Global Nuclear Energy Partnership" to help recycle reactors by breaking them down into less hazardous materials. This never happened. The Obama administration stopped work on a nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. I feel like we have hit so many road blocks as money is an issue, location and politics as well. I know nuclear energy has played an important role in energy  needs around the world, but I hope that we will step up to the challenge sooner rather than later.


World Nuclear News
North Korea continues to make nuclear bombs with nuclear fuel waste (such as reprocessed plutonium) and South Korea wants to reprocess spent fuel as well. We are allies with South Korea, but oppose the idea of them doing this. Seoul, S. Korea's capital is leaning towards having a complete "fuel cycle" in which they recycle their uranium and becoming a global exporter of nuclear reactors and building an enrichment plant. The treaty they made with Washington prevents them from doing this and so far it has stopped them, but they are trying to get the treaty revised. As of today, both countries are pushing around the idea of a 10-year joint study of new management options for nuclear waste via pyroprocessing, etc. Many view South Korea as a role model for not resorting to enrichment or recycling thus far and tensions are high. I do not know how I feel about this. I have friends from South Korea and they said they don't believe a war is possible or probable and as we are allies, I think it may be safe to let them do so even though I don't entirely agree with the reasons they have for resorting to this.

http://edigitales.org/fukushima-nuclear-power-plant/

In Germany, many have met to discuss solutions for permanent disposal and their plan is to shut down all nuclear power plants in the country by 2022. Japan is still recovering from their huge radiation incident in Fukushima and hope to build a geological disposal facility soon. They have doubled or even tripled the amount of non-spent fuel and high-level waste (Murray Jennex) and the demand for storage is a huge issue. Now that more people are aware of the damages as a possibility in our lifetime, many countries are looking for better alternatives. 

Cruise Ship Waste

Italian Shipwreck Updates:

There have been 15 bodies found with 17 or more missing. It was recently discovered that there were unregistered passengers and the death toll may be more than that. Every day technicians from the Tuscan Regional Agency for Environmental Protection are testing around the ship for signs of water pollution. So far there have been no critical signs except for a small amount of detergents and disinfectants. It doesn't sound like weather has been a big issue and hopefully they will have a safe time removing the oil from the huge liner. Italy is standing up for their surrounding ecosystems as many environmental groups are raising the bar for reformation. One of Italy's largest environmental groups is called Italia Nostra (Our Italy), which sent an appeal to the president, Giorgio Napolitano, this last week. They asked that large cruise ships be prohibited from taking tourists to the Lagoon of Venice because they produce a lot of harmful waste and fumes.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/285237/20120120/costa-concordia-oil-spill-disaster-italy-maritime.htm 

Preparations have been made to start pumping the oil, but the actual removal of this crude oil from the ship's 17 fuel tanks will take nearly a month. The captain of the ship is still being charged with the death of those on the ship from his poor judgement and abandoning the ship before all was safe. According to Meichtry (Europe News Jan 26), Captain Schettino waited more than an hour after crashing to tell the passengers to evacuate, when it is a well known fact that one should call the Coast Guard as soon as possible for rescue to be on it's way. When he did finally call the Coast Guard he did it in short calls first saying it was only a blackout and later saying that it was only flooded in one compartment and would not be a serious problem. Then another call from the captain said the situation was under control and finally after almost an hour after the incident he admitted they would abandon ship. Possibly more lives could have been saved if that hour wasn't lost. 

More Updates at Italian Shipreck and Italian Liner. More on the settlements of the case at Ship's Operator.

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/cruise-pollution-1/

On another note about cruise ships in general and their hazards. According to Colman (Feb 18, 2010) cruise ships are a perfect place for germs and that in Winter of 2002, the norovirus (harm the stomach and intestines) affected hundreds of passengers on Holland America, Disney and Carnival liners. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that even in 2009 there were at least 15 cruise ship outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness. Most are not that serious, but what is serious is the fact that cruise ships are not required to have permits to dump raw sewage into the oceans or even to report what and where they release as well as take action to clean it up. The following is a quote from Oceana.org's U.S. Laws and Regulations:

Sewage

The average cruise ship with 3,000 passengers and crew generates about 30,000 gallons of human waste and 255,000 gallons of non-sewage gray water every day.

