Chapter 19 Waste

What percent of energy needed to make aluminum cans from ore is needed to make recycled aluminum cans?

5%

How many Superfund sites have been cleaned up?

75 of 1200 sites

What is compost?

A dark brown, crumbly material made from decomposed plant and animal matter that is spread on gardens and field to enrich the soil. Nutrient-rich material made from decomposed plant and animal materials.

What is the Superfund Act?

Allows companies that dump hazardous waste illegally to be SUED. Gave EPA the right to sue owners of hazardous waste sites who had illegally dumped waste. Forced owners to pay for cleanup. Created a fund of money to pay for cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste sites.

What is biodegradable plastic?

Although it does break apart and the organic parts can degrade, the plastic parts are only reduced to smaller pieces that do not completely disappear.

What is source reduction?

Any change made to reduce the amount or toxicity of a product before it becomes municipal solid waste. Reducing solid waste by using less materials.

What is hazardous waste?

Any waste that is a risk to the health of humans or other living things. Any toxic, corrosive, or explosive waste.

When is Earth Day?

April 22

What can YOU do to assist with recycling efforts?

Buy products made from recycle materials whenever possible. Always recycle. Buy things that have less packaging.

What is biodegradable?

Can be broken down by biological processes

How do you dispose of hazardous waste?

Convert it into nonhazardous substances with chemicals. Treat it biologically. Incinerate it. Export it.

Superfund and RCRA are administered and enforced by the United States ___________________________________.

EPA

How has recycling efforts changed over the last 30-40 years?

From 1970 to the present, the percentage of waste that is recycled has increased from 6.6% to over 30%.

What is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act?

It requires producers of hazardous waste to KEEP RECORDS of how their wastes are handled. Hazardous waste treatment facilities must be built and operated to prevent from polluting the environment.

How does methane gas form in a landfill?

Landfills make it when waste breaks down; it can be captured and used for energy. Decomposing organic waste may produce methane, which is a high flammable gas.

What are some problems with landfills?

Leachate Methane gas Lack of space

What produces the most solid waste in America?

Manufacturing

What item makes the largest % of household waste?

Paper products

How do plastic grocery bags break down?

Photodegradable plastic breaks into smaller pieces when left in the sun.

What is NOT considered a hazardous waste?

Rotting meat

Where would it be best to dispose of hazardous waste?

Some place far away from areas where humans live

The _________________________ allows for owners who illegally dump hazardous waste to be sued and forced to pay for the cleanup of their sites.

Superfund Act

Should you take plastic or paper bags? Why?

Use reusable bags. It takes 12 million barrel of oil to produce plastic bags for the US for one year.

What is deep well injection?

Wastes are pumped deep into the ground where they are absorbed into a dry layer of rock below the level of groundwater. After the wastes are buried below the level of groundwater, the wastes are covered with cement to prevent contamination of the groundwater.

What is leachate?

Water that contains dissolved chemicals from wastes that have been buried. A liquid that has passed through compacted solid waste in a landfill.

A common characteristic of all hazardous-waste land-disposal facilities is that they ____________________

are long-term storage sites

Materials that are formed naturally are _________________________.

biodegradable

Decomposing yard waste and fruit and vegetable trimmings can be broken down by bacteria to form ____________________,which reduces the need for fertilizers.

composts

International trade agreements have allowed some countries to ____________________ hazardous waste to other countries for disposal, treatment, or recycling.

export

Wastes containing toxic, corrosive, or explosive materials are considered ____________________.

hazardous

A modern landfill has a plastic liner to prevent ____________________ from seeping into the soil and contaminating the groundwater.

leachate

Where is the majority of solid waste produced?

manufacturing

Some landfills generate electricity by burning the ____________________ that is produced by decomposing garbage.

methane gas

Composting provides ____________________ to the soil while keeping organic wastes out of landfills.

nutrients

The steps involved in the recycling of materials are ____________________, cleaning, and crushing.

sorting

Reducing solid waste by using less material is called _________________________

source reduction