Assessment of waste disposal environmental and economical impact

Gagarina M.V, State Technical University of Perm

Due to different processes used in the technologies (physical-mechanical, physical-chemical and chemical-biological), any solid domestic waste utilization control methods that can influence environment are of complex character. The rate of environmental effect to be revealed together with determination of qualitative and quantitative characteristics makes it possible to assess in details relations arranged between nature-industrial, public-commercial systems and environment, as well as violations and biogeocenosis pollution factors and to select a first-priority development strategy.

Upon exploring condition of the solid domestic waste objects located within the territory of Perm, 76% of unauthorized ones and 56% of failed ones to meet ecological requirements were revealed.

Apart from permanently increased volumes of remains, the solid domestic waste composition is also subject to complex and abrupt changes including, on the one hand, progressive accumulation of valuable components and, on the other hand, ecologically hazardous ones – chlorine, bromine, sulfur, copper, zinc, lead, mercury and cadmium.

The above data prove that from the biological point of view solid domestic waste is, principally, something, but of dangerous matter and polygon technologies applied in 98% of cases just enforce the negative effect. The total area covered by Perm territory solid waste disposal objects amounts to 6 thousand hectares.

For the matter of solid domestic waste to be resolved in terms of developing of new waste disposal strategy it is necessary for the first thing to initially develop damage that may be caused by wastes.

For the purpose of assessment of environment potential damage to be caused by polygon technologies, three components of solid domestic waste problem – economic, ecological and social – should be considered with some share of assumption. In this case “Temporal method of estimation of ecological damage prevention” adopted in 1999 by Russian Federation State Committee for Environmental Protection may be used.

The solid domestic waste disposal objects that may impact environment are integrally estimated by their value terms, which resultant specifies the rate of damage caused by any violation and pollution:

Ó_ecological – estimation, in terms of money, of ecological damage rate determined with allowance for cumulative negative loads applied to atmospheric air, water resources, biological resources, soils and land resources respectively.

Social costs are expressed by the rate of damage caused to human health due to activity of waste-processing industrial objects.

Social damage Ó_social is a sum of damages as a result of decrease of employment of human resources involved in production due to population incidence rate (C_w), growth of means directed to social insurance due to population incidence rate (C_in) and increase of health costs due to population incidence rate (C_il).

Ó_social=C_w+C_in+C_il

Economic costs consist of capital investment with account of depreciation and current costs. Capital investment includes polygons, solid domestic waste processing factories and treatment facilities construction costs, as well as waste collection and treatment infrastructure building costs. Current costs consist of solid domestic waste selection, transportation and utilization costs.

C_economic=C+KE_n

With any polygon technology applied the rate of damage caused to atmospheric air, water and land resources, as well as to biological resources gains its maximal value. All the calculations made on the basis of statistics of Perm territory make it possible to state the point of the following mean ecological damage:

Due to unavailability of statistic base, the rate of social damage can be not evaluated.

Economic costs related to application of any polygon technology amounts to C_economic =698.9 rubles/ton.

Total environmental damage caused by means of consumption waste disposal within the bounds of Perm territory is, on average, rated by 3199.9 million rubles per year.

Naturally, the above estimation is quite a difficult task assuming a great number of uncertainties. But, nevertheless, any evaluation of even evident data along with their following analysis to be made in terms of ecological-social-economic aspect is the one to be used for determination of further functioning strategy being corrected in the course of its development.