Deck 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste

Question 1

Taking a refillable coffee cup to the office and using it instead of throwaway cups is an example of ____.

A) refusing
B) reducing
C) reusing
D) repurposing
E) recycling

Answer 1

reusing

Question 2

The recycling and composting rate of U.S.municipal solid waste is about ____.

A) 7%
B) 14%
C) 24%
D) 32%
E) 54%

Answer 2

24%

Question 3

One way to deal with the creation of solid wastes is to reduce the environmental impact without trying to reduce the amount of waste produced.This is called ____.

A) waste reduction
B) waste recycling
C) secondary pollution prevention
D) primary pollution prevention
E) waste management

Answer 3

waste management

Question 4

Wastes produced by mines,farms,and industry is called ____.

A) industrial solid waste
B) hazardous waste
C) municipal solid waste
D) toxic solid waste
E) e-waste

Question 5

Waste that includes paper,food wastes,cans,bottles,yard waste,glass,wood,and similar items is called ____.

A) industrial solid waste
B) hazardous waste
C) municipal solid waste
D) toxic solid waste
E) e-waste

Question 6

Much of the e-waste in the United States not buried or burned is ____.

A) dismantled and reused
B) recycled
C) stored in warehouses
D) crushed and used as construction material
E) shipped to Asia or Africa

Question 7

In the United States,most hazardous waste is produced which industries?

A) hospitals,mining,and the military
B) hospitals,mining,and the chemical industry
C) the military,mining,and the chemical industry
D) the military,mining,and sewage treatment
E) mining,the chemical industry and sewage treatment

Question 8

Which strategy would be least effective for industry and communities in their efforts to reduce resource use,waste,and pollution?

A) Redesign manufacturing processes to use less material and energy.
B) Redesign landfills.
C) Redesign products to be easier to repair,reuse and manufacture.
D) Reduce or eliminate packaging.
E) Establish cradle-to grave laws for computers,electronic equipment,appliances.

Question 9

Which material would not be dumped in the compost pile?

A) vegetable peelings
B) leaves
C) egg shells
D) chicken bones
E) small twigs

Question 10

One way to deal with the creation of solid wastes begins with the question "How can we avoid producing so much solid waste?" This approach is called ____.

A) waste reduction
B) waste recycling
C) secondary pollution prevention
D) primary pollution prevention
E) integrated waste management

Question 11

Which industrialized nation has refused to sign the International Basel Convention to reduce and/or control movement of hazardous e-waste across international boundaries?

A) Canada
B) United States
C) Japan
D) South Korea
E) European Union

Question 12

E-waste can be recycled to extract ____.

A) high quality plastics
B) carbon compounds
C) enriched uranium
D) organic solids
E) personal identification information

Question 13

Which activity is the least desirable from an environmental standpoint?

A) refusing
B) reducing
C) reusing
D) repurposing
E) recycling

Question 14

Hazardous waste includes radioactive wastes,which need to be stored safely for as long as ____.

A) 15,000 years
B) 50,000 years
C) 100,000 years
D) 240,000 years
E) 1,000,000 years

Question 15

What percentage of e-waste components contain materials that could be recycled or reused?

A) 15
B) 20
C) 40
D) 60
E) 80

Question 16

Dry cell batteries and household pesticides are classified as ____.

A) industrial solid waste
B) hazardous waste
C) municipal solid waste
D) toxic solid waste
E) e-waste

Question 17

Which material takes the longest to break down?

A) plastic bottles
B) aluminum cans
C) plastic bags
D) plastic six-pack holders
E) newspapers

Question 18

Garbologists have discovered that trash in landfills is slow to decompose.Why is this?

A) Trash is compacted so tightly that the warm temperatures foster the growth of mold.
B) Trash is compacted so tightly that sunlight,water,and air are unable to reach it.
C) Measures enacted to prevent landfill pollution slow decomposition.
D) Trash is constantly mixed and turned over by bulldozers.
E) Methods of determining this are faulty;waste in landfills does decompose quickly.

Question 19

Which is least characteristic of hazardous waste?

A) flammability
B) corrosivity
C) chemical reactivity
D) toxicity
E) conductivity

Question 20

The world's largest producer of municipal solid waste (MSW)is ____.

A) China
B) India
C) the United States
D) Russia
E) Australia

Question 21

In an integrated waste management approach to solid waste,which action would be given last priority?

A) compost
B) reuse
C) reduce packaging
D) bury
E) recycle

Question 22

Which type of method uses natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb,filter,and remove contaminants from soil and water?

A) phytoremediation
B) physical methods
C) bioremediation
D) nanomagnets
E) chemical methods

Question 23

Plastic is made from ____.

