Deck 12: Solid and Liquid Wastes

Question 1

The growing solid waste problem is characterized by which of the following?

A) Increasing amounts of municipal solid waste
B) Increasing costs of tipping fees
C) Filling up and closing landfills in some areas of the United States
D) More garbage produced by developing countries
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following is the most favored method for waste management?

A) Source reduction
B) Recycling
C) Offsite composting
D) Waste combustion
E) Landfilling

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Source reduction involves which of the following activities?

A) Production of new bottles from used bottles
B) Offsite composting
C) Less wasteful package designs
D) Reprocessing of aluminum cans
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The advantages of recycling include:

A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
B) preventing water pollution.
C) preserving raw materials.
D) decreasing burden on landfills.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following is inappropriate for composting?

A) Fats, oils, grease
B) Fruit and vegetable scraps
C) Yard clippings
D) Coffee grounds
E) Wool and cotton rags

Question 6

The term recycling usually applies to all the following, except:

A) discarding materials in landfills.
B) resale of unwanted items.
C) reuse of items in their original form onsite.
D) reuse of materials in a new form.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 7

Which of the following is the most frequently recycled material?

A) Paper
B) Landscaping materials
C) Beverage containers
D) Used automobile batteries
E) None of these is correct.

Question 8

Hazards associated with sanitary landfill operations include:

A) spreading of disease by scavenging animals.
B) leaching of nutrients into adjacent waterways.
C) air pollution.
D) release of VOCs.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 9

What percentage of the total municipal solid waste stream is contributed by paper?

A) Approximately 10%
B) Approximately 25%
C) Approximately 50%
D) Approximately 75%
E) Approximately 3%

Question 10

Which of the following statements about incineration is false?

A) High temperatures deactivate pathogens.
B) Air pollution can be reduced by the use of scrubbers.
C) Usually no attempt is made to sort the trash.
D) Combustion removes all carcinogens and heavy metals.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 11

According to the EPA, which of the following has the potential for greatly reducing the amount of materials that must be disposed of in landfills, as about one-quarter of household wastes consists of clippings from gardens and food waste?

A) Recycling
B) Compositing
C) Landfills
D) Incineration

Question 12

Since 1991, who has assumed the primary role of regulating medical wastes by applying guidance acquired from the Medical Waste Tracking Act?

A) Hospitals and medical facilities
B) Local municipalities
C) State regulators
D) Environmental Protection Agency

Question 13

Which of the following is the most frequently employed method for disposal of hazardous wastes?

A) Recycling
B) Composting
C) Incineration
D) Land disposal units

Question 14

The materials that are most amenable to recycling include automobile batteries, paper, and landscaping materials.

Question 15

Although they may be placed in landfills, wastes from construction sites, sludge from wastewater treatment, and industrial wastes that are nonhazardous are all considered to be municipal solid wastes.

Question 16

When the Medical Waste Tracking Act (MWTA) of 1988 ended, the EPA decided that the risk of medical waste was far greater to the general public than to medical workers.

Question 17

__________ legislation mandates the cleanup of hazardous waste sites in the United States.

Question 18

Two important components of __________ are waste reduction and waste recycling.

Question 19

__________ refers to water that collects contaminants as it trickles through wastes, pesticides, or fertilizers.

Question 20

Discuss the significance of the Love Canal incident to the field of environmental health.