Question 1

Which of the following has the greatest percent recovery through recycling?
A)Auto batteries
B)Aluminum cans
C)Plastic
D)Glass
E)Tires

Accepted Answer

Auto batteries have the highest recycling rate among the options listed, with a recovery rate often exceeding 90%. This is due to the established infrastructure for collecting and recycling lead-acid batteries, making them one of the most successfully recycled consumer products.

Question 2

The questions of ________ and ________ are among the biggest problems in cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
A)liability;degree of purity required
B)appropriate technology;location
C)appropriate technology;liability
D)degree of purity required;appropriate technology
E)location;cost

Accepted Answer

Liability and the degree of purity required are major issues in cleaning up hazardous waste sites because determining who is responsible for the cleanup and to what extent the cleanup must be done are complex and critical considerations.

Question 3

The major disadvantage of incinerating waste is
A)it costs more than landfilling.
B)it produces significant air pollution.
C)it cannot be done without first sorting the wastes.
D)both it costs more than landfilling and it produces significant air pollution are correct.
E)both it costs more than landfilling and it cannot be done without first sorting the wastes are correct.

Accepted Answer

Incinerating waste is generally more expensive than landfilling due to the technology and energy required for burning waste safely. Additionally, it can produce significant air pollution, including toxic gases and particulate matter, if not properly managed.

Question 4

Secure landfills are usually sealed with gravel.

Accepted Answer

Secure landfills are typically sealed with layers of clay and plastic liners to prevent leakage of hazardous substances into the environment, not with gravel.

Question 5

Using the heat from a trash incinerator to power nearby facilities is a process known as
A)energy recovery.
B)recycling.
C)massburn.
D)composting.

Accepted Answer

Energy recovery is the process of converting waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through various processes, including incineration. Using the heat generated from a trash incinerator to power nearby facilities is a form of energy recovery, where the energy from waste is captured and utilized, rather than being wasted.

Question 6

Which of the following has the greatest percent recovery through recycling in 2010?
A)yard waste
B)paper and paperboard
C)metals
D)glass
E)plastics

Accepted Answer

Yard waste had the highest recycling rate in 2010, with a significant percentage being composted or otherwise recovered.

Question 7

The US stopped all dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1958.

Accepted Answer

The US officially banned the dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1988 with the enactment of the Ocean Dumping Ban Act.

Question 8

Chemical processing is a way of ________ hazardous waste for safe disposal.
A)reducing the volume of
B)neutralizing
C)incinerating
D)filtering and precipitating
E)acidifying

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chemical processing is a way of ________...

Question 9

According to the EPA,the US produces ________ tons of solid waste per year.
A)9 million
B)70 million
C)800 million
D)11 billion
E)123 billion

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D: 11 billion. According to the EPA, the US produces 11 billion tons of solid waste per year.

Question 10

Biological treatments of hazardous waste involve ________ hazardous substances.
A)using plants,bacteria or fungi to absorb and detoxify
B)the genetic alteration of species suffering from
C)using microorganisms to disperse
D)special organic chemical processing of
E)None of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

Biological treatments of hazardous waste typically involve using plants, bacteria, or fungi to absorb and detoxify hazardous substances, leveraging their natural metabolic processes to break down or sequester pollutants.

Question 11

Secure landfills are those that
A)have no groundwater below them.
B)accept no toxic substances.
C)are built like a bathtub with a lid.
D)are sealed entirely with durable plastic.
E)are sealed entirely with concrete.

Accepted Answer

Secure landfills are designed to minimize the risk of environmental contamination, often resembling a bathtub with a lid to contain waste materials and prevent them from leaking into the surrounding environment.

Question 12

Brownfields are
A)landfills that have been converted to farmland.
B)contaminated areas in cities that have to be abandoned.
C)facilities that use plants to convert hazardous wastes to less harmful substances.
D)farmland that has been made useless because of improper disposal of toxic waste.
E)abandoned land in cities that are put to use for community gardens or other green space.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Brownfields are
A)landfills that have been converted to...

Question 13

Illegal dumping and storage of hazardous waste
A)continues to threaten public health.
B)has completely stopped since the Superfund Act.
C)has not stopped completely but is rare.
D)has become a problem mainly since the Superfund Act.
E)will always be present because people are not concerned about toxic wastes.

Accepted Answer

Illegal dumping and storage of hazardous waste continues to threaten public health despite regulations like the Superfund Act, which aims to address and clean up such issues.

Question 14

In terms of cost and safety,one of the best ways to manage hazardous waste is to produce less hazardous waste.

Accepted Answer

Producing less hazardous waste reduces the need for costly disposal methods and minimizes the risk of environmental contamination and human exposure, making it a cost-effective and safe approach to waste management.

Question 15

The National Priority List is a list of sites that
A)we currently have money to deal with.
B)deserve research for possible cleanup.
C)will probably never be cleaned up.
D)seriously require cleanup to prevent further environmental and health damage.
E)are especially vulnerable to hazardous wastes (e.g. ,aquifer recharge zones)and are not available for future building permits.

Accepted Answer

The National Priority List (NPL) is a list of hazardous waste sites in the United States identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as needing long-term remedial action to prevent or mitigate damage to public health or the environment.

Question 16

A single PVC bottle in a truckload of PET plastic could make the PET useless for recycling.

Accepted Answer

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) contamination in PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) recycling streams can cause problems during the recycling process, such as degrading the quality of the recycled PET, making it less useful or even useless for certain applications.

Question 17

Photodegradable plastics can breakdown in a landfill.

Accepted Answer

Photodegradable plastics require exposure to light to break down, and in a landfill, they are typically buried and not exposed to sufficient light to initiate the degradation process.

Question 18

Using bacteria to 'eat' the oil from an oil spill would be an example of
A)energy recovery.
B)bioremediation.
C)phytoremediation.
D)brownfield recovery.

Accepted Answer

Bioremediation is the process of using organisms, such as bacteria, to neutralize or remove pollution from a contaminated area. In the context of an oil spill, certain bacteria can consume the oil, thereby cleaning up the spill.

Question 19

E-waste is a bigger problem in
A)developing countries.
B)developed countries.
C)the United States.
D)Europe.
E)Central America.

Accepted Answer

Developing countries face a larger issue with e-waste due to the importation of used electronic devices and the lack of proper recycling facilities.

Question 20

Toxic landfills are frequently located in ________ areas.
A)wilderness
B)urban
C)rural
D)nonpopulated
E)suburban

Accepted Answer

The answer of Toxic landfills are frequently located in ________...

Quiz 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste

Which of the following has the greatest percent recovery through recycling?

The questions of and are among the biggest problems in cleaning up hazardous waste sites.

The major disadvantage of incinerating waste is

Secure landfills are usually sealed with gravel.

Using the heat from a trash incinerator to power nearby facilities is a process known as

Which of the following has the greatest percent recovery through recycling in 2010?

The US stopped all dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1958.

Chemical processing is a way of ________ hazardous waste for safe disposal.

According to the EPA,the US produces ________ tons of solid waste per year.

Biological treatments of hazardous waste involve ________ hazardous substances.

Secure landfills are those that

Brownfields are

Illegal dumping and storage of hazardous waste

In terms of cost and safety,one of the best ways to manage hazardous waste is to produce less hazardous waste.

The National Priority List is a list of sites that

A single PVC bottle in a truckload of PET plastic could make the PET useless for recycling.

Photodegradable plastics can breakdown in a landfill.

Using bacteria to 'eat' the oil from an oil spill would be an example of

E-waste is a bigger problem in

Toxic landfills are frequently located in ________ areas.