Waste Reduction

Question 1

Reduce, reuse, Recycle (the three Rs)

Answer 1

Promotes ideas of diverting materials from the waste stream

Question 2

Sources reduction

Answer 2

Approach to waste management that seeks to cut waste by reducing the use of potential waste materials in the early stages of design and manufacture

Question 3

Examples of source reduction

Answer 3

-Using fewer materials
-Two sides paper prints
-Less packaging material
-Substituting to materials (less toxic, like paints) or ceramic mug vs. plastic

Question 4

Reuse examples

Answer 4

Use of a material that would otherwise be discarded:
_Soda/milk bottle
-Mailing envelope
-Newspapers for animal bedding
-Ebay

Question 5

Recycling

Answer 5

Process by which materials destined to become MSW are collected and converted to raw materials that are then used to produce new objects.

Question 6

Closed-loop recycling

Answer 6

Recycling something into the same produce. EX: aluminum cans

Question 7

Open-loop recycling

Answer 7

Recycling one produce into a different produce. EX: Plastic bottles into different plastic product.

Question 8

Recycling is good when done correctly but..

Answer 8

Reducing the amount of waste generated and reusing waste is even better!

Question 9

Recycling Advantage

Answer 9

Reduces he current global demand on materials (raw)

Question 10

Recycling Disadvantage

Answer 10

Energy intensive and costly

Question 11

Composting Advantages

Answer 11

-Organic material breaks down aerobically (with oxygen) releasing CO2 (better than releasing CH4 like in landfills)
-The product of this decomposition can be used as fertilizer

Question 12

Composting disadvantage

Answer 12

Odor and rodents

Question 13

E-waste contains hazardous chemicals like

Answer 13

heavy metals like lead and mercury, which when disposed in landfills can leach into drinking water and harm the human brain and nervous system.

Question 14

Ways to reduce E-waste

Answer 14

harvest it’s parts
reuse it.

(disadvantages = lots of sorting, energy intensive)

Question 15

Recyclable products include

Answer 15

-Wood
-Paper
-Metal
-Glass
-Lawn water

Question 16

Recycling can be incentivized used

Answer 16

fees and fines

Question 17

Composting produces

Answer 17

topsoil

Question 18

Laws relevant to E-waste include

Answer 18

-RCRA: Res_____ Con___ and Rec____ Ac_
-CERCLA: Comp____e En____ Res___, Com___, and Lia___ Act
-Clean Air Act
-Safe Drinking Water Act

Question 19

Water incineration can

Answer 19

generate heat which can be used in energy plants

Question 20

Waste to energy plant pros and cons

Answer 20

-Reduces amount of waste in landfill
-Some waste still produce: ash, hazardous waste, air pollution

Question 21

Methane gas capture and use pros and cons

Answer 21

-Can burn methane to generate electricity
-Some gas can escape: greenhouse gas
-gas is low quality, requires refining

Question 22

Capping (putting vegetation on surface) of landfills pros and cons

Answer 22

-Improves the aesthetic of an area, and generates revenue
-Still had to be monitored

Question 23

Ways to dramatically reduce E-waste

Answer 23

-encourage recycling/reuse (trade-in incentives, rebates, repurchase/buy-back, mail-in)
-Make devices smaller and/or more durable
-Establish cradle-to-grave and/or cradle-to-cradle tracking of manufactured products.

Question 24

Life cycle analysis (A.K.A cradle-to-grave analysis)

Answer 24

A system that looks at materials used and released throughout a lifetime of a product - from procurement of raw materials through their manufacture, use, and disposal.

Question 25

Integrated waste management

Answer 25

No community should be forced into one method of waste disposal. Employs several waste reduction, management, and disposal strategies to reduce the costs and reduce the environmental impact of MSW.

Question 26

Primary treatment of sewage is the

Answer 26

removal of large objects, often through the use of screens and grates, followed by the settling of solid waste in the bottom of a tank.

Question 27

Secondary treatment is the

Answer 27

Biological process in which bacteria break down organic matter into carbon dioxide and inorganic sludge, which settles in the bottom of a tank. The tank is aerated to increase the rate at which the bacteria break down the organic matter.

Question 28

Tertiary treatment is the use of

Answer 28

Ecological or chemical processes to remove any pollutants left in the water after primary or secondary treatment.Prior to discharge, the treated water is exposed to one or more disinfectants (usually chlorine, ozone, or UV light) to kill bacteria.

Question 29

Cultural eutrophication

Answer 29

The increased fertility of a body of water , the result of anthropogenic inputs of nutrients.

Question 30

Which step of sewage treatment uses filters, screens, and sieves?

Answer 30

Primary treatment - removes solid waste/large objects

Question 31

Which step of sewage treatment can produce nitrates and phosphates?

Answer 31

secondary treatment - bacteria produce inorganic nutrients

Question 32

Explain how sewage treatment plants create solid waste

Answer 32

Particulates and other substances removed from wastewater during primary and secondary treatment create a significant amount of solid material which must then be disposed of elsewhere.

Question 33

Describe environmental problems associated with disposing waste into landfills

Answer 33

-Takes up space -Groundwater contamination (toxins. contaminants, heavy metals) -Methane

Question 34

Describe environmental problems associated with spreading sewage waste onto agricultural fields

Answer 34

-Bacteria waste impacting food/crops then animals/humans -Groundwater/food chain contamination -Runoff contaminates surface water --> eutrophication, oxygen depletion

Question 35

Pollutants targeted during disinfection include

Answer 35

E. coli bacteria Coliform bacteria Pathogens Cholera Viruses

Question 36

LSD helps to explain outcomes of

Answer 36

biomagnification