EARTH100 LB 10: Waste Management and Recycling

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: To safeguard against groundwater contamination, well-designed and operated sanitary landfills: A) ...should not be located on floodplains, wetlands, or tectonically active areas. B) ..should have a leachate collection system. C) ...should utilize impermeable liners. D) ...should monitor groundwater for contamination from leachate. E) ...should permit water to move through the landfill on a regular basis

A) ...should not be located on floodplains, wetlands, or tectonically active areas. B) ..should have a leachate collection system. C) ...should utilize impermeable liners. D) ...should monitor groundwater for contamination from leachate.

Which of the following statements concerning hazardous waste and municipal solid waste is accurate? A) Household wastes do not contain hazardous materials. B) The same federal laws pertain to all hazardous waste, regardless of its source. C) The hazardous materials in household waste should be disposed of separately from MSW. D) The small amounts of hazardous materials in household waste do not pose health, safety, or environmental concerns.

C) The hazardous materials in household waste should be disposed of separately from MSW.

The main difference between an "open dump" and a "sanitary landfill" is: A) Federal standards regulate open dumps, while EPA regulations govern the operation of sanitary landfills. B) Open dumps are situated well above from the water table, while sanitary landfills are often located at or below the water table. C) The interaction between the MSW in open dumps and the environment is poorly controlled, while in sanitary landfills that interaction is minimized by design. D) Open dumps accumulate MSW from a spatially variable area, while sanitary landfills are assigned for use by specific cities and suburban areas.

C) The interaction between the MSW in open dumps and the environment is poorly controlled, while in sanitary landfills that interaction is minimized by design.

How has the generation of municipal solid waste changed worldwide in recent years? A) Total waste has declined, but per capita waste has increased. B) Total waste has increased, but per capita waste remains the same. C) Total waste and per capita waste have both increased. D) Both total waste and per capita waste have

C) Total waste and per capita waste have both increased.

Incineration of combustible MSW generates which of the following as by-products? A) no residual by-products B) gaseous emissions of CO2, SO2, and NOx only C) gaseous emissions and noncombustible materials and ash (some of which may be toxic

C) gaseous emissions and noncombustible materials and ash (some of which may be toxic

Most of the hazardous waste produced in the United States is disposed of by: A) placement in a secure hazardous waste landfill B) storage in specially designed surface impoundments C) incineration D) deep well injection

C) incineration

E-waste is a growing problem in both developed and developing countries today because: A) e-waste contains virtually no valuable recyclable components, and therefore have no potential for being recycled and little potential for other strategies, such as reuse. B) e-waste cannot be recycled at any level, which results in a 100% landfilling rate. C) per capita consumption of personal electronics is increasing, yet recycling rates remain relatively low. D) more plastics are being used in electronic products, which results in much more toxic waste than in previous generations of electronics.

C) per capita consumption of personal electronics is increasing, yet recycling rates remain relatively low.

Today high level waste from commercial nuclear plants in the United States is: A) transported offshore and dumped in deep ocean trenches. B) transported to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. C) stored "temporarily" on site at the nuclear plant. D) transported to Yucca Mountain, Nevada for permanent storage

C) stored "temporarily" on site at the nuclear plant.

The waste-handling strategy that utilizes a broad range of waste stream reduction techniques and disposal options is called: A) hazardous waste disposal B) surface impoundment C) composting D) integrated waste management

D) integrated waste management

The primary goal of the Basel Convention was to: A) require recycling of all e-waste in developed and developing countries. B) encourage more recycling of e-waste in developed countries. C) set standards for the safe recycling of e-waste. D) limit the exportation of hazardous waste to developing countries.

D) limit the exportation of hazardous waste to developing countries.

