Incineration hazards, solid waste management

R. S. Magee, Plastics in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration A Eiterature Study, Hazardous Substance Management Research Center, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mar. 1989. 

In addition to the utility plant fly ash, one may also use volcanic fly ash, ash produced from burning municipal solid waste or any other combustion product that contains ash. The role of ash is also important in management of hazardous and radioactive waste because often such waste, if combustible, is incinerated to reduce its volume. The incinerated ash now is richer in inorganic hazardous components and needs to be stabilized. CBPC processes are ideal for stabilizing such ash because, phosphates are ideal materials to stabilize hazardous and radioactive contaminants, but as mentioned before, ash improves the physical and mechanical properties of the end products. Stabilization of such ashes is discussed in Chapters 16 and 17. 

Under RCRA, waste producers are required to take a cradle to grave approach to waste management. The producer of the waste is legally liable from the moment that waste is produced until its final disposal. A waste generator must identify waste material as hazardous waste if it is on a regulatory list or has a characteristic of flammability, toxicity, corrosivity, or reactivity. Once a material has been identified as hazardous waste, it must be clearly labeled and tracked when in transport. The waste must be treated in special facilities to low levels of contaminants. The final residual solid material, for example, incinerator ash, must be disposed into a registered hazardous waste landfill. 

The Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That Are Solid Waste rule published by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2012 determines whether non-hazardous secondary materials are considered fuels or wastes when burnt. Combustion units that burn non-hazardous secondary materials that are classified as fuels are regulated as boilers under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, while units that burn materials that are classified as wastes are regulated as incinerators under Section 129 of the Clean Air Act. In the rule, the EPA identified two secondary materials (resinated wood and scrap tyres managed under the oversight of the established tyre collection programmes) as non-wastes when used as fuel, and also identified off-specification tyres managed under the contractual relationship as non-waste fuels. However, scrap tyres that are discarded in stockpiles, landfills or monofills will be considered wastes unless these tyres are processed as specified in the rule. 

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