Industrial waste

Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It is often dangerous to the environment. There are many types of industrial waste, such as gravel, scrap metal, oils, solvents, and scrap lumber. Industrial wastes are classified in many different ways, and each type of waste has to be discarded in a certain way.

Types of industrial waste

There are two primary types of industrial waste. Hazardous waste, which is dangerous to people, animals, or the environment, and non-hazardous waste, which does not pose a direct danger to people, animals, or the environment. Hazardous industrial waste requires special treatment, as it can pose a great danger to living organisms. These wastes can be further classified by their state, as some waste is in solid form, but other waste is dissolved or in liquid form. These types of waste need to be treated differently.

Impact of industrial waste

Many large factories are near bodies of water, because they need a lot of water for cooling equipment or manufacturing. In many areas, polluted water is released back into these bodies of water, resulting in ecological damage (damage to the environment). Toxins from wastewater can kill plants and animals, and chemicals in wastewater can effect ecosystems a lot.

Solid waste typically refers to non-hazardous material, but some solid wastes are more harmful to the environment than others. Solid wastes are often stored in landfills, which can have a negative impact on the ecosystem, even if the waste isn't toxic.

Industrial Waste Media

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  Berkeley Pit - Butte, Montana (7998261366)

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  Cleanup of a Massachusetts river bed contaminated with PCBs

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  A landfill in Pará, Brazil

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  Water pollution in the Wairarapa, New Zealand