CHAPTER 16SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE

MC

Electronic waste
All of the above are correct

The International Basel Convention bans the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to
developing countries. The United States
is the only industrialized nation that has not ratified this convention

The banning of TV set and computer disposal in landfills by 35 states in the U.S. is expected to
set the stage for an emerging highly profitable e-recycling industry

E-waste is a source of which of the following pollutants of air and water?

polyvinylchloride (PVC)

Garbage produced directly by households and businesses accounts for ____ of the solid waste
produced in the United States.
less than 2%

Hazardous or toxic waste is waste that

all of these

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Which category most accurately describes waste such as food wastes, cardboard, cans, bottles, yard
wastes, furniture, plastics, metal, glass, and e-waste?
municipal solid waste

The top three U.S. producers of hazardous waste, in order, are

the military, the chemical industry, and the mining industry

In an integrated waste management approach, which of the following strategies should be given top
priority?
reduce

An integrated waste management approach for industrial enterprises

eliminates unnecessary packaging

Which of the following choices describe an input approach to the problem of waste production?
reduce packaging and materials for new products and purchase fewer household
items

The first priority of integrated waste management is

Both c and d

Which of the three Rs are preferred because they are input approaches to waste management?
reducing and reusing

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At the checkout counter, an environmentalist is most likely to say
"I brought my own bag."

Which of the following statements is false?

Source separation is more costly and energy intensive.

Source separation differs from materials-recovery facilities in all but which of the following?
It provides fewer jobs per unit of material recycled.

Which of the following are types of waste that a homeowner can recycle in their backyard as part of a
composting project?
all of these except discarded paints and stains

Critics of recycling are most likely to claim:

It doesn't make sense to recycle if it costs more than sending wastes to a landfill or
an incinerator.

Obstacles to recycling include

all of these answers

Only about 7% of ______ products are recycled in the United States because there are so many
different types that can be difficult to separate.

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 plastic

You are the vice-president of a transportation company. You are presenting a proposal to the company
president and owners that involves recycling of the tires that are removed from company vehicles and
turning them into a rubberized playground material to be sold to schools and parks. Your proposal is
based on

secondary recycling

What is a law that has been enacted in Bangladesh, China, France, Italy and the city of San Francisco,
California, USA?
Plastic shopping bags have been banned.

Components of a modern, state-of-the-art landfill include

all of these answers

A 2007 report by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a nonprofit organization, indicates
that:
Radioactive materials from facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Energy
have been deposited in regular landfills.

Sanitary landfills typically have problems with

traffic, noise, and dust

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Of the two types of dumps utilized for solid waste, open dumps
are rare in developed countries

Many concerned citizens oppose using incinerators to burn waste because

All of these answers

A very comprehensive and effective hazardous-waste collection and detoxification program is in

Denmark

Bioremediation
involves the use of bacteria and enzymes to destroy hazardous substances

Phytoremediation
involves the use of plants to remove contaminants from polluted soil and water

The first priority in dealing with hazardous wastes is

to produce less of it

Hazardous waste deposited in ponds or lagoons

all of these answers

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The least-used method of dealing with liquid and solid hazardous waste is ____ because of the ____.
secure hazardous waste landfills, expense

Phytoremediation is a form of bioremediation that

involves the use of plants

When hazardous wastes are injected into deep underground wells:

Both leaks and spills can occur at the surface and we are utilizing another output
approach that encourages waste production.

The Superfund program paid

to identify and clean up hazardous-waste dump sites

All of the following are true about the Superfund program except
All of the sites originally listed as a severe threat to human health were cleaned up.

Approximately 9 million childhood lead poisonings were prevented in the United States between 1976
and 2007 primarily because of
a ban on the use of lead-based paints and leaded gasoline

Exposure to lead continues to cause unsafe levels in children in the United States. The source(s) of this
lead is
all of these answers

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The idea that everyone is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender,
age, national origin, income, social class, or any political factor is called
environmental justice

In 1992, the ___________ banned the shipment of hazardous materials from developed to developing
countries.
Basel Convention

Which of the following countries has passed a law that states all chemicals that are persistent and can
accumulate in living tissue will be banned by the year 2020?
Sweden

In 2000, delegates from 122 countries completed a global treaty to control 12 persistent organic
pollutants (POPs), which include
DDT

Which of the following statements is correct?

