SMT 232 Exam 1

The part of RCRA that covers non-hazardous solid wastes is: a. Subtitle C b. Subtitle D c. Subtitle E d. none of the above

b. Subtitle D

In an MRF zig-zag air classifiers would be used to sort ______ a. glass from ceramic b. heavy particles from light particles c. large particles from small particles d. food waste from sediments

b. heavy particles from light particles

The largest material component by weight in MSW generated is: a. plastics b. metals c. wood d. paper and paperboard e. glass

d. paper and paperboard

What are the two plastic recycling methods?

Mechanical recycling and Chemical recycling

Taken together, plastic bottles made these two plastic (resin) types make up about 1.3% of the total MSW generated:

PET and HDPE

Recycling category of this plastic used for thermal insulation, packing peanuts, video cassettes, egg cartons, disposable plates & cups:

PS (6)

Plastics made of these two plastic (resin) types and used as containers are the plastics having the highest recycling rates.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High density polyethylene (HDPE)

Framework of Circular Economy

System thinking over part thinking Biomimicry (innovation inspired by nature as model, measure, and mentor) Industrial ecology (material and energy flows through industrial systems) Cradle to cradle Blue economy Biosphere Rules

Concepts of Circular Economy

Zero waste (nothing is thrown away, waste is designed out by making things for repair, disassembly and reuse) Types of industrial 'ingredients' (disposable - biodegrade - and durable - reused) Sustainable industrial cycle (energy that powers it needs to be entirely renewable) Customers are not customers but users

This is the most valuable plastic resin: a. PET b. PS c. PVC d. HDPE

a. PET

In which region was the percent landfilling rate the highest? a. Rocky Mountain b South c. New England d. West

a. Rocky Mountain

According to the EPA's most recent report on Municipal Solid Waste generation, recycling, and disposal in the US, the amount of MSW generated in the United States in the year 2018 was: a. 136 million tons b. 292 million tons c. 250 million tons d. 270 million tons

b. 292 million tons

Materials and or products most often banned from US landfills are: a. electronics and ferrous metals b. lead acid batteries and whole tires c. containers and paper d. clothing and footwear

b. lead acid batteries and whole tires

A household that sorts their recyclables into 3 bins (for example, glass & plastic in one bin aluminum and ferrous cans in a second bin, and paper of all types in a third bin) for collection would be said to be using which separation strategy? a. single source separation b. multiple source separation c. curbside separation d. mixed waste collection

b. multiple source separation

With _________ there are two separated categories of materials: recyclables and non-recyclables. a. mixed refuse collection b. single source separation c. multiple source separation d. none of the above

b. single source separation

According to the US EPA definition, reuse is a ______ activity. a. recycling b. source reduction c. combustion d. none of the above

b. source reduction

This plastic type consists of long-chain polymers that soften when heated and can be remolded and thus recycled. What type of plastic is this? a. natural plastic b. thermoplastic c. thermoset plastic d. none of the above

b. thermoplastic

Making belts (that one wears) from recycled bicycle tires tubes is an example of the process of converting recyclable materials into new products having greater functionality or value called ______ a. market failure b. upcycling c. economic-environmental criterion d. downcycling

b. upcycling

According to the EPA's most recent report on MSW generation, recycling, and disposal in the US, the overall MSW recycling rate (including composting) in 2018 is ____ % a. 55% b. 44% c. 32% d. 24%

c. 32%

Currently, the per capita generation of MSW is approximately: a. 1.5 lbs/person/day b. 4.4 lbs/person/day c. 4.9 lbs/person/day d. 3.0 lbs/person/day

c. 4.9 lbs/person/day

MSW is an acronym or abbreviation for: a. Material Solid Waste b. Managed Society Waste c. Municipal Solid Waste d. Multiple Solid Waste e. none of the Above

c. Municipal Solid Waste

Recycling __________________ has environmental concerns because it is made using vinyl chloride monomer which is a carcinogen, its incineration can form dioxin, it can contain bisphenol A, which mimics hormones, it may also contain lead as a stabilizer and cadmium as a pigment A) PS B) PET C) PVC D) HDPE

c. PVC

The four components of the US EPA's integrated waste management hierarchy, listed in descending order of preference: a. Source Reduction - Combustion with Energy Recovery - Recycling - Landfilling b. Recycling - Source Reduction - Combustion with Energy Recovery - Landfilling c. Source Reduction - Recycling - Combustion with Energy Recovery - Landfilling d. Recycling - Source Reduction - Landfilling - Combustion with Energy Recovery

c. Source Reduction - Recycling - Combustion with Energy Recovery - Landfilling

_____ is one of the strategies used to avoid waste. It includes design, reuse of products and materials, longer product life, better packaging and composting of organic waste: a. Market alternative b. Environmental externality c. Source reduction d. Recycling e. none of the above

c. Source reduction

__________ is the major US federal law that governs the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. a. The National Environmental Policy Act b. The Water Quality Act c. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act d. Endangered Species Act

c. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Which of the following statements are true a. The only reason to recycle is it saves landfill space b. Recycling is always profitable to a city c. The markets for recyclable material sales fluctuate d. Using recyclables to make sculptures is the best use of recycled materials

