YOUR NAME: .......................................................................

APES
MONDAY TOPIC TEST (without notes and books)
9th April 2018

SOLID & HAZARDOUS WASTE POLLUTION

(50 POINTS)

Answer the multiple choice questions by indicating your answers in the correct manner on the
answer grid.

1. Approximately 70% of the world’s electronic waste (ewaste) ends up

a. in land fills
b. recycled
c. shipped to China and India
d. in the oceans
e. incinerated

2. E-waste (electronic waste) is often labeled as material to be recycled and sent to undeveloped
countries, where workers recover a small amount of valuable metals from the waste and then the
remainder is burned or dumped in landfills, releasing toxic pollutants such as dioxins. This is
frequently used a means of bypassing the
a. Clean Air Act
b. Kyoto Protocol
c. International Basel Convention
d. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
e. Non-proliferation Treaty

3. Which of the following is not a type of e-waste?

a. discarded TV sets
b. discarded computer printer paper
c. discarded cell phones
d. discarded e-toys
e. discarded computer monitors

4. Waste that includes paper, food wastes, cans, bottles, yard waste, glass, wood, and similar items is
called
a. industrial solid waste
b. hazardous waste
c. municipal solid waste
d. toxic solid waste
e. ewaste

5. Hazardous waste includes radioactive wastes, which will have to be stored safely for as long as
a. 15,000 years
b. 50,000 years
c. 100,000 years
d. 240,000 years
e. 1,000,000 years
6. How much of the waste we mix, crush, and bury could actually be recycled?
a. 33%
b. 50%
c. 67%
d. 75%
e. 90%

7. The United States has about 4.6% of the world's population. How much of the world's solid waste
does the United States produce?
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 25%
d. 50%
e. 75%

8. For the production of each 0.5 kg of electronics in a computer, how much solid and liquid wastes
are produced?
a. 3,600 kg
b. 1,000 kg
c. 500 kg
d. 250 kg
e. 10 kg

9. Which of the below is NOT a form of bioremediation?

a. integrated pest management (IPM)
b. rhizofiltration
c. phytostabilisation
d. phytodegradation
e. phytoextraction

10. One way to attempt to deal with the solid wastes we create is to attempt to reduce the
environmental impact without trying to reduce the amount of waste produced. This is called
a. waste reduction
b. waste prevention
c. secondary pollution prevention
d. primary pollution prevention
e. waste management

11. The percentage of U.S. municipal solid waste which is packaging is about
a. 7%
b. 14%
c. 25%
d. 32%
e. 54%

12. In a low-waste approach, which of the following strategies should be given lowest priority?
a. incinerate
b. reuse
c. reduce
d. bury
e. recycle

13. Taking a refillable coffee cup to the office and using it instead of throwaway cups is an example of
a. refuse
b. reduce
c. reuse
d. repurpose
e. recycle
14. Which of the following is the least desirable from an environmental standpoint?
a. refuse
b. reduce
c. reuse
d. repurpose
e. recycle

15. What percentage of solid and hazardous waste could be eliminated through reduction, reuse, and
recycling, in a low-waste society?
a. 5–10%
b. 15–25%
c. 25–50%
d. 65–80%
e. 75–90%

16. All of the following reflect a low-waste approach, except

a. extending the useful lifetime for a product
b. designing products that pollute less when used
c. built-in obsolescence
d. modular construction for repair
e. eliminating unnecessary packaging

17. Which is the most advanced approach?

a. recycling materials
b. using biodegradable material
c. creating more durable products
d. reducing the amount of materials used
e. reusing materials

18. As a form of waste reduction, reuse does all of the following, except:
a. decreases the use of matter resources
b. decreases the use of energy resources
c. cuts pollution and waste
d. creates local jobs
e. costs money

19. The most energy-efficient beverage container on the market is

a. refillable glass
b. recyclable aluminum
c. stainless steel
d. recyclable plastic
e. carton

20. At the checkout counter, an environmentalist is most likely to

a. say "Plastic please."
b. say "Paper please."
c. say "I brought my own bag."
d. walk out of the store
e. say “Either plastic or paper.”

