Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste

What describes discarded material in a solid form?

solid waste

How much of the world’s solid waste is produced by the US?

33%

What describes discarded material in a solid form?

solid waste

How much of the world’s solid waste is produced by the US?

33%

98.5% of US solid waste is…

industrial solid waste

1.5% of US solid waste is…

municipal solid waste

Name FOUR examples of industrial solid waste:

mining, oil/natural gas production, agriculture, industrial activities

What type of waste is discarded solid or liquid material that requires careful disposal?

hazardous waste

Name THREE characteristics of hazardous waste:

has highly toxic compounds, is flammable, is reactive and unstable (toxic fume risk)

Name TWO methods of detoxifying hazardous wastes:

bioremediation and phytoremediation

What describes breakdown by microorganisms?

bioremediation

What describes breakdown by natural or GMO plants in artificial marshes or greenhouses?

phytoremediation

Which former industrial dump now contains carcinogens released, harming residents of Niagara Falls, NY?

Love Canal

Which act required the EPA to identify and set management standards for hazardous wastes?

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Which act cleans hazardous waste sites and implements “polluter pay”?

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) aka Superfund Program

What principle requires parties liable for pollution to pay for the cleanup of their waste messes?

"polluter-pays”

Which way to deal with waste manages unavoidable waste increases and is a HIGH waste approach?

waste management

Which way to deal with waste reduces waste and pollution, reuse/recycle/compost, then chemically/biologically treat remaining waste before burning the rest; the LOW-waste approach (more progress)?

waste prevention

Name THREE characteristics of sanitary landfills:

low permeability (clay), plastic lining, captures methane

Name FIVE advantages of producing less waste:

save energy, reduce negative effects, improve worker health, decrease cost of pollution and management, less expensive per life cycle

Name SIX methods of producing less waste:

less consumption, less packaging materials, less waste and pollution, less hazardous cleaning items, products with long life cycle, trash taxes

Which type of recycling uses discarded consumer wastes to recycle materials into new products of the same type?

primary recycling / closed-loop recycling

Which type of recycling converts waste into different products?

secondary recycling / open-loop recycling

Which type of recycling saves more virgin products?

primary recycling

Name THREE critiques of recycling:

expensive for communities, more costly than landfills, much available space for US landfills

Name THREE factors hindering recycling:

no environmental or health costs in market products, more tax breaks and subsidies for mining industries, no large market for recycled materials