Ch. 14 SmartBook

How much of the Superfund is currently funded by corporate taxes?

0%

The recycling rates ______ in areas that have deposits on beverage containers.

increase dramatically

Hazardous waste is any discarded material that contains substances known to be ______. (Choose all that apply.)

toxic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic to humans or other life-forms corrosive fatal to humans or lab animals in low doses

A biogas digester on a dairy farm ______.

turns manure into fuel

Rank the following substances according to how much they contribute to municipal solid waste in the United States, with the largest on the top.

1. Paper 2. Food 3. Plastics 4. Metals 5. Wood

What is the recycling rates of single-use water bottles?

20%

What is the trend of recycling in the United States over the past 20 years?

Both the percent of materials recycled and the overall tonnage have increased.

Which of the following are examples of item reuse? (Mark all that apply.)

Bringing a mug to work for daily coffee Salvaging bricks from an old house Purchasing used items at a thrift store

______ is the biological degradation or breakdown of organic matter under aerobic (oxygen-rich) conditions.

Composting

Where is e-waste shipped for recycling?

Countries with weak environmental regulations

______ is a quick way to dispose of hazardous wastes by heating the waste to over 1,000 degrees C for a sufficient period of time. When done incorrectly, it may lead to pollution.

Incineration

What is the purpose of a biogas digester?

It converts organic waste to gas that is used to generate heat and electricity.

The country of _____ is currently the best large-scale recycler; even large cities there have 10 categories of recyclables including used clothing.

Japan

From the list of waste disposal methods, choose the one by which most municipal waste in the United States is disposed?

Landfilling

Match the material with how it is handled at a sanitary landfill.

Methane - Vented, flared, or collected and used as fuel Liquid contaminants - Collected in a drainage system and then managed

_____ is a major obstacle in plastics recycling, because a single PVC bottle mixed in with PET bottles can ruin the whole batch.

Mixing/Contamination

What is the status of international shipments of hazardous waste?

Most stopped 30 years ago, but it still occurs.

_____ solid waste is a combination of the household and commercial refuse that amounts to more than 250 million metric tons per year in the United States.

Municipal

Match the waste disposal method to its example or description.

Ocean dumping - Receives about 25,000 metric tons of packaging per year Incinerating - Reduces volume of waste and creates energy and air pollution Open dumping - The most prevalent form of waste disposal in developing countries Waste exporting - Shipping waste to less-developed countries

_____ dumps are inexpensive but have many problems such as smell, fires, vermin, and people scavenging in this hazardous area.

Open

How much have municipal recycling rates increased in the United States in the past 60 years?

Over 100%

What category of waste has lead in amount (tons) recycled for the past 60 years?

Paper

_____ retrievable storage is technical and expensive and is usually reserved for the most toxic waste types such as radioactive wastes.

Permanent

______ treatments are one of the ways in which hazardous wastes can be disposed of. These treatments isolate or tie up substances in glass or concrete but still require storage.

Physical

Which of the following is the most energy efficient?

Reusing

Which of the following are examples of recycling?

Taking old aluminum cans, melting them, and recasting them into new cans Taking old tires and shredding them to make rubberized playground surfacing

Why did New York City reinstate recycling programs in the early 2000s?

They realized it was cheaper to recycle materials than to dispose of them in other ways.

True or false: Hazardous wastes can be used as raw materials.

True

True or false: Most hazardous waste is managed properly, i.e. it doesn't become a problem to the public.

True

True or false: The waste stream contains many valuable resources.

True

What "ingredients" are helpful in creating compost from your own organic waste? (Mark all that apply.)