A) organic molecules derived from oil and natural gas
B) melted silica sand grains
C) byproducts of coal mining
D) extraction of inorganic solids oil and natural gas
E) leachates produced by bioenzymes

Question 24

The ____ is used in the U.S.to regulate hazardous waste.

A) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
B) Comprehensive Environmental Response,Recovery,Compensation,and Liability Act
C) Superfund Act
D) Solid Waste Disposal Act
E) Clean Water Act

Question 25

Consumers of recycled products are most effective when they maximize the amount of ____ waste in the products they buy.

A) pre-producer
B) post-producer
C) pre-consumer
D) post-consumer
E) producer

Question 26

One advantage on materials recovery facilities (MRFs)is that ____.

A) combustible wastes can be burned to generate electricity
B) they are inexpensive to build
C) they reduce the production of municipal solid waste
D) electricity generation offsets emissions of toxic ash
E) they eliminate the need for source separation

Question 27

Which strategy would be most likely to discourage reuse and recycling?

A) Decrease subsidies and tax breaks for using virgin resources.
B) Increase the use of fee-per-bag waste collection systems.
C) Require government purchasing of recycled products.
D) Pass laws requiring companies take back and recycle packaging.
E) Encourage the shipping of hazardous waste to poor countries.

Question 28

Sanitary landfills typically have problems with ____.

A) rodents and insects
B) odor
C) open,uncovered garbage
D) traffic,noise,and dust
E) spread of disease

Question 29

What is the most common method of storage of hazardous wastes used in most countries of the world?

A) burial at sea
B) above ground tanks
C) inside plants and warehouses
D) land burial
E) gassification

Question 30

One characteristic of waste-to-energy incineration is that it ____.

A) is inexpensive to build
B) produces no hazardous waste
C) produces no air pollution
D) concentrates hazardous substances into ash
E) discourages waste production

Question 31

Materials that are recycled into products of the same type are undergoing ____.

A) primary recycling
B) secondary recycling
C) post-consumer recycling
D) industrial recycling
E) open loop recycling

Question 32

One advantage of bioremediation over physical and chemical methods of cleaning up hazardous wastes is that ____.

A) it is faster
B) it doesn't create any byproducts
C) it is cheaper
D) it doesn't require permitting
E) the plants create natural habitats for organisms

Question 33

A more sustainable approach to hazardous waste management is least likely to involve ____.

A) producing less
B) reusing or recycling
C) finding chemical substitutes
D) storing it
E) implementing a cap and trade system

Question 34

What is an example of an organic contaminant?

A) radioactive water
B) strontium-90
C) oil
D) Indian mustard
E) arsenic

Question 35

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using a plasma torch to detoxify hazardous waste?

A) mobility
B) toxic ash production
C) cost
D) production of SO₂ gas
E) low energy use

Question 36

Filtration and distillation are ____ methods for detoxifying hazardous waste.

A) physical
B) chemical
C) biological
D) natural
E) inexpensive

Question 37

Reusing items over and over provides several advantages.What is not one of these?

A) cutting waste
B) creating local jobs
C) cutting greenhouse gases
D) reducing bacterial infections
E) saving money

Question 38

At the checkout counter,an environmentalist is most likely to say,"____."

A) Plastic,please
B) Paper,please
C) I brought my own bag
D) Do you sell bags?
E) Either plastic or paper

Question 39

The majority of recyclable wastes are ____.

A) pre-consumer,and generated by users of the product
B) post-consumer,and generated by users of the product
C) pre-consumer,and generated in the manufacturing process
D) post-consumer,and generated in the manufacturing process
E) pre-producer,and generated by users of the product

Question 40

For recycling to be successful,three steps must be applied consistently.The three steps,in order of application,are ____.

A) collecting recyclables,converting recyclables,and buying/selling recyclables
B) buying/selling recyclables,converting recyclables,and collecting recyclables
C) collecting recyclables,converting recyclables,and storing recyclables
D) buying/selling recyclables,storing recyclables,and converting recyclables
E) collecting recyclables,buying/selling recyclables,and storing recyclables

Question 41

Large companies make more money by producing and shipping throwaway beverage and food containers from centralized facilities.

Question 42

Newspapers from 50 years ago may still be readable because trash can resist decomposition for centuries if it is not exposed to air,sunlight,water,and bacteria.

Question 43

What is an advantage of deep-well disposal of liquid hazardous wastes?

A) A large number of safe sites are available.
B) Well casings are non-corrosive.
C) Waste production is discouraged.
D) Carbon dioxide and other air pollutants are not emitted.
E) Wastes can often be retrieved.

Question 44

One method of biomimicry,in which the wastes produced by one manufacturer become the raw materials for another manufacturer,is called ____.