Which of the following would NOT lead directly to greater source reduction (i.e., a reduction in MSW)? A) redesign of packaging to use less paper and plastic B) reusable shipping pallets C) discounts for using your own reusable shopping bag D) penalties for not recycling

D) penalties for not recycling

Which of the following represents a strategy of reuse? A) select goods with less packaging B) compost kitchen and yard wastes C) make double-sided photocopies D) buy groceries in bulk E) bring your own coffee cup to coffee breaks or cafes

E) bring your own coffee cup to coffee breaks or cafes

Anaerobic (in the absence of O2) microbial decomposition of organic wastes in landfills results in the production of ______ , which can be combusted to produce electricity.

methane

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Which of the following have created challenges for the management of modern solid waste? A) Increased material consumption associated with both population growth and economic development. B) Synthetic materials that cannot be broken down naturally (i.e., in the natural environment). C) Growth in the use of biodegradable and compostable consumer products, such as coffee cups. D) The need to bury an increasing amount of waste in landfills, and the associated land use and environmental issues that arise from that burial

A) Increased material consumption associated with both population growth and economic development. B) Synthetic materials that cannot be broken down naturally (i.e., in the natural environment). D) The need to bury an increasing amount of waste in landfills, and the associated land use and environmental issues that arise from that burial

Leachate is a major environmental hazard associated with solid waste disposal sites. How is leachate most commonly produced? A) chemical reaction between waste in the landfill and water percolating through the landfill B) chemical reaction between waste material and the bedrock that underlies the landfill C) leachate is gas that leaks from a hazardous waste disposal site D) nuclear decay of otherwise harmless material in a landfill E) leakage from deep-well disposal sites

A) chemical reaction between waste in the landfill and water percolating through the landfill

In the EPA's integrated waste management hierarchy, the benefit of composting is that it: A) reduces the volume of waste that ultimately enters landfills. B) decreases the amount of rotting food that families throw out each year. C) produces material that contains virtually no macronutrients. D) eliminates the volume of food waste restaurants produce each week

A) reduces the volume of waste that ultimately enters landfills.

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Which of the following are advantages of the incineration of solid municipal waste? A) It produces no significant waste or material that requires disposal (i.e., it is highly energy efficient). B) In energy recovery plants, it can be used to supplement other fuels and generate electric power C) No greenhouse gases are released when waste is incinerated. D) It converts a large volume of combustible waste to a much smaller volume E) No pollution of air or water resources occurs during incineration.

B) In energy recovery plants, it can be used to supplement other fuels and generate electric power D) It converts a large volume of combustible waste to a much smaller volume

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Marine pollution due to waste dumping in the ocean, as well as runoff from the continents, has led to which of the following: A) Large-scale mutations of marine life due to MSW-associated radioactivity. B) Low oxygen concentrations as a result of high BOD caused by eutrophication and/or high organic carbon loading C) Death, slowed growth, and reproductive problems in marine organisms D) Habitat change due to waste in the marine environment

B) Low oxygen concentrations as a result of high BOD caused by eutrophication and/or high organic carbon loading C) Death, slowed growth, and reproductive problems in marine organisms D) Habitat change due to waste in the marine environment

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Why is e-waste considered to be an environmental problem? A) None of these. B) Reclamation of raw e-waste can be hazardous to the health of recycling workers. C) In the U.S., no attempt has been made to regulate proactively the computer industry so that less e-waste is produced. D) E-waste contains toxic materials, which can be released into the environment after disposal in landfills and dumps

B) Reclamation of raw e-waste can be hazardous to the health of recycling workers. C) In the U.S., no attempt has been made to regulate proactively the computer industry so that less e-waste is produced. D) E-waste contains toxic materials, which can be released into the environment after disposal in landfills and dumps

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Some of the major sources of hazardous waste in the U.S. are: A) Golf courses, residential lawns, and agricultural areas B) The electronics industry C) The petroleum and coal products industries D) The chemical products industry

B) The electronics industry C) The petroleum and coal products industries D) The chemical products industry

The largest source of hazardous waste in the United States today is: A) waste treatment and disposal B) basic chemical manufacturing C) petroleum and coal industry D) pesticide and other agricultural chemical manufacturing

B) basic chemical manufacturing

In an "energy recovery" plant, the fuel used to produce electricity is: A) methane from landfills B) municipal solid waste C) fly ash D) the by-products of oil refining

B) municipal solid waste

Persistent organic pollutants (POP) have been found at high concentration in marine food webs. What is the likely source of this contamination? A) POPs are very soluble in water and can reach high concentrations in the oceans. B) There are natural sources of POPs that are found in the marine environment. C) POPs are adsorbed onto plastic particles, which are subsequently ingested by marine organisms. D) Plastics that are ingested can break down into toxic chemicals when digested.

C) POPs are adsorbed onto plastic particles, which are subsequently ingested by marine organisms.