Cruise ships are allowed to release treated sewage almost anywhere they sail. They are also permitted to release untreated gray water—non-sewage wastewater from galleys, dishwashers, baths, sinks, showers, and laundries—anywhere they sail, except Alaska. Cruise ships can also lawfully release untreated sewage, or black water, anywhere beyond three miles from the shore (except in certain areas of Alaska). Cruise ships are required to have onboard waste treatment systems, known as marine sanitation devices (MSDs), the industry is required to keep logbooks of their discharges, but are not required to monitor the quality of the waters into which they routinely dump their waste.

That is disgusting and I am sure most of you never heard of this before because I had never even considered the possibility. It is not only sewage that gets dumped but also solid waste such as garbage, plastic, and toxic chemicals from activities on board such as paint, cleaners, etc. Another problem we can imagine is air pollution. I knew that when I traveled to Taiwan and Thailand that flying in the various airplanes would create a lot of pollution and ships do the same. We transport so many goods to and from continents with the aid of huge boats and which are major sources of air pollution today. According to Oceana.org, "over 90% of world trade is carried across the world's oceans" by 90,000 or more ships, which causes a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15125

The EPA has done a lot recently to combat this problem. Even last year they created the No Discharge Zone in California, which has done much to save the marine life in that area. Alaska has many laws against dumping. We are getting close, but not nearly enough to be safe from all damage caused by shipping industries. The EPA has also helped to improve the Hazardous Waste Tracking System made under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/news/ICCL_Ship_Waste_Flyer.pdf

The following is a .pdf file shows how little many actually know about this tragedy.

http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/polling_report1.pdf

Read More:

Cruise Law News

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/cruise-pollution-1/

Caribbean Cruise Ships Dump Garbage at Sea

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/28/MNRQ1640AK.DTL

Winona County Environmental Services

Environmental Services are located downtown in Winona. They inspect wells, help keep us safe from contamination, and investigate solid waste complaints. They also provide educational resources and help to develop sustainable businesses, while reducing the amount and levels of toxicity in the waste we contribute.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Winona-County-Environmental-Services/138748572809526  

It also includes the Winona County Household Hazardous Waste Facility which collects a variety of household items that you do not need anymore and are considered poisonous if released into the environment (what happens when you simply throw it away). Things they collect include:

• fertilizer
• gasoline
• household cleaners
• nail polish
• paint
• expired or unwanted medication
• batteries
• etc.

I have personally been there near the bridge and checked it out. They have very friendly customer service and pamphlets about everything you could need to know about recycling, hazardous wastes and their powerful impacts. They have a small room with shelves of paint thiner, various paint colors, wood polish, etc. and you can take as much as you want whenever you want. It varies every time depending on what people bring in and I would recommend returning items that you know you will not use anymore. It shocks me every time when I hear someone is going to throw away something that not only can be reused, but is also harmful to the environment and our health.

 "If you can rip it, it's recyclable!" 

If you haven't heard already via WSU e-mail, Winona County has a new system for recycling. The EXCITING NEWS is that if more materials are recycled, the cost or recycling it gets cheaper. Hopefully this makes you feel like recycling that water bottle or pop can you are drinking out of right now. Even better is if everyone in the county of Winona actually recycled, we would be paid! What I mean is that we could receive close to 1/2 of the cost it took to collect the recycled plastics, papers, etc. These new changes were made not too long ago on December 12th last year. 

http://www.co.winona.mn.us/dwcenterprise/school1000179/FCK/File/New%20Curbside%20Recycling%20Guide.pdf

The Winona County Solid Waste Management Ordinance (May 5, 1998) includes solid waste collection, management and storage, hazardous waste (listed below), water pollution, and a lot more about what their responsibilities are if you are interested in taking a further look at it. 

"Hazardous Waste means any refuse or discarded materials or combinations of refuse or discarded materials in solid, semi-solid, liquid, or gaseous form which cannot be handled by routine waste management techniques because they pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or other living organisms because of their chemical, biological, or physical properties. Categories of hazardous waste materials includes, but are not limited to, explosives, flammables, oxidizers, poisons, irritants, and corrosives. Hazardous waste does not include sewage sludge and source materials, special nuclear material or by-product material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954."

