Brianna Cabrera

English Honors

11/15/16
3rd Period

Chapter 12 Waste NotesGuiding

Questions
p. 303-309

(1) What is solid waste? How much of it do we

produce in the U.S. each year?
Solid waste is any discarded material that is not a liquid or gas.
We produce about 200,000 tons a year.

(2) Why has the amount of waste produced

doubled in the U.S. since the 1960s?
The increase of waste is tied to an increasing dependence on
disposable products.

(3) Compare and contrast biodegradable versus

non biodegradable materials. Provide an example
of each as well.

Brianna Cabrera
English Honors

11/15/16
3rd Period

BIODEGRADEBLE
a material that can
be broken down by
living things into
simpler chemicals
that can be
consumed by living
things.
Example:
newspaper

NONBIIODEGRADEA
BLE
a material that can
not be broken down
by living things,
living things can
not consume them
Example: plastic

Same
they are both waste
products
they both
eventually break
down

(4) Where does most of our solid waste come from

(about 70%)?
Manufacturing and mining

(5) What is municipal solid waste? What makes up

the largest portion of this waste (Figure 12-8)?
Municipal waste is the trash produced by households and
businesses. Paper and cardboard makes up the largest portion of
this waste.

(6) What percentage of our trash is recycled?

Over 25% of our trash is recycled.

(7) Where does our trash that is not recycled go

(you can use Figure 12-9)?

Brianna Cabrera
English Honors

11/15/16
3rd Period

They go to landfills.

(8) Describe three problems with storing waste in

landfills.
1. Leachate- water that contains toxic chemicals dissolved from
waste in landfills.
2. Methane- highly flammable
3. Take up lots of space

(9) When is NC estimated to run out of landfill

space (use Figure 12-12)?
5-10 years

(10) Describe two problems with incinerating

waste.
1. Waste that is burned does not disappear
2. Need certain amount of waste to keep running