Chapter 12 Waste NotesGuiding

Questions
p. 303-309

(1) What is solid waste? Any discarded material

that is not a liquid or gas. How much of it do we
produce in the U.S. each year? 220 million tons.
(2) Why has the amount of waste produced
doubled in the U.S. since the 1960s? most products
are designed to be used once then thrown away.
(3) Compare and contrast biodegradable versus
non-biodegradable materials. Provide an example
of each as well. Biodegradable materials can
disintegrate and not hurt the environment. If you
threw a banana or orange peel out of the window it
would disintegrate and help the environment and
fertilize the soil. Non- biodegradable materials like
plastic dont dissolve and help the environment
and stay on earth for hundreds of years.
(4) Where does most of our solid waste come from
(about 70%)? It comes from manufacturing and
mining.
(5) What is municipal solid waste? What makes up
the largest portion of this waste (Figure 12-8)? It is

the trash produced by households and businesses.

Paper is the culprit.
(6) What percentage of our trash is recycled? Only
25%
(7) Where does our trash that is not recycled go
(you can use Figure 12-9)? Landfills
(8) Describe three problems with storing waste in
landfills. They pollute the air and soil, leachate
(water with toxic chemicals), and the methane
which is highly flammable.
(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. The methane when burned causes toxins to
enter the atmosphere deeper and the ashes from
the waste does not disappear.