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 a gas. Includes
everything from junk mail to and coffee grounds to junked cars. In
America we produce about 10 million tons of solid waste.

(2) Why has the amount of waste produced

doubled in the U.S. since the 1960s? - Although
Americans generate the most waste, other countries are also
throwing away an increasing amount of trash. Every year, the
amount of waste increases in every country.

(3) Compare and contrast biodegradable versus

non-biodegradable materials. Provide an example
of each as well. - A biodegradable material is a material that
can be broken down by living things. A non-biodegradable is a
plastic that are put together in molecular chains.

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

(about 70%)? - Most of are solid waste comes from
manufacturing and mining.

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

the largest portion of this waste (Figure 12-8)? Municipal solid waste is trash produced by household and
businesses. The largest portion of municipal solid waste is paper
and cardboard.

(6) What percentage of our trash is recycled? Only

25% of trash is recycled in this world.

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

(you can use Figure 12-9)? - The trash that is not
recycled goes to stored landfills.

(8) Describe three problems with storing waste in

landfills. Landfills are safer than the open dumps of the past
which produced obnoxious smells and providing breeding grounds
for flies and rats. Leachate is water that has toxic chemical
dissolved in the landfills. Methane can seep into basements of
homes and cause explosions.

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

space (use Figure 12-12)? - In the next 10 years it is
expected to run of landfill space.

(10) Describe two problems with incinerating

waste. polluting the air, converting to ashes, can
be buried being more toxic.