We should view hazardous wastes as something we should not be producing in the
first place.

TF

Less use of energy will produce less waste but more pollution.F

Composting and source-separation recycling are both effective in reducing waste.T

Both solid waste and hazardous waste disposal today compromise the environment.T

Most scientists think that waste management should be the last priority for dealing with material use
and solid waste.T

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Reusing products can be a health hazard for the poor in developing countries who dismantle products
to extract usable parts.T

The products of composting can be used to slow soil erosion, retain water, and improve crop yields.T

Countries in which governments offer increased subsidies and tax breaks for reusing and recycling
materials are more environmentally sustainable than those that do not.T

In primary recycling, waste products are converted into different products.F

The best and cheapest ways to deal with solid and hazardous wastes are waste reduction and pollution
prevention.T

Restructuring urban transportation systems is a good idea from the perspective of reducing energy use,
but it would have no effect on resource use and waste production.F

Plastic shopping bag use is taxed in Ireland and Scotland.F

Closed-loop recycling is the same as secondary recycling.F

The recycling of plastic bottles to make fleece fabric for clothing is a type of secondary recycling.T
The availability of oil and petrochemicals effectively stalled the development of bioplastic.T

Perpetual storage should be the last resort for dealing with hazardous wastes.T

Once lead was eliminated from gasoline, the problem of unsafe blood levels of lead in young children
ceased in the United States.F

In the natural world, where humans are not dominant, there is essentially no waste.T

COMPLETION

____________________ are chemical substances that persist in the environment and accumulate in the
fatty tissues of humans and other organisms.
Persistent organic pollutants
POPs

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Tires being shredded and converted into surfacing for public roads is an example of
____________________.
secondary recycling

____________________ are inefficient because they are expensive to build, they discharge toxic
emissions, and they can produce a toxic ash.
Materials-recovery facilities
MRF

The ____________________ approach to recycling saves energy, provides jobs, and educates people
about how to reduce waste.
source separation

Contaminated water that leaks from landfills is called ____________________.

leachate

The top priority in dealing with hazardous waste should be the same as the top priority for solid waste,
and that is ____________________.
pollution prevention

The pricing of hazardous materials used in the U.S. and most countries does not include their
____________________.
harmful environmental costs

The type of waste produced by mines, agriculture, and industries that supply people with goods and
services is called ____________________.
industrial solid waste

Hospital medical waste is a type of ____________________.

hazardous waste
toxic waste

In the United States, enough ____________________ are used each year so that, if linked end to end,
they would reach to the moon and back seven times.
disposable diapers

Online sites such as ____________________ link people who want to reuse belongings.
eBay
Craigslist

____________________ is a form of recycling that mimics natures recycling of nutrients.

Composting

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A method of dealing with solid waste that causes a low amount of water pollution, but a high amount
of air pollution, is ____________________.
incineration

The use of bacteria and enzymes to convert toxic or hazardous substances to harmless compounds is
called ____________________.
bioremediation

According to the EPA, all impoundment liners eventually ____________________.

leak

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MATCHING

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

1. Which area is a methane gas recovery well? C

2. Which area represents monitoring wells? B
3. Which area contains compacted solid wastes? A
4. Which area is a methane storage area? D

Considering the priorities suggested by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for integrated waste
management, match the priority level with the appropriate action below.
a. first priority c. third priority
b. second priority

5. Buy soft drinks in glass containers. B

6. Incinerate waste. C
7. Use less garden pesticides. A
8. Bury waste in landfills. C
9. Change industrial processes to eliminate use of harmful chemicals. A
10. Compost your vegetable scraps. B
11. Make cars that last longer. A
12. Buy foods such as grains and dried fruits in bulk. A
13. Treat waste with bioremediation. C
14. Repair an old bicycle and donate it to a childrens group. B

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