Waste Management In Australia

Waste Management Notes
 Rainfall does one of three things when it reaches a surface
o Evaporation
o Infiltration
o Runoff
 Runoff and infiltration are natural process related to liquid waste and their management
 Runoff that flows through pipes and ends up in water bodies is commonly called stormwater
runoff
 Surface runoff must end up in creeks, rivers and/or coastlines.
 Impacts of poorly managed surface runoff:
o Excess nutrients, sediments or toxic substances are transported to creeks and river and
cause ecological problems like fish kills. Clearly, water quality suffers if runoff is not
managed effectively.
 Rainwater in natural environments
o 40% evaporation
o 10% runoff
o 25% shallow infiltration
o 25% deep infiltration
 Rainwater in urban environments
o 55% runoff
o 30% evaporation
o 10% shallow infiltration
o 5% infiltration
o There is 75% - 100% impervious cover
 When there is sealed surfaces, there’s accelerated runoff
 Diffuse pollution or non point source pollution (meaning the pollution doesn’t come from
pipe)
o Caused by run offs from farms
o Run off from farms can affect nearby rivers eg. Hawkesbury-Nepean River
 Landfill sites have often contained quite toxic and sometimes hazardous wastes.
 Leaching – ‘leaking’ of the toxins in liquid form into soil or porous rock may allow the toxin
to reach groundwater. Users of the groundwater may be at risk of harm if the groundwater is
contaminated