For an interesting take on disposal of hazardous waste — 2,000 years ago! — check out the Talmud’s Bava Kama Tractate 30A. There, you will see the discussion held by a series of Rabbis of how to best dispose of dangerous materials, in those times things like thorns and shards of glass. The accepted practice was simply to hide this waste in a sturdy wall and be done with it. A group of Rabbis, however, were concerned about the remote possibility that the wall might collapse and the waste thus eventually come to harm people and property. They therefore insisted on a more stringent form of disposal for themselves and anyone else interested in going above and beyond the letter of the law. One had the practice of burying his dangerous waste in distant fields — i.e. those not normally used by people — while another would burn his waste completely away. Today, we of course know of even better ways to dispose of waste — and the imperative not to create such waste at all — but the practice of the Rabbis of old is nevertheless inspiring. If there was any chance of their waste causing damage to others, they insisted on finding a better — even if more burdensome — way to dispose of it.
