urban waste and disposal

Question 1

ecological footprint

Answer 1

total area of productive land and water required to produce resoruces a population consumes and to absorb waste produced

Question 2

impacts on local and global environment

Answer 2

• cities consumer 75% of worlds resources and generate majority of waste
• cities have higher econological footprint
• 55% of world population live in urban areas
• urban areas account for 75% of resource consumption

Question 3

patterns of waste generation

Answer 3

• urban residents produce 2x as much as rural residents
• rural dwellers are poorer, consume less and have high levels of reuse
  high living standards = high waste generation
• rapid urbanisation adn economic development in LIC and MIC will increase waste production

Question 4

sources of urban waste - industrial waste

Answer 4

produced in manufacturing/ industrial activity
- scrap metals and chemicals

Question 5

sources of urban waste - commercial waste

Answer 5

produced in businesses
- food, apper, cardboard and plastics

Question 6

sources of urban waste - personal waste

Answer 6

produced in homes/ domestic waste
- containers, packaging, food, books and clothing

Question 7

waste management strategies - recycling

Answer 7

4th out of 6 strategies
- 2/3 of UKs plastic waste is sent abroad
- 10% of donated clothes are kept or sold

Question 8

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - unregulated

Answer 8

waste disposal not controlled or supervised
- breeding ground for disease
- incidence of diarrheoa is 2x higher
- water and air contamination
- pollution

Question 9

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - urban mining/recycling and recovery

Answer 9

recovering compounds and elements from products
- resource recovery is selective extraction of disposed material for new use
- reduces landfill waste
- energy required for material recovery

Question 10

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - incineration

Answer 10

general waste safely burned at high temperatures
- open burning in LIC creates severe air pollution
- energy produces heat and electricity

Question 11

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - trade

Answer 11

toxic or hazardous waste exported from HIC to LIC
- international trade for further treatment
- toxic waste HIC-LIC
- ewaste is mostly shipped to poor countries where its improperly disposed of

Question 12

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - landfill/burial

Answer 12

placement of waste is manamde or natural excavations
- LICs have manade holes where open dumping occurs
- HIC have higher regulations
- methane produced by rotting matter can impact air quality

Question 13

waste disposal approaches and environmental impacts - submergence

Answer 13

waste placed in water to dispose
- banned in oceans by international convention
- companies have been dumping radioactive waste and material off cast of somalia due to lack of governance

Question 14

landfill vs incineration - amsterdam

Answer 14

lack of space and environement deterioration forced dutch government to incorporate incineration
- 1995 introduce landfill tax on every tonne
waste 2 energy: incineration plant created to produce electricity and heating
- 1.4m tonnes annually
- 64% is recycled
- W2E and water treatment plant work together, incineration supply energy and heat for water