In my Environmental Chemistry class with Dr. Franz, I learned that the EPA has a Toxic Release Inventory and by typing in Winona's zip code 55987, you can find out total on- and off-site disposal releases such as: 

• Miller Waste Mills Example:
• Lead compounds, which happens to be 3 lbs off-site
• Zinc compounds, 378 lbs get disposed off-site
• TRW Automotive Winona
• We-No-Nah Canoe Inc. 
• etc.

What this site will tell you is how many pounds of waste is being disposed by these companies in Winona, what chemicals are being released and where they are being disposed of.

Minnesota has 26 Landfills and we have one right here in Winona called the Winona County Sanitary Landfill. It is a closed landfill and has about 1.2 million cubic yards of waste (according to a 2007 annual report). Our landfill has a leachate, surface water and groundwater monitoring system. It is important to note that they admit monitoring groundwater beneath the actual landfill is quite impossible, but they can trace the direction of flow to a degree.

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=13729

Winona County's landfill was actually on the superfund list in the mid 1980s after industrial waste was found and we had to work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to work on a cleanup program. If you don't know what superfund is I probably will go into more detail in a later blog. You may think Winona is a pretty "green" place to live, but we have had quite a few environmental issues come up in recent years. Just in 2009, Diamond K Dairy had to pay a $15,000 fine for violating state standards and not preventing manure from entering a nearby farm pond. In 2002 we had a serious soil and ground water contamination problem near Gilmore Avenue and Clark's Lane of a chemical called perchloroethylene (PCE). 

Cool facts:

Winona County also has GIS services which help to provide current maps, etc. 

You can "like" their Facebook page here: Winona County Environmental Services

Read more:

Increasing EPP in Winona

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=11641

Waste Management

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/waste/waste-and-cleanup/waste-management/waste-management.html

Surf Your Watershed

http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/county.cfm?fips_code=27169

Oil Spills

Photo: Gregorio Borgia

On January 13th Concordia, an oil liner, hit a rock off the Tuscan coast of the Mediterranean Sea and capsized. So far it has not sprung a leak, but it landed on a ledge or shelf and after sliding further yesterday due to bad weather conditions, efforts to drill holes into the 13 tanks and pump out the thick fuel has been suspended. Most are worried that it will sink to the sea floor and start to leak slowly as the Sea Diamond cruise ship did in April of 2007. That ship completely tipped over and continued leaking for three years with 30 kg escaping the ship near the Greek island of Santorini every day. With the most recent wreck in Italy, 20 people are still missing and 12 are confirmed dead. People are praying that they can pump the oil out before it sinks, which will take about one month or that the tanks ruptured and sent oil floating to the surface for easier recovery.

Photo: Pier Paolo Cito

This location is one of the Mediterranean's most prized reserves full of various corals, turtles, dolphins, etc. Many tourists come here to scuba dive and if it does indeed leak, much more damage will occur. as well as the loss of businesses. They are currently searching the ship for more survivors and rumor has it they may chain "Costa Concordia" to the seabed so it doesn't slip further.

There is also a sideline report of the captain, Francesco Schettino, who may have abandoned ship and is currently being investigated for multiple manslaughter by steering the ship too close to the Tuscan island of Giglio. Of course he claims innocence of simply falling off the boat before it capsized. Video footage of the security cameras onboard were found by divers and may hold some useful information to support or accuse Schettino as well as provide information on who was with the captain at the time of the accident and who was actually alerted.

The news report by Silvia Aloisi can be found at: SHIPWRECK more recent news at: SHIP SEARCH and cool pictures at USA-TODAY.

We have all probably heard of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March of 1989 (three months before I was born) that spewed around 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prudhoe Bay in Alaska because they changed their course due to icebergs.

http://www.wholetruth.net/history.htm

It was the largest spill ever in U.S. waters until of course the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as it released carcinogens, soot particles and organic aerosols that cause respiratory problems after oil is burned in effort to clean it up. Also released into the air during burning were hydrocarbons like benzene, naphthalene, and the smog component called NOx, which reacts and forms "bad ozone" in the atmosphere.

