Deck 22: Managing Our Waste

Question 1

The EPA is charged with cleaning up brownfields, which are .

A)urban areas contaminated by acid drainage from mining
B)agricultural lands polluted by acid and heavy metals
C)coastal seagrass beds damaged by industrial dumping
D)lands whose reuse or development is complicated by the presence of hazardous materials
E)desert regions used for unsafe nuclear waste disposal

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of "throwaway mentalities" and increased packaging have amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of nonrefillable beverage containers, and McDonald's restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(non- corrugated thin coated board)can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and flattened plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low-density polyethylene (LDPE), from which grocery bags are made, is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PET(E), and high
-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and is considered a contaminant as well.
Closing the recycling loop refers to .

A)finding ways to recycle all plastics, including polystyrene
B)avoiding contamination of plastic and paper collectables during sorting
C)purchasing items made from recycled materials
D)covering landfills once they have outlived their usefulness and converting the sites to public parks
E)composting biodegradable plastic

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Decomposition in a landfill will happen faster if there is more .

A)air
B)moisture
C)sunlight
D)natural gas
E)methane

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Life-cycle analysis _ .

A)examines the life cycle of products for ecological efficiency
B)examines the cycling of carbon in the environment
C)is an environmental movement designed to reduce municipal traffic and encourage alternative forms of transport
D)defines how different organisms interact within ecosystems
E)is the study of statistical changes in the human population

Question 5

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of "throwaway mentalities" and increased packaging have amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of nonrefillable beverage containers, and McDonald's restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(non- corrugated thin coated board)can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and flattened plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low-density polyethylene (LDPE), from which grocery bags are made, is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PET(E), and high
-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and is considered a contaminant as well.
are wastepaper contaminants that can decrease the value of collected paper and cardboard.

A)Corrugated cardboard boxes
B)Newspapers
C)Office papers
D)Cereal boxes
E)Paper shopping bags

Question 6

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following questions.

From the 1960s to the present, the trend has been that over time.

A)more overall waste was produced
B)less waste was recovered for recycling
C)less overall waste was produced
D)less waste was sent to landfills
E)there have been equal ratios of landfill disposal, combustion, and recovery

Question 7

The best solution to the solid waste problem is to .

A)increase the number of WTE facilities
B)reduce the amount of waste generated
C)increase the number of sanitary landfills
D)increase the number of oceanic burial sites
E)subsidize WTE facilities

Question 8

Over half of all U.S. MSW consists of _ .

A)plastics and metals
B)plastics, metals, and glass
C)glass, rubber, and wood
D)paper, food waste, and yard waste
E)toxic waste

Question 9

Which of the following produces the largest amount of hazardous waste?

A)military
B)households
C)utilities
D)agriculture
E)industry

Question 10

Lining a landfill with a thick tough plastic barrier is a good way to address problems related to .

A)settling
B)incomplete decomposition
C)leachate
D)methane production
E)mudslides and trashslides

Question 11

To safeguard against groundwater contamination, sanitary landfills are .

A)located on industrial sites where groundwater is not used for drinking or agriculture
B)located in unpopulated areas
C)located on slopes so water runs downhill
D)lined with plastic and compacted clay
E)lined with cement

Question 12

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of "throwaway mentalities" and increased packaging have amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of nonrefillable beverage containers, and McDonald's restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(non- corrugated thin coated board)can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and flattened plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low-density polyethylene (LDPE), from which grocery bags are made, is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PET(E), and high
-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and is considered a contaminant as well.
Plastic _ .

A)not made from recyclables is made from renewable raw materials
B)from grocery bags is labeled with recycling symbols #1 and #2
C)polystyrene is considered a plastic contaminant
D)from beverage containers is easily recyclable if decapped, washed, and squashed
E)containers from motor oil are recycled with beverage bottles to make new bottles

Question 13

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of "throwaway mentalities" and increased packaging have amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of nonrefillable beverage containers, and McDonald's restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(non- corrugated thin coated board)can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and flattened plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low-density polyethylene (LDPE), from which grocery bags are made, is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PET(E), and high
-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and is considered a contaminant as well.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is a U.S. law enacted in the 1970s that .

A)requires states to pass bottle bills
B)restricts use of off-road vehicles in national parks
C)requires states to enact strict recycling standards
D)regulates how hazardous waste is managed
E)reduces environmental levels of the 12 most toxic chemicals, called the "dirty dozen"

Question 14

The first bottle bills were .

A)a consequence of landfill regulations
B)designed to cut down on litter
C)designed to provide glass for road construction
D)designed to provide incentives to industry
E)initiated in the 1990s

Question 15

The Superfund, established to clean up hazardous waste sites in the United States, is a part of what legislation?

A)Hazardous Waste Management Act
B)Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
C)Superfund Authority Act
D)The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
E)Superfund Management and Liability Act

Question 16

Heavy metals .

A)become less hazardous over time as they degrade chemically
B)become less hazardous after incineration
C)are not harmful unless they are directly ingested
D)are unregulated by the U.S. government
E)bioaccumulate in animal tissues

Question 17

E- wastes are a source of .

A)compostable organic compounds
B)ignitables
C)heavy metals
D)acid corrosives
E)radioactive materials

Question 18

The average American generates approximately lb of solid waste per day.

A)4)4
B)9
C)40
D)13.7
E)1)5

Question 19

In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban .

A)sanitary landfills
B)paper from entering their waste stream
C)composting
D)e- waste
E)plastic shopping bags

Question 20

Industrial ecologists _.

A)favor an economy that moves linearly rather than circularly
B)redesign industrial systems to minimize physical inefficiency and maximize economic efficiency
C)advocate taxes on green industries
D)primarily analyze industrial inputs
E)urge an emphasis on internal manufacturing costs rather than external costs

Question 21

Funding for Superfund toxic waste sites .

