Exam 17: Managing Our Waste

If reducing waste can increase efficiency, why is the output of industrial waste still so great? What is the application of industrial ecology and life-cycle analysis to these problems?

Use the figure above to answer the following question -The amount of waste sent to landfills leveled off around _______________.

Use the figure above to answer the following question -Of the following, the ________________ demonstrated the greatest rate of increase in total municipal solid waste generated.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of incinerating trash? How have these problems been dealt with in most developed countries?

________________ is the conversion of organic waste into mulch or humus.

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. The prevalence of ʺthrowaway mentalitiesʺ and increased packaging has amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive. Further packaging also preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of non -refillable beverage containers and McDonaldʹs restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard (uncorrugated thin coated board) can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and squashed plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low -density polyethylene, or LDPE (recycling symbol #4), from grocery bags is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE (symbol #1), and high-density polyethylene, or HDPE (symbol #2), are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and so it is considered a contaminant as well. -Plastic __________.

The second step in the recycling loop is ________________.

Deep-well injection ________________.

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following: -Often the primary contributor to solid waste in developing nations

Of the following, ________________ are classified as hazardous heavy metals.

The Trash Track project ________________.

The current state of e-wastes is that ________________.

There are three main disposal methods for hazardous waste. One is landfills. Describe how hazardous waste landfills differ from ordinary sanitary landfills. Briefly discuss the other two ways that hazardous waste is contained.

Briefly describe the three main components of waste management. Which method is preferred?

Use the figure above to answer the following question -From the 1960s to the present, the trend has been that ____________ over time.

Heavy metals ________________.

As of 2014, under the jurisdiction of the EPA, approximately ________________ % of hazardous sites identified under CERCLA as a national priority have been cleaned up.

Approximately ________________ % of all U.S. residents are served by curbside recycling programs, and the part of the U.S. waste stream that is recycled is currently about %.

Life-cycle analysis ________________.

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. The prevalence of ʺthrowaway mentalitiesʺ and increased packaging has amplified the consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive. Further packaging also preserves freshness, prevents breakage, protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills. Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the use of non -refillable beverage containers and McDonaldʹs restaurants in Austria and Sweden have been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle bills and municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard (uncorrugated thin coated board) can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value. After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and squashed plastic is recycled into carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low -density polyethylene, or LDPE (recycling symbol #4), from grocery bags is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE (symbol #1), and high-density polyethylene, or HDPE (symbol #2), are the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides, and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not collected with other plastics and so it is considered a contaminant as well. -Paper and plastic waste share the following characteristics: ____________________.