Photo: Ann Heisenfelt/EPA

This oil spill helped scientists understand the impact future oil spills could have on the atmosphere according to Duval at EarthSky. I only hope that our reliance on oil is significantly decreased soon with alternative forms of energy because this is dangerous and the effects spread far beyond the actual dumping site. It is a sad sight to have so much wildlife die from accidents such as these. They also affect us directly through air pollution and could potentially harm our food through consumption of contaminated fish, oysters, etc.

Read More:
EPA Emergency Management
http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/
Major Oil Spills since 1967-2010
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001451.html
Affect of Oil on Animals
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm

Acid Mine Drainage

What is acid mine drainage? 
Well, mining means that rock is being removed to uncover valuable minerals like gold, copper, iron or coal. It is safe to say that most of this rock has not been exposed to oxygen for a long time, if ever, and therefore have been in a state of anaerobic conditions. The process of exposing minerals like pyrite to oxygen is called oxidation. When it erodes from the process of weathering, the sulfur content reacts with the oxygen and nearby water supply. We can see that the water is polluted because it turns a reddish-brown color, which comes from the high levels of iron that has also been oxidized.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rio_tinto_river_CarolStoker_NASA_Ames_Research_Center.jpg

We can also tell if the water is acidic using a pH meter to measure the current levels. Natural water is a pH of 7 and pure water is 5, but the lower you get to 0, the more acidic you get. This causes a huge problem on the environment because acidic water is bad for plants and animals. If you reach a pH level of 3-4, many fish cannot reproduce or even die and many plants absorb the acidic water and do not survive for very long. Much of the acid mine drainage issues we see today come from coal mines.

Have you ever seen what a mine looks like?

You may be picturing a black and white picture from a textbook with men carrying chisels and picks into a hole in the mountain. Well, those days are quite last century. In fact, last year I got to see a few mines with both my GeoChemistry and Applied Hydrogeology classes when we took a field trip up north to see the Soudan Underground Mine State Park as well as the Mesabi Range Taconite Mine in Hibbing, MN (both shown below with the Mesabi Range photos on bottom). 

The differences between the two are quite significant so I'll mention just a few. The Soudan Mine is not in operation and is currently a State Park near Lake Vermilion. It is Minnesota's oldest iron ore mine and there were issues of it's safety (as do all mining operations). It started out as an open pit mine, but they started drilling down due to stricter safety precautions. The main attraction for most is the deep mine pit that you are able to explore on tours provided there as well as various buildings that were used for crushing, drilling, etc. 

The Hibbing Taconite Mine in the Mesabi Range is a huge open pit mine. They mine iron as well, but it is called taconite because it is considered a "low-grade" iron ore. The trucks you see in the photo are actually quite large. 

A better example of what an open mine and the equipment look like can be found in the short video below as well as this link to a copper mine: Kennecott Copper Mine.

-short video of the largest open pit iron mine in the world-

So, mining creates acidic water pollution due to pyrite dissolution and sulfur oxidation, but there are more environmental concerns that arise from mining including the waste and mountaintop removal. The unused material waste that are left over from excavating are called "tailings". Mine tailings are separated from the valuable materials with dangerous chemicals such as cyanide. Not only that, but the rocks themselves may contain toxic chemicals such as arsenic and mercury. Both create a problem when the time comes to dispose of the tailings since they are extremely toxic. 

Solutions

Solutions include treatment and storage. Sometimes the tailings are returned to the mine pit after it has served its purpose. Other times the tailings are dumped in lakes or behind dams with water dumped on top to slow down the process of sulfuric acid formation. Treatment is the better ones choice of course, but take a long time and lots of space. There are quite a few methods of treatment, but I am more familiar with the passive treatment of acid mine drainage. A few examples include wetlands, anoxic limestone drains (ALDs), open limestone channels, etc. ALDs are simply trenches in the bottom usually lined with clay or synthetic material to keep the toxic water from entering the soil and sinking to the groundwater (aquifers). The key is to keep oxygen out of the equation so the trench is covered. The goal of this technique is to run acid mine water through these trenches filled with a layer of limestone to raise the overall alkalinity and pH back to safer levels before possibly running it through a wetland of grasses and cattails to adsorb the heavy metals therefore taking them out of the water. 

Here is an example of some aerobic limestone treatment systems I saw on the same field trip:

As you can see, it is nothing flashy, really it is just a slow process of running
the water through these aerobic wetlands with limestone and cattails.

