Waste – Middle School
1. What is a technique for incorporating environmental improvements into products before they are made?
A. Design for Environment (DfE)
B. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
C. dematerialization or lightweighting
D. Design for Disassembly (DfD)
2. What is understanding the environmental impact of every stage of a product's life called?
A. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
B. Design for Environment (DfE)
C. dematerialization or lightweighting
D. Design for Disassembly (DfD)
3. What is a technique for figuring out how to get a product with the same qualities and performance while using less material?
A. dematerialization or lightweighting
B. Design for Environment (DfE)
C. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
D. Design for Disassembly (DfD)
4. What is a technique for designing a product or building for the easy recovery of components at the end of its life?
A. Design for Disassembly (DfD)
B. Design for Environment (DfE)
C. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
D. dematerialization or lightweighting
5. There are five stages in a product's life cycle. Which one is missing from this list? 1) sourcing raw materials; 2) transport; 3) product use; 4) end of life
A. manufacturing it
B. minining it
C. plugging it in
D. recycling it
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
6. What is a place where electronics are broken down and recycled without much regard for the environment or human health?
A. a digital dump
B. an e-waste collection site
C. a landfill
D. an electronics shop
7. Where are "digital dumps" located?
A. where environmental health and safety laws are rarely enforced
B. where there are electronic waste collections
C. in larger U.S. cities, especially on the west coast
D. in rural areas of the U.S. where land for building is cheap
8. What are conditions like in "digital dumps"?
A. the water is contaminated with heavy metals
B. similar to most towns in the U.S.
C. jobs are hard to find
D. the electronic recycling industry provides hosptitals, parks and schools
9. Which components of electonic waste or e-waste are hazardous?
A. lead, cadmium and other heavy metals
B. copper, silver, gold
C. plastics and glass
D. all the components are relatively safe
10. Which things belong in the category of electronic waste or e-waste?
A. computers, televisions, cell phones, small appliances
B. refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers
C. cars, trucks, lawnmowers, motorcycles
D. compact fluorescent bulbs, solvents, used motor oil, leftover paint
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
11. What components of electronic waste or e-waste are considered the most valuable?
A. copper, silver, gold
B. lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals
C. plastics and glass
D. all the components have about the same value
12. About 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced every year. Only 25% is recycled. How many tons are recycled?
A. 12.5 million tons
B. 200 million tons
C. 5 million tons
D. 40 million tons
13. About 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced every year, with 12.5 million tons recycled. What percent of electronic waste is recycled?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 5%
D. 10%
14. Which of these is a hazardous chemical used in clandestine drug labs?
A. hydrogen cyanide
B. sodium chloride
C. sodium laurel sulfate
D. calcium phosphate
15. What does the Drug Enforcement Administration's "Redbook" have in it?
A. guidelines for cleaning up clandestine drug labs
B. how to test whether a chemical is an illegal drug
C. a list of clandestine drug labs by state
D. the names of DEA agents who have been wounded or killed
16. Who does the DEA consider notifying before an operation involving a clandestine drug lab?
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
A. a hazardous materials response team
B. the newspapers and television stations
C. local city councils
D. the people living next door
17. For every pound of methamphetamine made, there are at least 5 pounds of hazardous waste produced. In 2012, almost 9,000 lbs of meth was seized. How many pounds of hazardous waste was made?
A. 45,000 lbs
B. 4,500 lbs
C. 5,000 lbs
D. 90,000 lbs
18. The average person produces about 4 lbs of hazardous waste a year. The U.S. population is about 300 million. How many pounds of hazardous waste is produced in the U.S. in total?
A. 1.2 billion lbs
B. 133 million lbs
C. 75 million lbs
D. 120 million lbs
19. What is illegal dumping?
A. disposing of waste on public or private property without permission
B. taking materials to a landfill yourself
C. throwing a soda can by the side of the road
D. using a trash can in a park for food wrappers
20. What time of day does illegal dumping usually occur?
A. between dusk and dawn
B. between dawn and the morning rush hour
C. between the morning and evening rush hours
D. between the end of evening rush hour and dusk
21. What are some commonly dumped items?
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
A. household appliances, construction waste, cars
B. books, newspapers, boxes
C. aluminum cans, copper wire, steel cans
D. yard waste, leaves, tree branches
22. What is the most serious environmental problem with illegal dumping?
A. chemicals that can contaminate soil or water
B. people might scavenge things from what is dumped
C. children might play on the dumped waste
D. landfills lose income
23. What is the place in a landfill lined with two feet of clay and an impermeable membrane that holds the waste?
A. a cell
B. a weighbridge
C. a tipping face
D. a compost pile
24. What is one of the gases generated by the decomposition of organic matter in a landfill?
A. methane
B. oxygen
C. hydrogen
D. argon
25. What kinds of waste are no longer allowed in most municipal landfills?
A. electronics, hazardous waste and large appliances
B. anything that can be recycled
C. couches, chairs, mattresses
D. diapers and kitty litter
26. Why are landfills hard to site?
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
A. no one wants to live near a landfill
B. there is not enough land
C. there is not enough land that meets the environmental requirements
D. there is not enough land that meets the engineering requirements
27. What is a site for the disposal of all the different kinds of waste from towns and cities?
A. a municipal solid waste landfill
B. an industrial solid waste landfill
C. a recycling center
D. a compost pile
28. How do landfills reduce the chances of liquids seeping out of the waste reaching the groundwater?
A. by lining the landfill with two feet of clay and an impermeable membrane
B. by monitoring nearby wells
C. by monitoring the health of people who use the nearby wells
D. by not allowing people to dispose of liquid waste at the landfill
29. What are the liquids that seep out of waste over time called?
A. leachate
B. groundwater
C. compost
D. surface water
30. What is the place in a landfill where a truck's load of waste is weighed and checked to ensure it meets the rules for acceptance?
A. a weighbridge
B. a tipping face
C. a cell
D. a compost pile
Correct Answer - A

Waste – Middle School
31. What is the place in a landfill where trucks unload their waste?
A. a tipping face
B. a weigbridge
C. a cell
D. a compost pile
Correct Answer - A