FACING A WORLD OF WASTE

There is waste, and then there is hazardous waste. Around the globe, ways have been found to make and use all sorts of products, but no good way has been found to dispose of what is left over. For most of the waste, landfills and incineration are the answer, but there are drawbacks to almost every method of disposal.

One particular kind of waste is produced by nuclear technology. Spent nuclear fuel is highly radioactive and can contaminate anything around it, unless it is properly handled. Disposal? That's another story. Nuclear waste is virtually impossible to destroy. Such waste generally must be stored at sites that can properly control the environment and prevent unnecessary exposure.

This problem was brought into sharp focus recently when the U.S. Energy Department and South Carolina officials wrangled over a load of European nuclear waste. The spent fuel rods used in reactors were headed for an approved storage facility in that state, but South Carolina wasn't too happy to have foreign nuclear waste within its borders. Courts are still wrangling with the situation.

The alternative to approved storage sites is frightening. The specter of dangerous dumping of nuclear wastes grows with every passing day as more and more spent fuel leaves reactors. There are claims, in the wake of access to information inside Russia, that the former Soviet Union haphazardly disposed of unknown quantities of used nuclear fuel. Ocean dumping is another possibility by countries whose concern for the world environment is less controlled than that of the United States and other nations who seek responsible solutions.

The fact is, it is better to have nuclear waste go to controlled storage sites than it is to shun the waste and have it wind up in the environment, perhaps in areas that aren't discovered until a major disaster occurs.

Less frightening, but still a problem of major proportions, is what to do with everyday household hazardous wastes. Safety-Kleen Corp. is sponsoring a cleanup effort in Cape Girardeau Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Items such as antifreeze, gasoline, paint, used oil, turpentine, photo chemicals, batteries and several other items will be accepted for proper disposal.

But there are many unwanted items around the house that even Safety-Kleen can't accept: gas cylinders, ammunition, fire extinguishers, pesticides, fertilizers, fluorescent light tubes and so on. Other outlets also must be found for biological wastes, infectious wastes, explosives and tires.

The waste problem is complex. Getting area residents involved through appropriate education and cleanups like the one sponsored by Safety-Kleen are good efforts.

In the long run, though, the world is going to have to face the reality that "waste not, want not" is the still the soundest advice. Getting to that point will take some doing.