CUE Bk6 - Urban Waste and Disposal

Question 1

What are the 2 key reasons for increased waste currently?

Answer 1

• population increase (8 bil 2023)
• increased wealth

Question 2

How much (%) does environmental waste contribute to total green house gas emissions12%?

Answer 2

5%

Question 3

Out of all global methane emissions, what does methane in land fill count as, as a %?

Answer 3

12%

Question 4

What is MSW and what does it stand for?

Answer 4

Municipal Solid Waste

House hold waste (Kg/person/day) but doesn’t include industrial, medical, agricultural or radioactive waste

Question 5

Figures for urban residents in 2002 and expected 2025 + correlating MSW (kg/person/day)

Also
- % incr in population
- x ? Of MSW

Answer 5

2002
2.9 bil + 0.4 MSW

2025
4.3 bil + 1.42 MSW

= 50% incr in population
= 3x MSW

Question 6

What are the temporal changes leading to more waste in urban areas?

Answer 6

• incr in wealth everywhere
• industrialisation in lower income areas

Question 7

What are the spatial changes leading to more waste in urban areas?

Answer 7

• LICs and MICs growing fastest (rate of urbanisation)
• rural to urban migration
• natural increase
• incr waste per capita due to incr wealth
• HICs low levels of urbanisation due to its high % already

Question 8

What are the 6 key sources of waste?

Answer 8

1. Residential
2. Industrial
3. Commercial
4. Institutional e.g. hospitals + schools
5. Constructional + demolition (up to 40% in some cities)
6. Urban services

Question 9

What % of waste in LICs was reported by The World Bank in 2012 to never have been reported?

Answer 9

30-60%

Question 10

How does a lack of collection of waste lead to bad health?

Answer 10

X2 likelihood of diarrhoea
X6 respiratory inflections

Question 11

In England, how many tonnes of waste is produced annually?

Answer 11

177 million

Question 12

How much does the average person produce of household waste per year? (Kg)

Answer 12

500kg

Question 13

What % of LICs budget is on waste disposal?

Answer 13

20-50%

Question 14

What are the 4 key England targets which have been set by DEFRA?

Answer 14

1. 40% household waste to be recycled/composted by 2015
2. 50% by 2020
3. EU set limits on amount of biodegradable waste that can enter landfill. To reach this target, the UK government imposes a £32 per tonne tax
4. 2042 - no plastics?

Question 15

Why is there currently no data on commercial and industrial waste + there are no targets for these aspects of waste

Answer 15

The current data does not allow the total amount of waste to be measured regularly so it is not possible to set a measurable target at present

Question 16

What is the definition of waste stream?

Answer 16

The journal of waste from source to disposal

Question 17

What is the definition of global waste trade?

Answer 17

The international trade of waste between countries for its disposal, recycling and further treatment

Question 18

Definition of WEEE?
And where is the most from + what measured in

Answer 18

Waste electrical and electronic equipment

50 million tonnes/year

Most for the USA and Europe

Question 19

Definition of urban mining

Answer 19

Process of recovering compounds/ elements that would have gone to landfill

Question 20

What is the order in how to deal with waste? (6 aspects)

Answer 20

1. Prevention
2. Reduce
3. Reuse
4. Recycle
5. Energy recovery
6. Disposal

Question 21

PLASTIC BAG LEVEE
1. When did it occur in England
2. How many plastic bags given out by supermarkets in 2013
3. What % reduction did wales see in the first 3 years
4. What % reduction had the UK main supermarket stores seen by 2023
5. How much was the levee in 2015 and 2021
6. Estimated benefits in next 10 years

Answer 21

1. 5th October 2015
2. 8 billion
3. 79%
4. 90%
5. • 2015 = 5p
   • 2021 = 10p
6. • expected overall benefit of over £780 mil to UK economy
   • up to £730 mil raised for good causes
   • £60 mil savings in litter clean up costs
   • carbon savings of £13 mil

Question 22

Examples of the reuse strategy

Answer 22

• deposit returns for drinks bottles (2025)

Question 23

Barriers to recycling

Answer 23

• inconvenient e.g. crisp packets
• storage issue
• lack of education - don’t care
• lack of faith in system

Question 24

What is the total diversion rate?

Answer 24

The amount of material (kg/HH/Yr) that is recycled and/or composted instead of going to landfill

Question 25

SUBMARINE DUMPING

1. When was sewage sludge banned
2. When was radioactive waste banned
3. What are the 2 things that can be dumped in the oceans

Answer 25

1. 1998
2. 1999
3. Fish waste + inert materials of natural origin (rock/mining waste)

Question 26

Advantages of landfill

Answer 26

• quick and convenient
• easily managed
• use of abandoned quarries
• methane can be vented + used as fuel
• when capacity reached area can be used for recreation
• cost effective

Question 27

Disadvantages of Landfill

Answer 27

• requires large amount of waste land
• attracts vermin + flies
• anaerobic decay
• high transport costs
• lack of suitable sites
• NIMBY’s

Question 28

Advantages of Incineration

Answer 28

• volume can be reduced by 90%
• can reduce toxicity
• can inactive disease agents
• energy produced
• long lifespan
• cost effective after construction
• medical waste

Question 29

Disadvantages of Incineration

Answer 29

• particulate emissions need managing
• CO2
• ash disposal
• expensive
• unpopular - health concerns