Vegetable waste Lawn clippings Wood chips Fallen leaves

What lightweight metal is the easiest and most valuable to recycle, as the cost of mining and producing it from its raw state is very energy-intensive and expensive?

aluminum

The United States produces about 11 ______ tons of solid waste each year.

billion

Plastics that are composed of or incorporate materials, such as cornstarch, that can be decomposed by microorganisms are termed ______.

biodegradable

The use of organisms such as plants or bacteria to break down or detoxify hazardous wastes is called _________.

bioremediation

Of the many benefits linked to _____ development, urban revitalization has positive social and economic impacts.

brownfield

Abandoned or underutilized polluted properties are called ______.

brownfields

Many municipalities _____ their solid waste, which creates large amounts of heat that power steam turbines to generate electricity.

burn

Neutralization and oxidation are two examples of how hazardous waste can be treated ______.

chemically

The benefits of producing and using _____ include better water retention, less erosion, and better crop yields, as well as saving landfill space.

composts

The Superfund was designed to provide money for immediate response to _____ events that pose imminent hazards without having the lengthy court processes that would delay cleanup.

emergency

The recycling of plastics and metals saves a lot of _____, which decreases our dependence on foreign oil supplies.

energy

The majority of hazardous waste is ______.

handled properly

The Superfund was established for NPL sites that ______.

have been orphaned

Any discarded material that is explosive, or contains explosive substances, is considered to be a(n) _____ waste.

hazardous

Ash from incinerators has high levels of dioxins, furans, and other _____ materials, which is a point of concern for the population surrounding the incinerator.

hazardous

Forty million metric tons of toxic and _____ wastes are released in the U.S. every year. The biggest culprits are the chemical and petroleum industries.

hazardous

RCRA, CERCLA, NPL, SARA, and TRI are all concerned with legislation that regulates _____ waste management.

hazardous

Some of the benefits of using brownfield sites include ______. (Choose all that apply.)

helping to rebuild urban areas reducing the destruction of open green space for development (sprawl)

Debates against incinerator cost-effectiveness include _________, higher fees charges to garbage haulers, and the concentration of toxic materials that results.

high initial construction costs

The amount of e-waste is ______ rapidly every year, and therefore is adding to the amount of hazardous materials exposed to the environment.

increasing

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch ______. (Mark all that apply.)

is driven by a vast circulating ocean current known as a gyre is composed mostly of materials disposed improperly or accidentally on land has captured 100 million tons of plastic debris

Recycling reduces the stress on _____ for disposal by removing that material from the waste stream.

landfills

Everything smaller than sofas and refrigerators are dumped into a giant furnace and burned in a _____ burn furnace.

mass

Some of the actions you can take to reduce waste include buying foods or products with less _____, or using your own containers.

packaging

Ocean dumping results in widespread issues with sea life, such as seals being drowned in discarded nets and seabirds starving because their stomachs are filled with ________.

plastic

Brownfield sites are areas that have been, or have been suspected of being, _____ and therefore are abandoned or underutilized.

polluted

It takes less energy to ______ than to make it new from raw materials. (Choose all that apply.)

produce aluminum from scrap recycle plastic make steel from scrap

Recycling reduces the need for ______ to make a certain product, thereby reducing pressures on the areas where those materials are mined.

raw materials

A successful way to eliminate hazardous waste is to _____ the waste and use it in another industry. This way the producer of the waste does not have to pay for disposal and the user gains raw material for little cost.

recycle

Instead of building a large incinerator, the city of Philadelphia is investing in waste collection facilities that will _____ about 600 tons every day.

recycle

The reprocessing of discarded materials into new, useful products is _____.

recycling

Among the "three Rs," _____ waste is the cheapest option for waste management because it saves the most energy, materials, and money.

reducing

Some of the ways to shrink the waste stream include recycling, reusing, and _____ the wastes we produce. (Hint: think of the three Rs.)

reducing

The best way to reduce hazardous waste is by ________.

reducing production

A _____ landfill compacts and covers solid waste with dirt in order to decrease odors and discourage vermin populations.

sanitary

A landfill that has a thick plastic liner, compacted clay, impervious layers, monitoring wells, and is used for hazardous waste is called a(n) _____ landfill.

sanitary

A(n) ______ landfill is the most popular solution for hazardous waste.

secure