chapter 24

What share of global waste is produced by less than 5 % of the world’s population living in North America?

Roughly one-third of all global waste.

By how much did municipal solid waste in North America grow between 1960 and 2005?

It tripled (3 × increase).

Approximately how much garbage does the average North American generate per year?

About 777 kg per person.

What is the annual cost of municipal solid-waste management in North America?

About $2.6 billion.

Roughly how much e-waste is produced each year in North America?

Around 725 000 tonnes.

How many tonnes of edible food are thrown away each year in North America?

Approximately 670 000 tonnes.

List the six R’s of the low-waste (waste-reduction) approach.

Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, and recover.

What is the main objective of industrial ecology?

To design industrial processes that mimic natural cycles by recycling and reusing materials through resource-exchange webs.

Define a service-flow economy.

An economic model where consumers rent the service a product provides rather than owning the product, encouraging producers to minimize material use and design for easy repair, reuse, or recycling.

What is primary (closed-loop) recycling?

Turning discarded material back into the same type of product.

What is downcycling (secondary or open-loop recycling)?

Converting waste materials into different, usually lower-quality products.

What proportion of biodegradable waste is composted in some European cities versus North America?

About 85 % in some European cities compared with only 5 % in North America.

Give two advantages of source-separated recycling over mixed-waste (MRF) recycling.

Produces less air and water pollution, costs less, uses less energy, creates more jobs, yields more valuable recyclables, and educates consumers.

Name three key challenges that limit plastic recycling.

Difficulty separating mixed resins and additives, low material yield, and the low cost of virgin plastic feedstocks.

State two economic reasons reuse and recycling are not more widespread.

Product prices rarely reflect full life-cycle costs, tax breaks favor raw-material extraction, tipping fees are low, demand for recyclables fluctuates, and there is limited product stewardship.

Give two major advantages of waste-to-energy incineration.

Reduces trash volume and the need for landfills; has low water pollution; provides quick disposal.

Give two major disadvantages of waste-to-energy incineration.

High capital cost; releases air pollutants such as toxic dioxins; produces hazardous ash; can encourage continued waste production and discourage recycling.

What key environmental problem makes open dumps unacceptable?

Uncontrolled contamination of soil, water, and air (illegal in Canada).

Name two design features of a sanitary landfill that help protect groundwater.

Leachate collection systems and monitoring wells (plus impermeable liners or clay caps).

Provide one advantage and one disadvantage of sanitary landfills.

Advantage: low operating cost or little odor; Disadvantage: eventual groundwater contamination or release of greenhouse gases.

According to WHMIS, what three elements ensure safe handling of hazardous materials?

Proper labelling, worker training, and accessible information (e.g., safety data sheets).

What makes a waste hazardous?

It is any discarded solid or liquid material that can harm humans or the environment.

Name two physical or chemical methods used to detoxify hazardous waste.

Distillation, filtration, precipitation, or chemical neutralization.

What is bioremediation?

Using microorganisms such as bacteria or enzymes to break down or neutralize hazardous substances.

Define phytoremediation and cite one major drawback.

Using plants (or algae) to absorb or detoxify contaminants; drawback: the process is slow and limited to root depth (or plants may become toxic to animals).

What is deep-well injection and one key risk it poses?

Pumping liquid hazardous waste deep below aquifers; risk: leakage through fractures or well casing that contaminates groundwater.

What is the primary health concern of lead exposure in children?

Lead poisoning causing neurological damage and developmental delays.

Give one major source of mercury that contaminates aquatic systems.

Vaporized elemental mercury from coal combustion (also inorganic Hg salts or organomercury in fish).

Identify two common anthropogenic sources of dioxins.

Waste incineration and paper production (also fireplaces, coal-fired power plants, sewage sludge).

List the four guiding principles for achieving a low-waste society mentioned in the lecture.

Everything is connected; there is no “away”; dilution is not the solution; produce less pollution, reuse, and recycle.