THE EFFECT OF CHANGING WASTE MANAGEMENT-PRACTICES ON PCDD PCDF RELEASES FROM HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL PROCESSES/

The paper examines the effect of changes in household waste management practices on releases of PCDDs and PCDFs to air, water and land. Thre e waste management strategies are examined: landfilling, incineration, and an integrated strategy incorporating materials recovery, composti ng; incineration and landfilling of residues. With the present mix of waste disposal options, incineration dominates the PCDD/F releases to air, followed by emissions from metal recovery processes and from land fill gas combustion. By the year 2000, anticipated changes in waste ma nagement practices and tighter emission standards result in lower over all emissions of PCDD/Fs with broadly comparable contributions from th ese sources. PCDD/F releases to water are very low. The largest releas e is to landfill, but the potential for public exposure to PCDD/Fs in landfilled waste is extremely limited. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.