Mountaintop Removal

Mountaintop mining is something altogether different as it isn't quite digging a canyon, but leveling off the mountains. I don't know if you are much of a hiker, climber, skier, and whatnot, but I love to do all three and appreciate mountains for their aesthetic quality as well. Living in Minnesota my whole life has definitely limited my experiences of real mountains but there are bluffs to ski and while I was in Taiwan in the summer of 2009, I was able to hike up quite a few mountains. The fact that this is being done with no consideration for the surrounding communities should shock you. There are water and air quality dangers that come from exploding rocks.

The following image was taken from the Mountain Justice website:

You can see from this that trees are removed and the mountains are leveled. Many companies have been sued because of their lack of communication with the surrounding towns and undeniable choice to be ignorant of their responsibility to restore the area. Total restoration would be impossible, but some have consented to at least replanting what's left of the mountain. What is usually planted is nothing compared to the glorious forests they once were because the chemicals used and the seeds they plant belong to types of grasses that are either an alien species or prevents other plants from growing. 

Due to the loss of trees, soil erosion is much more common as well as flooding since the soil is not held together by roots and the water flows through the smoother surface of the mountain. Mine waste that enters streams destroy habitats and wildlife. 

Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice is a documentary I watched on campus during the Geoscience Department's Earth Talk Series. It goes into more detail about the coal mines in the Appalachian mountains and the various environmental hazards created. Most of my early knowledge of the subject came from watching this documentary. It takes place in West Virginia and the dangers this mining process has on human welfare is shown by this perfect example of a community asking an unwilling government to enforce the law and thousands of lawsuits filed against the mining company being swept under the rug as the company buys out the town. It is a scary thought when the system does not work for the people.

For more information about mountaintop removal check out these sites:

Mountaintop Removal 101

http://appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/mtr101/

Citizens Fight Back

http://grist.org/climate-energy/reece/

Earth Justice

http://earthjustice.org/our_work/campaigns/stop-mountaintop-removal-mining

I Love Mountains

http://ilovemountains.org/ 

Electronic Waste

Have you ever wondered where your old computer or cell phone ended up? Do you remember if you threw it away or actually recycled it?

Looking in the dumpsters after the academic year at Winona State proves that many people still do not consider the option of recycling. 

I dare you to go to Google Images and type "Electronic Waste".   

Go ahead and see what you come up with. 

You probably found something similar to this:

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/toxics/hi-tech-highly-toxic/e-waste/

This was only one example. As you scroll down you continue to see mountains of e-waste that has ended up in China, India, Africa, or some other developing nation. Even with small number of us who actually recycle, many companies secretly ship the toxic waste which in turn creates severely dangerous environments.

I bet you have never heard of Basel Action Network. It is worth looking into and I will give a short description of who they are and what they do. BAN is a non-profit organization whose purpose it to protect the environment from toxic waste. Their goal is to stop a pollution problem many of us have never contemplated. The executive director, Jim Puckett, has actually traveled to many of these places and has made films about the toxic trade issue.

I first heard of this issue in my Environmental Policy class taught by Darrell Downs when he had us watch a documentary called "The Wasteland" by CBS News: 60 Minutes. 

This short 13 minute video had all the information I needed to get passionate about learning more on the subject. Our government allows it although they don't want coverage because, as you will see in the video, the methods of recycling, although cheaper, are significantly dangerous to the health of many Chinese in the surrounding area of Guiyu. Point source air and water pollution are the result of burning the appliances which have contaminated the public water so badly that they have to import water. As a health issue, the video mentions many cases of children having too much lead in their bodies and that this specific area has the "highest levels of cancer-causing dioxides in the world", according to scientists who have done research here. 

If you have never had a chemistry class, maybe you could have no idea that many plastics are "clorinated" and "brominated". Perhaps you have heard of CFCs and the importance of the stratospheric ozone? Well if not, that is another subject entirely. Just know that the most reactive halogen gases are in fact chlorine monoxide (ClO) and bromine monoxide (BrO), which destroy the ozone (in a "catalyic fashon"), which in turn protects us from the harmful UVC rays. Not only that, but they are among the most toxic compounds known today. This is what is coming from the plastics burnt in this town called Guiyu that Puckett found in China. Guiyu is the Largest E-Waste site on earth. For more info check out eDump.