c. The markets for recyclable material sales fluctuate

The first step in recycling is _____ which employs ____ a. separation -- compactors b. treatment -- composting c. collection -- reverse logistics d. consumption -- utilization

c. collection -- reverse logistics

Most recovered plastics (by weight) are from the product category of: a. durable goods b. nondurable goods c. containers and packaging d. none of the above

c. containers and packaging

The primary process function of the MRF is: a. conveyance b. densification c. separation d. none of the above

c. separation

An MRF that only receives commingled paper (fiber) and containers (plastic, metal, glass) mixed together is which type of MRF? a. source separated MRF b. dual stream MRF c. single stream MRF d. mixed waste MRF

c. single stream MRF

The best description of an environmental externality is: a. a market signal to the waste generator b. achieving sustainability by transferring environmental costs c. social costs that the producer does not have to pay d. pollution that occurs in another country

c. social costs that the producer does not have to pay

According to the 1987 Bruntland report "Our Common Future", _________ is defined as the "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." a. green field b. green washing c. sustainability d. planned obsolescence

c. sustainability

If virgin raw materials are priced lower than the recycled materials that can be substituted for the virgin materials, and the manufacture of the virgin materials generate external costs, then the best policy is: a. incorporate preconsumer materials b. subsidize the use of recycled materials c. tax the use of virgin raw materials d. choose the material that employs more people in the manufacturing process

c. tax the use of virgin raw materials

If a city announced that they earned a million dollars from recyclable sales, would this mean a. they made a million dollar profit b. they are making up numbers c. they neglected to explain how much they spent collection material and operating MRF

c. they neglected to explain how much they spent collection material and operating MRF

The EPA reports that in 2009 there were _____ operating MSW landfills in the United States and the average tipping fee of _____ was reported in 2014. a. 12489, $136 per ton b. 9066, $24 per ton c. 3030, $89 per ton d. 1908, $44 per ton

d. 1908, $44 per ton

The State of Garbage latest report compares the percent of Recycling, Composting, Combustion, and Landfilling in 7 regions of the United States during 2008. In which region was the percent recycling rate the highest? a. Rocky Mountain b South c. New England d. West

d. West

As discussed in class, market failure occurs when: a. recycling facilities are owned by local governments and are not run for profit b. there are sharp changes in the price of recycled materials c. manufacturers receive no price signal from the market concerning the recyclability of their products d. all of the above e. none of the above

d. all of the above

The Materials Recovery Facility, or MRF: a. is a transfer station b. is an operation that receives, separates, and prepares recyclable materials for end-user manufacturers c. has a residual waste stream that gets landfilled d. all of the above e. none of the above

d. all of the above

Waste is a material: a. that has no value and may actually have a negative value b. that is an inherent by-product of economic activity c. that if left on its own is likely to affect the environment d. all of the above e. none of the above

d. all of the above

In an MRF an eddy current separator would be used to sort _____ a. clear glass from brown glass b. newspapers from corrugated c. PET bottles from HDPE bottles d. aluminum cans from ferrous cans

d. aluminum cans from ferrous cans

Most plastics are produced from __________, first made into ________ and then synthesized into _________ a. organic oils, lipids, fatty acids b. vegetable oils, liquids, solids c. fossil oils, thermosets, thermoplastics d. fossil oils, monomers, polymers

d. fossil oils, monomers, polymers

In the article "Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Issues" by Lave et al., the concept that "recycling is good policy only if environmental discharges and resources used to collect, sort, and recycle a material are less than the environmental discharges and resources needed to provide an equivalent virgin material plus the resources needed to dispose of the material safely" is defined as: a. the landfill avoidance cost b. market failure c. an environmental externality d. the economic-environmental criterion

d. the economic-environmental criterion

________ uses bag opening, broken glass/fines removal from commingled stream, cleaning paper, and removal of materials from mixed MSW (container separation, food waste/fines removal as size separator in MRF. a. shredder b. jaw crusher c. hammer mill d. trommel e. none of the above

d. trommel

Key elements of Circular Economy

design for the future priorities regenerative resources use waste as a resource preserve and extend what's already made collaborate to create joint value incorporate digital technology prices and other feedback mechanisms should reflect real costs

According to the USEPA, the estimated recycling rate for plastics is approximately ____ % a. 63 b. 35 c. 27 d. 15 e. 9

e. 9

In "Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Issues" by Lave et al., the authors state that the goal(s) to recycle is (are): a. to save landfill space b. to increase environmental quality by lowering pollutant discharges c. to increase the sustainability of the economy d. only a and b e. only b and c

e. only b and c

List at least four advantages of plastics:

lightweight inexpensive non-breakable softness allows design flexibility multifunctional can be made with recycled material

Based on the Zero Waste concepts, list three new design aspects:

reduced materials use use of recycled materials use of more benign materials longer product lives reparability ease of disassembly at end of life

List some landfill alternatives:

source reduction recycling incineration with energy recovery incineration without energy recovery

List some factors that influence the design of an MRF

what materials come in types/amount of materials received location (distance) of MRF from collection sites and manufacturers