21. Compost is most accurately described as

a. manure
b. landfill byproducts
c. pure garbage
d. soil conditioner and organic fertilizer
e. humus
22. Which of the following is the biggest producer in the United States of toxic and hazardous waste?
a. the chemical industry
b. the mining industry
c. the military
d. hospitals and medical centres
e. farms and agriculture industry

23. Source separation differs from materials-recovery facilities in all but which of the following?
a. it is cheaper.
b. it yields cleaner and more valuable recyclables.
c. it produces less air and water pollution.
d. it encourages higher throughput of matter.
e. it saves more energy and provides more jobs per unit of material recycled

24. Recycling aluminum (Al) cans saves about 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum
cans from raw materials. How many Al cans can be made out of recycled Al with the same amount
of energy that it takes to make one Al can out of new material?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 5
d. 10
e. 20

25. Consumers of recycled products are most effective when they maximize the amount of _____
waste in the products.
a. pre-producer
b. post-producer
c. pre-consumer
d. post-consumer
e. producer

26. In order to decompose waste in landfills as quickly as possible, which of the following are needed?
a. light
b. oxygen and moisture
c. anaerobic conditions
d. cool conditions
e. heat

27. Scientists are investigating biological alternatives to plastics. These are called bioplastics. Which of
the following is NOT a material from which bioplastics can be made?
a. chicken feathers
b. corn (maize)
c. soy
d. sugarcane
e. all of the above are suitable materials

28. Which of the following is not true of plastic materials?

a. they decompose readily in landfills.
b. toxic lead and cadmium can leach out of plastics.
c. they can harm animals that swallow them or become entangled in them.
d. they are made of many different types of resins.
e. they are unnecessarily and excessively used as single-use and throw-away packaging.
29. One method to remove contaminants such as cesium-137 from surface soil would be
a. use phytoremediation, allowing plants' roots to absorb toxins by rhizofiltration
b. use a plasma arc torch to incinerate the toxins in situ
c. treat a surface impoundment with a liner
d. spray the surface with genetically engineered bacteria that break down cesium-137
e. burn and replace the soil

30. Plastic is not recycled at a high rate for all of the following reasons, except
a. separating the many resins used is difficult.
b. plastics contain stabilizers and other chemicals that must be removed.
c. the amount of plastic resin in each item is small.
d. the price of oil has made it cheaper to use virgin resin.
e. health concerns exist about continual use of plastic.

31. In order for an incinerator to be a safe alternative for waste disposal all of the following must be
done, except
a. find a use for the heat generated.
b. control release of CO2.
c. monitor for toxic metals.
d. monitor and remove toxic fly ash.
e. dispose of hazardous materials in an approved landfill.

32. Incinerators
a. create many low-paying jobs
b. are inexpensive to build
c. are inexpensive to operate and maintain
d. produce toxic substances in fly ash and bottom ash
e. create few high paying jobs

33. Sanitary landfills typically have problems with

a. rodents and insects
b. odor
c. open, uncovered garbage
d. traffic, noise, and dust
e. spread of disease

34. The top priority when dealing with hazardous waste should be
a. making it less toxic
b. making certain it is stored properly
c. pollution prevention and waste reduction
d. making certain it is transported safely
e. protecting groundwater

35. What is environmental justice?

a. an ideal in which everyone is entitled to protection from environmental hazards
b. laws which are used to prevent and prohibit environmental contamination
c. a branch of law which can be studied at university
d. laws which ensure that anyone who contaminates the public environment will be treated in
exactly the same way as any other person in another State of the United States
e. ways in which to mitigate against industries which pollute rivers

36. All of the following are means of detoxifying hazardous and toxic wastes, except
a. phytoremediation
b. crushing and grinding
c. bioremediation
d. nanomagnets
e. chemical methods
37. Since 1995, the 'Superfund' Act has been primarily funded by
a. identified polluters
b. taxes on all industries
c. taxes on all industries and fines on identified polluters
d. taxpayers
e. Superfund is no longer a funded program.

