APES Ch 24 Study Guide: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Vocabulary
e-waste- electronic devices that have entered the waste stream
Municipal solid waste- solid waste from homes, offices, retail stores, schools, libraries, hospitals and
other businesses and institutions
Nonmunicipal solid waste- solid waste from industry, agriculture and mining
Leachate- liquid that seeps through solid waste
NIMBY- not in my backyard….the attitude that makes it difficult to place “undesirable” facilities
including landfills
Biodegradable- materials that can be broken down by bacteria and fungi
Photodegradable- material that is broken down by sunlight
Bottom ash (slag)- ash left at the bottom of the incinerator after material is burned
Fly ash- ash that is found in the chimney (flue)
Source reduction- designing and manufacturing products in ways that reduce the volume of solid
waste and amount of hazardous waste
Integrated waste management- implementing waste management plans that use the best
combination of waste management options
Bioremediation- use of bacteria and other microorganisms to break down hazardous waste into less
hazardous substances
Phytoremediation- use of plants to absorb and accumulate hazardous contaminants in the ground
Green chemistry- a discipline whose purpose is to develop chemicals and chemical processes with
lower environmental impacts
1.
List four toxins found in computers and other electronic waste.
2.
How much solid waste does the average American dispose of each day?
How does his compare with other countries?
3.
Describe what problems result form open dumps.
4.
Explain how sanitary landfills are different from open dumps.
5.
What factors should be considered when selecting the location of a landfill?
6.
List at least three problems associated with landfills.
7.
Why are landfills not an indefinite solution for solid waste disposal?
8.
Describe three special problems created by the disposal of tires.
9.
Describe two benefits of incinerating solid waste.
10.
Describe two problems with incinerating solid waste.
11.
List items that are better choices for incineration.
12.
List items that are poor choices for incineration and explain why.
13.
List five pollutants that may be produced by waste incinerators.
14.
Describe two types of pollution control technology that may be used at waste incinerators.
15.
How is the bottom ash and fly ash disposed of?
16.
What kind of waste can be composted?
What are the benefits of composting?
17.
How does the Pollution Prevention Act address the issue of solid waste?
18.
Under what conditions does dematerialization help to reduce the solid waste problem?
19.
What change in the bottling industry made it less practical to reuse glass bottles?
20.
How is recycling different from reuse?
21.
What obstacles discourage more recycling in the US
What materials are most commonly recycled in the US? Why are the recycling rates high for
these materials?
22.
Why is plastic challenging to recycle?
23.
What are the three R’s of waste prevention? Which has the greatest environmental benefit?
24.
Briefly describe the Love Canal disaster.
25.
What are dioxins?
Why are dioxins classified as hazardous?
List four sources of dioxins.
26.
What are PCBs?
Why are PCBs classified as hazardous?
List four sources of PCBs.
What has been done in the US to protect the environment and humans from PCBs?
27.
What kind of waste is stored at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state? What
special clean up challenges does it pose?
28.
Explain how the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) helps prevent pollution
from hazardous waste.
29.
What is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA) commonly called?
30.
Describe the success of CERCLA in cleaning up Superfund sites.
31.
What are the primary advantages of bioremediation?
32.
What are the primary advantages of phytoremediation?
What are the major limitations of phytoremediation?
33.
What type of hazardous waste may be de-toxified by high-temperature incineration?
What is one disadvantage of this method of treatment?
34.
What is the purpose of the 1989 Basel Convention?
35.
Explain how the issue of hazardous waste and environmental justice are linked.