Urban waste and its disposal

Question 1

What are the 7 different types of waste?

Answer 1

Domestic waste (household waste)
Municipal waste (council waste eg. streets)
Commercial waste (offices, retail)
Animal and vegetable waste
institutional waste (schools, hospitals)
Bulky waste (domestic furniture)
Street sweeping (paper, cardboard, plastic)

Question 2

What category of waste is ashes when produced in large quantities at power generated plants and factories?

Answer 2

industrial waste

Question 3

Give examples of biodegradable waste.

Answer 3

food waste/ green waste

Question 4

Give examples of recyclable waste

Answer 4

paper/ cardboard/ glass

Question 5

Give examples of inert waste

Answer 5

construction and demolition waste/ dirt/ rocks

Question 6

Give examples of electrical waste

Answer 6

electrical appliances

Question 7

Give examples of composite waste

Answer 7

clothing/ toys/ drink cartons

Question 8

Give examples of hazardous waste

Answer 8

paint/ tyres/ batteries

Question 9

Give examples of toxic waste

Answer 9

pesticides/ herbicides

Question 10

Give examples of biomedical waste

Answer 10

expired prescription drugs

Question 11

Define waste stream

Answer 11

the flow of waste from its source through to final disposal

Question 12

Why does waste stream need to be managed?

Answer 12

• air pollution
• loss of recyclable resources
• contamination of water and land
• risk to human health

Question 13

What is landfill?

Answer 13

holes in the ground to dump rubbish then covered over with soil

Question 14

Give advantages of landfill.

Answer 14

easily managed
cost-effective and relatively safe

Question 15

Give disadvantages of landfill

Answer 15

smell is unpleasant
produces methane

Question 16

what is incineration?

Answer 16

factories burning waste

Question 17

Give advantages of incineration

Answer 17

long-life span
requires much less land than landfills

Question 18

Give disadvantages of incineration

Answer 18

particulate emissions require managing
chimney emissions can be toxic if not managed

Question 19

What are the advantages of recycling?

Answer 19

means less landfill
all recyclable materials in one bin is popular and convenient

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of recycling?

Answer 20

public refuse if separately charged
public separation is inconvenient and prone to error

Question 21

Define the global waste trade.

Answer 21

The international trade of waste between countries of its disposal, recycling or further treatment, predominantly from HDEs to LDEs.

Question 22

How many mountains of rubbish tens of meters high was there in the Philippines?

Answer 22

6

Question 23

How many people died when the 2000 rainstorm in the Philippines caused the mountains of rubbish to collapse?

Answer 23

200

Question 24

How many people suffered with health problems such as typhoid and cholera because of the collapse of the rubbish in the Philippines?

Answer 24

4,000