A)has become the responsibility of taxpayers since 2004
B)is currently paid by polluting industries
C)has been eased because the costs of cleanup have diminished
D)is a portion of the EPA's budget
E)is no longer necessary because by 2010 all sites had been cleaned and restored

Question 22

Deep- well injection _ .

A)is the EPA- approved method of disposing of low- level radioactive wastes
B)is a method of disposing of hazardous wastes in deep aquifers
C)involves the injection of hazardous wastes into porous rock deep beneath human water supplies
D)is a pool of strong acids on the land surface used for breaking down e- waste
E)has been banned as unsafe by the Dept. of the Interior

Question 23

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of "throwaway mentalities" and increased packaging have amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of nonrefillable beverage containers, and McDonald's restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(non- corrugated thin coated board)can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and flattened plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low-density polyethylene (LDPE), from which grocery bags are made, is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PET(E), and high
-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and is considered a contaminant as well.
LDPE is .

A)the most widely recycled plastic
B)banned in Denmark
C)a toxin found in most plastics
D)not currently recycled
E)the plastic used to make grocery bags

Question 24

Recycling aluminum cans saves % of the energy needed to make the same amount of aluminum from virgin bauxite.

A)50
B)25
C)80
D)95
E)70

Question 25

Match the following.

A)syringes, hospital gowns, and diapers
B)radioactive materials
C)yard debris
D)paper
E)glass
F)pesticide precursors
G)food scraps
H)plastic
I)metals
The largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste

Question 26

Match the following.

A)syringes, hospital gowns, and diapers
B)radioactive materials
C)yard debris
D)paper
E)glass
F)pesticide precursors
G)food scraps
H)plastic
I)metals
The second-largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste

Question 27

Match the following.

A)syringes, hospital gowns, and diapers
B)radioactive materials
C)yard debris
D)paper
E)glass
F)pesticide precursors
G)food scraps
H)plastic
I)metals
Waste that has taken up a substantially greater share of the waste stream since 1970

Question 28

Match the following.

A)syringes, hospital gowns, and diapers
B)radioactive materials
C)yard debris
D)paper
E)glass
F)pesticide precursors
G)food scraps
H)plastic
I)metals
Often the primary contributor to solid waste in developing nations

Question 29

Which of the following represent the categories of hazardous waste?

A)ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic
B)solid, liquid, gaseous
C)nonbiodegradable and biodegradable
D)inorganic and organic
E)municipal, industrial and agricultural

Question 30

There are three main disposal methods for hazardous waste. One is landfills. Describe how hazardous waste landfills differ from ordinary sanitary landfills. Briefly discuss the other two ways that hazardous waste is contained.

Question 31

The most problematic greenhouse gas produced from most landfills is .

A)nitrogen
B)water vapor
C)methane
D)carbon dioxide
E)ozone

Question 32

The Fresh Kills Landfill .

A)is New York's first and only modern sanitary landfill
B)was abandoned in the late 1970s
C)is the first U.S. landfill conversion project
D)will remain open until late 2020
E)site will be converted into a public park

Question 33

Match the following.

A)syringes, hospital gowns, and diapers
B)radioactive materials
C)yard debris
D)paper
E)glass
F)pesticide precursors
G)food scraps
H)plastic
I)metals
Waste component from the Islip, New York, barge that was rejected by North Carolina, Louisiana, and Mexico in 1987, so it was returned to New York

Question 34

Which of the following are classified as heavy metals?

A)lead, mercury, cadmium
B)nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
C)aluminum, iron, silicon
D)carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
E)any nonbiodegradable materials

Question 35

Paper and plastic waste share what characteristic?

A)Both are more than 90% recycled in the Unite States.
B)Their increased consumption leads to increased waste.
C)They are both made from petrochemicals.
D)They cannot be incinerated to produce energy
E)They readily degrade in landfills.

Question 36

In the United States today, the approach which best reduces the volume and weight of municipal solid waste is .

A)sanitary landfills
B)municipal sewage treatment
C)composting
D)incineration
E)in open pits

Question 37

represent(s)the largest source of unregulated hazardous waste.

A)Households
B)Farmers
C)Small businesses
D)Large industry
E)Utilities

Question 38

In general, buying in bulk is environmentally friendly because it .

A)encourages people to eat or use just a little bit more than smaller sizes
B)reduces packaging waste
C)recycles materials that would otherwise wind up in a landfill
D)allows consumers to save money by purchasing larger amounts of an item for less
E)encourages people to eat less or use less of a product

Question 39

Describe the advantages of composting.

Question 40

The current state of e- wastes is that .

A)because the EPA has classified e- wastes as toxic, more than 95% are being recycled
B)by EPA mandate, all metals in electronics have been replaced by biodegradable materials
C)only because of the actions of charitable organizations, the recycling rate is 5%
D)although recycling has improved, the majority of e- wastes are still being landfilled and incinerated
E)the recycling rate has dropped significantly between 1999 and 2010

Question 41

What are the three basic steps in the recycling loop? What is the step that needs the most attention if the recycling loop is going to work?

Question 42

Describe the growing problems in dealing with e- waste.

Question 43

If reducing waste can increase efficiency, why is the output of industrial waste still so great? What is the application of industrial ecology and life- cycle analysis to these problems?

Question 44

Briefly describe the three main components of waste management. Which method is preferred?

Question 45

What are the benefits and drawbacks of incinerating trash? How have these problems been dealt with in most developed countries?

Question 46

Identify steps that can be taken to reduce the size of the waste stream.

Question 47

Describe what environmentalists mean when they say that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act deals with waste streams "from cradle to grave."

Question 48

Discuss the benefits and environmental disadvantages of modern-day landfills in the United States.