38. Which of the following is a disadvantage of using a plasma torch to detoxify hazardous waste?
a. mobility
b. toxic ash production
c. cost
d. production of SO2 gas
e. low energy use

39. Which of the following methods uses natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter, and
remove contaminants from soil and water?
a. phytoremediation
b. physical methods
c. bioremediation
d. nanomagnets
e. chemical methods

40. Which of the following is the most common method of storage of hazardous wastes used in most
countries of the world?
a. burial at sea
b. above ground tanks
c. inside plants and warehouses
d. land burial
e. glassification

41. What percentage of liquid hazardous waste in the U.S. is injected into deep disposal wells?
a. 34%
b. 14%
c. 54%
d. 24%
e. 64%

42. Of the following methods of reducing hazardous wastes, the most desirable is
a. incineration
b. conversion to less hazardous materials
c. perpetual storage
d. deposit in ocean trenches
e. recycling and reusing hazardous wastes

43. What percentage of the hazardous waste produced in the U.S. is regulated by the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act?
a. 5%
b. 10%
c. 15%
d. 20%
e. 25%
44. A disproportionate share of polluting factories, hazardous waste dumps, incinerators, and landfills
in the U.S. are located in communities populated by all of the following, except
a. African Americans
b. Asian Americans
c. Caucasians
d. Latinos
e. working poor

45. In 1989 an international treaty called the Basel Convention banned developed countries from
shipping hazardous waste to developing countries. Which of the following countries has not
ratified the treaty?
a. Lithuania
b. Burkina Faso
c. Cuba
d. Democratic Republic of Congo
e. United States

46. Which of the following principles does not contribute to a transition to a low-waste society?
a. Economic growth and free markets reduce waste.
b. Everything is connected.
c. There is no "away."
d. Reduce, reuse, recycle are the best priorities for using matter.
e. Dilution is not always the solution to pollution.

47. The majority of solid waste generated in the United States is in what form?
a. solid matter produced by mines, farms and industry supplying people with goods
b. radioactive waste generated by nuclear power stations
c. toxic waste, such as car batteries, hospital medical waste, and industrial solvents
d. solid matter, such as food, yard wastes, plastics, and paper discarded by homes and businesses
e. electronic waste from electronic devices such as televisions, computers and cell phones

48. Which of the below is a form of integrated waste reduction?

a. burying MSW in a landfill
b. incinerating MSW to produce electricity
c. shipping e-waste to China for disposal
d. separating out and composting yard waste
e. dumping non-toxic waste offshore and into the oceans

49. One of the major disadvantages of recycling goods is that

a. landfill operators much charge more money for trash delivery because they are receiving less
of it
b. approximately 55% of the trees cut down to make paper are saved when paper is recycled
c. marine mammals and sea turtles mistake floating plastic for food and get caught in it
d. energy is saved and less pollution is produced when we recycle than when raw materials are
removed from the earth
e. it may cost more than burying in landfills in areas with ample space

50. Which of the following strategies could be employed to encourage recycling?

a. ensure that the costs of marketed goods includes their real value, taking into account
environmental resource depletion and pollution
b. remove tax breaks and subsidies from resource-using industries
c. create demand for recycled goods
d. legislate a 'cradle to grave' policy, which makes producers responsible for collecting or
removing all environmental waste of their products
e. all of the above
51. What is a brownfield?
a. mineral resources that are mined on the leeward side of mountains
b. a processing facility where hazardous wastes are taken to be detoxified
c. Deep, underground wells where liquid hazardous wastes are injected and stored
d. an agricultural area that has turned brown because of a summer drought
e. an abandoned industrial site that has soil, water or air pollution

52. Mercury is a hazardous waste, resulting often from the mining of ores such as gold. There is no
way to collect and reuse or recycle mercury. What is the most appropriate management strategy to
employ in dealing with mercury?
a. store waste mercury in sealed containers
b. prevent its use in the first place
c. pass legislation to sanction miners who release mercury into the environment
d. stop people mining mercury
e. invest in health and safety procedures for the miners who release mercury into the
environment, to protect their health

53. The primary concerns about the 12 POPs (persistent organic pollutants) such as dioxins or PCB's is
that they
a. are soluble in water, causing large-scale problems
b. can be concentrated in the fatty tissues of organisms
c. are rarely found but very toxic
d. quickly break down into other more harmful pollutants
e. are found only in plants and disrupt photosynthesis