15e Exam Questions Ch.18 Solid Waste Management and Disposal

Environmental Science, 15e (Enger)

Chapter 18 Solid Waste Management and Disposal

1) Which of the statements about mining waste is NOT true?

A) Mining waste usually consists of waste rock which is dumped on the surface of the land near where the mine or where the ore is processed.

B) Mining waste often includes liquid waste that is stored in ponds on the surface.

C) Mining waste often causes water pollution.

D) Quantities of mining waste must be reported to the EPA.

2) Agricultural waste

A) is organic.

B) is usually incorporated into the soil.

C) often causes water pollution.

D) All of these statements are correct.

3) All of these statements about municipal solid waste are correct EXCEPT

A) Municipal solid waste includes waste from commercial establishments.

B) Municipal solid waste includes some materials that can be composted.

C) It is difficult to determine what is in municipal solid waste.

D) All of these statements are correct.

4) Which of the following statements about the quantity of solid waste is correct?

A) The quantity of municipal solid waste generated per person has not increased significantly over the last 20 years.

B) The total quantity of municipal solid waste produced in the United States has not increased for the last 20 years.

C) The proportion of municipal solid waste that is recycled has grown steadily for the last 20 years.

D) None of these statements is correct.

5) Which of the following statements regarding the impact of landfills on ground and surface water is correct?

A) Landfills should be located below the water table.

B) Landfills should be surrounded by highly permeable soils.

C) The water that passes through a landfill is collected and treated.

D) Landfills do not generate liquid waste so they have no impact on ground or surface water.

6) Which of the following statements about municipal solid waste and a country's economic status is correct?

A) High income countries produce more municipal solid waste than low income countries.

B) Low income countries produce more municipal solid waste than high income countries.

C) The level of income is unrelated to the amount of municipal solid waste produced.

D) None of these are correct.

7) The number of landfills in the United States has decreased from over 7,000 in the year 1989 to less than 2,000 in the year 2014

A) because the amount of municipal solid waste being generated has declined.

B) because many small poorly run landfills have closed and current landfills are larger.

C) because much of the municipal solid waste is now being incinerated to produce electricity.

D) None of these statements is correct.

8) Today, in the United States ________ of municipal solid waste is placed in landfills.

A) nearly all

B) about half

C) about 25 percent

D) about 80 percent

9) Many countries have greatly reduced or eliminated landfills

A) because they have little land available for landfills.

B) and rely on recycling and incineration to dispose of municipal solid waste.

C) because of environmental concerns.

D) All of these statements are correct.

10) The most common material found in municipal solid waste in the U.S. is

A) plastic.

B) food waste.

C) paper products.

D) yard waste.

11) Which of the following materials was rare in municipal solid waste 50 years ago?

A) Plastic

B) Food waste

C) Paper products

D) Yard waste

12) About 13 percent of U.S. municipal solid waste is incinerated. All of the following are common reasons for using incineration EXCEPT

A) the public insists on using incineration.

B) burning the waste can be used to generate electricity.

C) there are no available landfill sites.

D) the cost of transporting waste to distant landfills is high.

13) Which of the following is NOT a significant problem associated with recycling?

A) Many materials are contaminated with food and other materials.

B) It is costly to separate the different materials in the waste stream.

C) There is not a market for many materials like glass and many plastics.

D) People resist recycling.

14) Most yard waste is

A) disposed of in landfills.

B) burned.

C) composted.

D) eliminated by source reduction.

15) Beverage container deposit-refund programs

A) reduce litter.

B) encourage consumers to recycle beverage containers.

C) are lobbied against by beverage manufacturers.

D) All of these statements are correct.

16) The most successful way to collect material for recycling is to

A) require consumers to separate their recyclables into different containers.

B) provide curbside pick-up of recyclables.

C) only accept select materials for recycling.

D) charge people an extra fee for recycling.

17) Recycling and incineration are interrelated in that

A) often recycling organizations have more recyclables than they can sell and must burn the surplus.

B) plastic is an important fuel for incinerators.

C) recyclable materials must be sorted before they go into an incinerator.

