2.2 waste management

Question 1

Northern Ireland remains over reliant on landfill. As old landfill facilities close, new ones are required.
Describe four difficulties associated with locating and developing new landfill sites.

Answer 1

Answer;

Location;

Any two points from;
 Planning permission is required which can delay the landfill becoming operational by several years.

 A permit is required for operation which requires that full surveys have been carried out. This process is time consuming and adds to the upfront cost for the operator.

 There may be objections from local residents due to noise / odour / issues. This will delay planning permission being granted and subsequent award of a permit.

 Suitable transport links are required so that waste can be brought to the site in heavy goods vehicles.

Development;

Any two points from;
 Once a permit / licence has been granted it takes a further 18 months from the beginning of construction to operation adding to up-front investment costs.

 The site must be geographically suitable so that the polluting leachates from the site cannot affect the surrounding land and water.

 A detailed site survey is required prior to operation to ensure that the landfill site will not cause movement of the surrounding land.

 An environmental assessment is required to confirm that the effect of the landfill site on the local environmental is minimal.

 The landfill must include leachate and landfill gas treatment measures to minimise water and air pollution.

 Leak detection is required as flammable methane gas can be released. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas.

Question 2

The Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy identifies major waste types.
Name one major waste type.

Answer 2

Answer;

Any one from;

 Municipal waste

 Commercial and industrial waste.

 Construction, demolition and excavation waste.

 Hazardous waste.

 Agricultural waste

Question 3

Describe four effects of the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy (2000) on waste management practice in Northern Ireland.

Answer 3

Answer;

Any four points from;

 The quantity of waste going to landfill has decreased year on year with exception of 1998 to 1999.

 The proportion of waste that has been recycled or composted has increased from 1998 to 2011.

 The total volume of waste generated from 1998 to 2011 has not changed significantly at around 1,000,000 tonnes per annum.

 The volume of waste going to landfill did not reduce immediately following the publication of the NI Waste Management Strategy.

 The levels of recycling and composting are rising steadily from 50,000 tonnes in 1998 to almost 400,000 tonnes in 2011.

 The rate at which waste was recycled and composed increased after 2002.

Question 4

State the numerous stages of the waste management hierarchy

Answer 4

Answer:
Prevention 
Reduce 
Re-use 
Recycling 
Energy recovery 
Disposal

Question 5

Comment on how The Waste Management Hierarchy affects the availability of material for incineration.

Answer 5

The waste management hierarchy indicates that prevention, re-use and recycling is more desirable than incineration as a disposal mechanism. {1}

This may reduce the total volume of waste requiring disposal. {1}

Question 6

Explain the key differences between a ‘bioreactor’ landfill and ‘dry tomb’ landfill.

Answer 6

Answer;

Bioreactor – encourages the decomposition of the waste through the re-injection of leachate and microbe rich water. {1}

Plus one from;

 The waste is no compacted to facilitate the flow of air and water thereby encouraging the chemical decomposition. {1}

 As a result of the decomposition additional waste can be added. {1}

 Gas and leachate are collected and treated. {1}

Dry tomb – discourages reactions taking place. {1}

Plus one from;

 Body of waste is sealed and there are high rates of compaction along with minimum flow of rainwater and leachate through the landfill. {1}

 Waste can subsequently be stored for material value in the future. {1}

Question 7

State the KEY EU waste legislation and the year published which is driving policies forward on a national level, such as Nis waste legislation.

Answer 7

EU waste framework directive (WFD 2008)

Question 8

Describe one financial incentive utilised to prevent waste been sen to landfill.

Answer 8

Increasing landfill tax

Question 9

Describe the concept of embodied energy in relation to a diesel car.

Answer 9

Answer should involve the following points:

• Energy involved in the extraction of raw materials
• Energy involved in the products manufacture
• The amount of energy that is extracted and converted into a different form.

Question 10

Present methods which would be utilised to reduce the environmental impact of waste / Landfill.

Answer 10

Sourcing materials and resources locally
Dealing with waste locally 
Creating legislation 
Producer responsibility schemes 
Generation of environmental management systems 
Government initiatives

Question 11

What is a landfill

Answer 11

A carefully designed structure built into or on top of the ground in which MSW is isolated from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air and rain). this isolation is accomplished with a bottom liner and daily covering of soil.

Question 12

Compare the decomposition times for dry tombs and bioreactor landfills

Answer 12

Dry tomb = 20 to 30 years

Bioreactor = 5 to 10 years

Question 13

What system is used to mitigate the amount of wastage entering landfill, but that can also be utilised for driving cars.

Answer 13

Increasing tax. in the event of landfill, this would be determined by the amount and type of waste being put to landfill, while for cars it would relate to increasing road tax for higher CO2 vehicles.