Poverty vs. Poison

"Desperate people will do desperate things. It's a hell of a choice between poverty and poison. We should never make people make that choice." 

- Puckett (BAN)

Guess who was directly affected by this? The poor people. Those who could not afford to feed their families or pay taxes are being misused strictly for the welfare of those with power. Although we can recycle waste here in the U.S., it is easier to give this problem to someone else and pay for cheaper labor costs even if it is illegal to do so. Speaking of illegal, it is not only illegal in the United States, but also China and Hong Kong. Makes sense and yet it is ignored by major leaders and the problem is not going away anytime soon because many materials that make up electronics includes valuable substances such as copper, iron, nickel, gold, etc.  

According to Reuters' article called "E-waste to hit developing world hard", the United States is the biggest producer of e-waste (close to 3 million metric tons/yr) with China coming in second place. India's computer waste is expected to increase by 500% from the levels from 2007 all the way to 2020. Other developing countries will find that they cannot recycle enough to match the amount of electronics coming in. Even in recent news, Trafigura was fined for dumping waste in right out in the open of Africa's Ivory Coast. The sad thing to me is that much of the "recycled" stuff is not even in bad condition. With everyone wanting I-Pads, I-Phones, Nooks, better cell phones, flat screen TVs, laptops, etc. no one wants to keep their out of date electronics. I bet many people would appreciate the option to use them if they were donated to a nearby thrift store. The way we live is totally unsustainable and new inventions spur this bad habit on with every new updated version of the things we already have and do not necessarily need. It is easy to say we are "going green", but we may limit it to only certain aspects of our lifestyle. 

Electrical waste is illegal, selfishly dealt with, not done efficiently, is extremely harmful, and is piling up.

Read more:

Following The Trail Of Toxic E-Waste

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-4579229.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody 

Electronic Waste: Where Does It Go and What Happens To It?

http://techland.time.com/2011/01/14/electronic-waste-where-does-it-go-and-what-happens-to-it/#ixzz1jryT8di1

E-Waste: The Dark Side of Technology

http://woorkup.com/2010/09/22/e-waste-the-dark-side-of-technology/

Earth Day - Guiyu, China

https://sites.google.com/site/elmplaceimc/guiyuchina

Intro to blog

When you hear the term "pollution", what is it that you instinctively envision? 

My roommate said "air pollution, water pollution...stuff that gets dirty." That is how I viewed pollution before coming to Winona State University and choosing to major in Environmental Geoscience with a minor in Sustainability and Global Studies. As you can tell from my interests that I am concerned for the stress that we have put on the planet by taking more than can be replenished, but I am also concerned about how our actions can affect ourselves indirectly through hazardous waste around the globe. As a senior, I can now say that the various types of hazardous waste is vast. There is electronic waste (which I will definitely go into further detail later on) aka "E-waste", which is simply electrical appliances such as computers, laptops, keyboards, cell phones, fax machines, that are disposed of either because the user doesn't know how to recycle, because there is a newer model available, because there is a defect, etc. For whatever reason, many appliances end up as waste. Other types of waste include: nuclear, animal, mining (aka tailings), agricultural runoff, plastic waste, chemical waste such as paint... 

NOTE: Downtown at Winona County Environmental Services, they will take your leftover paint cans, paint thinners, fertilizers, nail polish, etc. Also, if you want some free (limited color) paint they let you go in and pick up as much as you want (speaking from personal experience). I will include more about this fantastic service building in another blog. Below is a link to what household items they accept at the waste facility.

Today we are concerned about how to treat, store, or dispose waste products. With the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December of 1970, many regulations have already been established to lower the amount of toxic waste released into the environment. The US EPA's purpose is to protect humans and the environment as well as provide factual information to citizens about environmental risks or concerns in their area. I will go into more detail about Minnesota and Winona in more detail later. 

As this is only the introduction I will lay out a few issues I want to discuss in later blogs.

• electronic waste
• acid mine drainage 
• agricultural runoff
• Winona County Environmental Services
• EPA's responsibilities
• Environmental assessment of Winona County
• Superfund
• where our waste ends up 
• landfills
• toxic sludge
• alternative options
• and more topics will surely arise as each blog unfolds and new current events occur