SMT 232 Final

limits to aluminum recycling

****collection, cleanliness and price

list at least four advantages of plastics

1) light-weight 2) inexpensive 3) durable 4) soft (for clothing etc.)

give two reasons why recycling paper is easy

can be broken down easily with water, There is no glue holding fibers together

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

thermoplastic

if a city announced that they earned a million dollars from recyclables sales, would this mean

they neglected to explain how much they spent collecting material & operating the MRF

the limiting factors of steel and aluminum production.

- limited - not easily accessible - energy cost - making it cost effective to bulk ship scrap metals long distances

list some factors that influence the design of an MRF

- make sure that workers are safe (i.e use automation OSHA) - efficiently design the MRF so as much material can be effectively pushed through the amount of repetitive motions - type of MRF (single versus dual stream) - reduce amount of downtime (backing up trucks)

Complexity of policy process.

- people are imperfect - too many people involved - individuals operate within a broader social, political, and institutional context

list some landfill alternatives

- recycle - source reduction - waste to energy - incineration

aluminum manufacturing

1) bauxite mined 2) crushed and sand/clay washed out 3) heated to dissolve aluminum hydroxide 4) hydroxide reheated to form pure alumina 5) electrolytic reduction

barriers to recycling glass

1) color separation is required (bc higher valued products) 2) glass cullet is heavy (transportation)

based on the zero waste concepts, list three new design aspects

1) ease of disassembly 2) longer product lives 3) repairability

Iron and steel manufacturing

1) iron ore is mined 2) ore is grounded up 3) magnetic separation 4) sintering at 1300 C to pellets 5) pellets + coke = iron 6) secondary smelter w/ oxygen

list four barriers to textile recycling

1) multifiber articles 2) contaminants causing production problems 3) lack of government involvement 4) lack of public participation

glass manufacturing

1) silica sand + soda and lime 2) making of clear glass 3) oxides from metals added to produce green/brown glass 4) heated and melted

types of glass

1) sodalime (bottles and windows) 2) crystal (high qual. glasses 3) Pyrex (laboratory, kitchen)

list the four reasons for the current 'sad' state of textile industry:

1) technology research is limited 2) decisions made based on $$$ 3) decisions are very PR driven 4) systems are NOT transparent

Six stages of policy process (The Stages Model).

1. Issue emergence 2. agenda setting 3. alternative selection 4. enactment 5. implementation 6. evaluation

problems with steel recycling

1. cleanliness 2. number of metals and alloys 3. depending on furnace type steel scrap that is 25-100% can be recycled

concepts of a circular economy

1. customers are users 2. zero waste 3. renewable resources 4. two industrial ingredients: durable + biodegradable

list at least four key element of circular economy

1. design for the future 2. waste is a resource 3. use regenerative resources 4. prices reflect costs

list the four important aspects of Life Cycle Assessment

1. goal and scope 2. inventory analysis 3. impact assessment 4. interpretation

list four challenges of using deconstruction to dismantle a building

1. more expensive than demolition 2. some materials are difficult to take apart 3. chemicals such as asbestos can be released 4. takes more time and skill than demolition

list four advantages of using deconstruction to dismantle a building

1. opportunities to reuse certain materials/structures 2. can recycle a lot that has been taken apart 3. less material goes to the landfill 4. job oppurtunities

What are the two main European Union waste management directives?

1. packaging 2. landfill

list four possible consequences of "re-use of textile" when shipped outside USA/EU

1. sometimes sent straight to the landfill 2. could be expensive for receivers 3. resold for really cheap 4. countries that produce textiles lose jobs

list at least four parts of the framework of circular economy

1. system thinking 2. biomimicry 3. cradle to cradle 4. blue economy

concepts of circular economy

1. zero waste 2. should be produced to be durable or easily disposed 3. renewable energy 4. customers are users

aluminum recycling

1.4 TOTAL - 42.2 food and beverage (50 recycled) - 38.4 durable goods (lawn furniture, appliances)

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

1908, $50 per ton

glass contributes to_____% of the total MSW generated in 2010.

2.6

glass containers are recovered at a recycling rate of_____%

33

According to the EPA's most recent report on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation, recycling, and disposal in the US, the overall MSW recycling rate (includes composting) in 2015 was

35%

Currently, the per capita generation of MSW is approximately

4.5 lbs/person/day

Steel recycling

6.8 total of MSW - 13.6 food and beverage - 83.8 durable goods

of the total glass MSW generated

81 containers, 55 clear, 6 green, 38 brown

according to the USEPA, the estimated recycling rate for plastics is approximately____%

9

total metals contribute to______% of the total MSW generated in 2010.