A) waste transference
B) the reusability web
C) the precautionary principle
D) a resource exchange web
E) ecoindustrialism

Question 45

Which statement about "bottle bills" is true?

A) They tax consumers who don't carry reusable containers.
B) They require a deposit for every bottle purchased,and refund the deposit when the bottle is returned.
C) They have been adopted in over 25 states.
D) They discourage theft.
E) They tax bottle manufacturers.

Question 46

Outputs of hazardous waste can be reduced by relying less on ____ and more on ____.

A) fossil fuels;nuclear energy
B) fossil fuels;renewable energy
C) preventative strategies;renewable energy
D) governments;citizens
E) citizens;governments

Question 47

Which principle about the transition to a low-waste society is false?

A) Economic growth and free markets reduce waste.
B) Everything is connected.
C) There is no "away."
D) Polluters and producers should pay for the wastes they produce.
E) We can mimic nature by reusing,recycling,and composting.

Question 48

The products of composting can be used to slow soil erosion,retain water,and improve crop yields.

Question 49

Plastics are routinely recycled because they are composed of pure resins that can be extracted and used for other plastic products.

Question 50

Polluting factories,hazardous waste dumps,incinerators,and landfills in the U.S.are located least in communities populated by ____.

A) African Americans
B) Asian Americans
C) Caucasians
D) Latinos
E) working poor

Question 51

Reusing products can be a health hazard for the poor in developing countries who dismantle products with hazardous materials to extract usable parts.

Question 52

Which method is not used to detoxify hazardous and toxic wastes?

A) phytoremediation
B) crushing and grinding
C) bioremediation
D) nanomagnetism
E) chemical treatment

Question 53

Integrated Waste Management involves using strategies for waste disposal and waste reduction.

Question 54

____ are lined ponds,pits,or lagoons where liquid hazardous wastes are stored.

A) Hazardous waste basins
B) Surface impoundments
C) Sludge ponds
D) Dead zones
E) Surficial waste installations

Question 55

Upcycling is an example of ____.

A) refusing
B) reusing
C) reducing
D) redistributing
E) regulating

Question 56

It is currently impossible to separate plastics from each other by type and grade in a mixed waste stream.

Question 57

The European Union has an approach to e-waste,known as the cradle-to-grave approach,which requires manufacturers to provide health benefits from cradle-to-grave.

Question 58

The incineration of hazardous wastes is quick,conserves space,and reduces waste volume but is not used because of the increased water pollution that results.

Question 59

Most environmental scientists call for a much greater emphasis on waste reduction than waste disposal.

Question 60

Of the following methods of dealing with hazardous wastes,the most desirable is ____.

A) incineration
B) conversion to less hazardous materials
C) perpetual storage
D) deposit in ocean trenches
E) recycling and reusing hazardous wastes

Question 61

____________ ____________ is an ideal where every person is entitle to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race,gender,or other factors.

Question 62

A(n)________________ waste collection system charges consumers for the amount of waste they throw away.

Question 63

____________________ involves using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb,filter,and remove contaminants.

Question 64

Burial or long-term storage of hazardous waste is the first priority for environmental scientists.

Question 65

Large beverage industries have used their political and financial clout to force most U.S.states to pass bottle bills.

Question 66

From an environmental standpoint,the first two Rs,____________________ and ____________________,are better alternatives because they are input or prevention approaches.

Question 67

One third of industrial hazardous wastes in the European Union are sold as ____________________ for use by other industries.

Question 68

____________________ incinerators produce less greenhouse gases and other air pollutants than do modern landfills.

Question 69

____________________ laws require companies to take back various consumer products instead of having them put in landfills or incinerated.

Question 70

____________________ is the combined solid waste produced by homes and workplaces.

Question 71

About 67% by weight of MSW in the U.S.is buried in ____________________,which have liner containment systems on the sides and bottom.

Question 72

It is likely that every person on the earth has detectable levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)in their body.

Question 73

____________________ utilizes bacteria and enzymes instead of plants to filter or destroy hazardous substances.

Question 74

____________________ is the fastest-growing solid waste problem in the United States and in the world.

Question 75

NIMBY calls for drastically reducing production of toxic and hazardous wastes by emphasizing pollution prevention and using the precautionary principle.

Question 76

Most analysts call for using ____________________,which is a variety of strategies for both waste reduction and waste management.

Question 77

____________________ is a form of recycling that mimics nature's recycling of nutrients.

Question 78

_______________ is the science and art of discovering and using natural principles to help solve human problems.

Question 79

At sanitary landfills,consideration of leachate is of most importance as far as environmental preservation is concerned.

Question 80

Of the two types of recyclable waste,_______________ waste makes up more than three-fourths of the total.