Waste Management Online Quiz

The waste management hierarchy prioritizes reducing waste at the source, followed by reusing items, and finally recycling materials as a last resort.

Using a canvas bag repeatedly instead of disposable plastic bags is a form of waste reduction because it prevents the generation of waste in the first place.

Estimates for daily municipal solid waste generation in the United States are typically in the range of 600,000 to 700,000 tons per day, depending on the source and year of data.

Minamata disease was a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning, which was discovered in Minamata City, Japan, in 1956, due to industrial wastewater discharge.

Landfills produce landfill gas, which is primarily composed of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane is the component that can be captured and used for energy.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the primary federal law in the US governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, often described as a 'cradle to grave' system.

Biodegradable refers to materials that can be broken down by microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. This process returns the material to nature.

Ruby, emerald, and amber are well-known types of colored glass created by adding specific metal oxides. Flint glass is an optical glass historically named for the flint pebbles used in its raw materials, noted for its high refractive index rather than being a specific color category.

Cullet is the industry term for crushed or broken glass that is recycled to be melted down into new glass products.

Type 1 plastic is Polyethylene Terephthalate, commonly abbreviated as PET or PETE. It is the most common plastic used for beverage bottles.

Most plastics are synthetic polymers derived from petrochemicals, which are extracted from crude oil and natural gas.

Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle effectively compared to paper, glass, or aluminum due to economic factors, degradation upon melting, and the vast multitude of polymer types. Consequently, it has one of the lowest recycling rates among common materials.

The waste management hierarchy places 'reduce' at the top because preventing waste from being created is more effective than managing it after the fact.

The three E's of sustainability and recycling are Energy (saving resources), Environment (reducing pollution), and Economy (creating jobs and value).

Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, that became the site of a massive environmental disaster due to buried toxic waste.

Leachate is the contaminated liquid that forms when water filters through waste in a landfill, picking up dissolved chemicals and pollutants.

Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms or other living organisms to consume and break down environmental pollutants.

Bioremediation uses microorganisms to break down or remove environmental contaminants and waste. It differs from phytoremediation (which uses plants specifically), bioaccumulation (toxins building up in organisms), and biomagnification (toxins increasing up food chains).

According to EPA estimates, the average American generates approximately 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste per day.

Citrus rinds are generally avoided in home compost piles because they are acidic and can contain oils that inhibit the beneficial bacteria and worms needed for composting.

Leachate is considered a major environmental risk because it can migrate from the landfill and contaminate groundwater supplies.

Paper and paperboard products consistently make up the largest percentage of municipal solid waste by weight in the United States.

Recycling aluminum saves approximately 95 percent of the energy required to produce the same amount of aluminum from its raw ore, bauxite.

CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund, is the federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances.

Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.