D) All of these statements are correct.

E) None of these statements is correct.

18) The selection of a modern landfill site is based on

A) understanding groundwater geology.

B) evaluating the soil type.

C) sensitivity to local citizens' concerns.

D) All of these are correct.

19) Landfills are a significant source of

A) plastic for recycling.

B) methane gas.

C) metals.

D) None of these statements are correct.

20) In a modern landfill, the water that leaches from the site

A) is virtually contaminant free.

B) collects in the groundwater.

C) is pumped into a leachate treatment system.

D) is vaporized to remove contaminants.

21) Which of the following is an advantage of incineration of municipal solid waste?

A) Incinerators do not produce dangerous byproducts.

B) The volume of waste is greatly reduced.

C) It is easier to get permission to build an incinerators than a landfill.

D) None of these statements is correct.

22) Electronic waste (computers, cell phones, etc.)

A) contains valuable metals

B) is generally taken back by manufacturers who recycle the components.

C) can be safely placed in landfills because they do not contain harmful or toxic components.

D) None of these statements is correct.

23) The kind of plastic with the highest recycling rate is

A) Polystyrene (PS)

B) Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

C) Polypropylene (PP)

D) High-density polyethylene (HDPE)

24) The best way to reduce waste is to stop it at its source. Which of the following results in source reduction?

A) purchasing large containers of laundry detergent

B) taking your own carrier bag with you when shopping

C) reducing the amount of packaging

D) All of these are correct.

25) Several countries or cities have banned the use of thin plastic carrier bags because

A) the cost of plastic bags is high.

B) plastic bags plug sewers.

C) they cannot be recycled.

D) All of these statements are correct.

E) None of these statements is correct.

26) New York City has no landfills within its boundaries and must ship it municipal solid waste outside the city at great cost. Therefore, the city

A) has mandatory recycling for businesses.

B) prevents the use of plastic carrier bags.

C) encourages apartment houses to incinerate their trash.

D) All of these statements are correct.

E) None of these statements is correct.

Which of the following best matches the description?

27) Organic material used to cover soil.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

28) Term used to describe a product which is used once and thrown away.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

29) Process of reclaiming a resource and reusing it.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

30) Waste produced by the residents of a community.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

31) An area used for the containment of solid wastes.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

32) Method of disposing of solid waste by burning.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

33) A typical public reaction by people who will live near a proposed landfill, incinerator site, or other industrial project.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

34) Reducing the amount of solid waste generated by preventing its production or limiting the amount produced.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

35) A type of incineration of solid waste.

A) source reduction

B) incineration

C) municipal solid waste

D) mass burn

E) recycling

F) municipal landfill

G) forced consumption

H) disposable

J) NIMBY

K) mulch

36) The primary means of municipal solid waste disposal is incineration.

37) In 2014, about one-third of municipal solid waste was recycled in the U.S.

38) An example of source reduction is making a product lightweight.

39) Municipal composting is a modern type of landfill.

40) About 65% of the waste generated is handled through recycling.

41) The long-term success of recycling programs is tied to supply and demand of recycled materials.

42) Future waste management will require only recycling and reduction, and no incineration or landfills.

43) Windrow composting is a process whereby compostable materials are fed into an environmentally controlled enclosed structure and allowed to decompose over time.

44) One of the main problems associated with mining is water pollution.

45) A current problem with recycling is the inability to mix different plastics.

46) Nations with a low standard of living and productivity tend to have more municipal solid waste per person.

47) In a modern landfill, the "cell" is sealed when it is filled and the adjacent groundwater is continuously monitored.

48) The primary risk from incineration is the risk of contaminants leaching from the ash.

49) The number of incinerators has declined over the past several decades.

50) Incineration is the primary means of waste disposal used today in the U.S.

51) Japan recycles more of its waste than the U.S.

52) There are both benefits and drawbacks to recycling.

53) Agricultural waste is the most common form of solid waste.

54) Archaeologists rely on the waste of past societies to tell them about the nature of the culture and lifestyles of ancient civilizations.