9

According to the EPA's most recent report on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation, recycling, and disposal in the US, the amount of MSW generated in the United States in the year 2015 was: A. 136 million tons B. 262 million tons C. 250 million pounds D. 270 million cubic yards

B. 262 million tons

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

Which countries have scavenger based recycling?

Brazil, china

______________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

ACCORDING TO THE 1987 BRUNDTLAND 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

Which European country has the highest incineration rate?

Denmark

which country mainly uses incineration for waste disposal?

Denmark 53

What are the influencing factors determines the municipal waste generation, waste management and recycling?

Even with a unifying framework in dealing with wastes, countries have different approaches. Germany, for example, is a leader in extended producer responsibility or EPR, in which retailers and packaging companies are required to accept and recycle used packaging from consumers. Compare that to the approach taken by Japan and Denmark which incinerate the majority of its waste

What is EPR?

Extended Producer Responsibility

what does the total 9% look like?

Ferrous metals (STEEL) - 6.8% ALUMINUM - 1.4% other metals - .8%

Which country is a leader in extended producer responsibility?

Germany

Which country is rewarding companies for source reduction, recycling, by allowing them to use WasteWise logo?

Hong Kong, China

Which country has the highest recycling rate for steel and plastic in the world?

Japan

Which countries have incineration-based infrastructure?

Netherlands, singapore, luxemburg,

this is the most valuable plastic resin

PET

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

PVC

the part of the RCRA that covers non-hazard solid wastes is

Subtitle D

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?

West

the best description of an environmental externality is:

a social costs that the producer does not have to pay

In an MRF an eddy current separator would be used to sort

aluminum cans from ferrous cans

which of the following characteristics describe unbleached, kraft pulp?

brown, corrugated boxes

The four components of the US EPA's integrated waste management hierarchy, listed in the descending order of preference (most preferred is at the left): 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

if virgin raw materials are priced lower than 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:

c. tax the use of virgin raw materials

what are two plastic recycling methods?

chemical and mechanical

main barrier to aluminum recycling

collection

first step in recycling is ______ which employs ______

collection --- reverse logistics

only_______glass can be recycled

container

most recovered plastics (by weight) are from the category of

containers and packaging

WASTE IS A MATERIAL THAT: 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

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 price of recycled materials c. manufacturers receive no price signal from the market concerning 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. as a residual waste stream that gets landfilled d. all of the above e. none of the above

d. all of the above

in "municipal solid waste recycling issues" 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

What Green Dot stands for?

european network of industry-funded system for recycling the packaging of consumer goods

most plastics are produced from_____, first made into______and then synthesized into_____

fossil oils, monomers, polymers

in an MRF zig-zag air classifiers would be used to sort

heavy particles from light particles

Materials and or products most often banned from US landfills are

lead acid batteries and whole tires

give two reasons why recycling paper is hard

lots of contaminants, can be expensive

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?

multiple source separation

MSW is an acronym or abbreviation for

municipal solid waste

what is RECYCLED aluminum used for?

new beverage cans 27, building and construction 21, transportation 21, electrical 9, other 23

what products does recycled glass make?

new beverage containers, fiberglass insulation, asphalt, countertops

what is the single largest material component in MSW?

paper

the largest material component by weight in MSW generated is

paper and paperboard

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

polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE)

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 (LDPE)

the primary process function of the MRF is

separation

uses of glass

short lifetime products (beverage and food), long lifetime products (buildings)

Metal uses

short lifetime products (packaging), long lifetime products (buildings),

with______there are two separated categories of materials: recyclables and non-recyclables

single source separation

a MRF that only receives commingled paper (fiber) and containers (plastic, metal, glass) mixed together is which type of MRF

single stream MRF

describe soft-stripping deconstruction and give two examples

soft stripping is the act of removing non-structural components such as doors and windows

___________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:

source reduction

recycling category of this plastic used for thermal insulation, packing peanuts, video cassettes, egg cartons, disposable plates and cups

symbol 6

recycling is a 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...

the economic-environmental criterion

which of the following statement are true

the markets for recyclable materials fluctuate

_________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 a size separator in MRF

trommel

making belts (that one wears) from recycled bicycle tire tubes is an example of the process of converting recyclable materials into new products having greater functionality or value called

upcycling