Environmental Studies · General Awareness

Waste Management and Pollution

2,184 Questions

Waste management and pollution control address waste-to-energy technologies, hazardous disposal, and organic recycling methods. The questions cover landfilling, bioremediation, and marine debris indicators. This topic holds significant weight in UPSC, State PSC, and SSC general studies and environmental exams.

Waste-to-energy technologiesHazardous waste disposalBiogas storage methodsOrganic waste compostingPlastic pollution

Waste Management and Pollution Questions

Multiple choice

Green-coloured bins are used for

  1. plant and animal wastes

  2. recyclable waste

  3. non-biodegradable waste

  4. solid waste
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Four different coloured rubbish bins: (a) Organic waste (plants and animal waste) – Green (b) Paper – White (c) Metal or glass waste - Blue (d) Hazardous – (for batteries, etc) – Red

Multiple choice

What is rotting and conversion of some materials into useful products called?

  1. Vermicomposting

  2. Composting

  3. Recycling

  4. Burning
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Biodegradable waste that can be decayed & get mix with the soil, can be recycled by the method of composting. It is a natural process that recycles the nutrients in the waste to yield manure or compost. Manure obtained is very rich in nutrients & is an excellent medium for growing plants. Apart from being clean, cheap & safe, composting also reduces the amount of disposable garbage.

Multiple choice

Completely filled landfills are converted into

  1. parks

  2. forests

  3. grasslands

  4. dams
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

After loads are deposited, compactors or bulldozers can spread and compact the waste on the working face. These are converted into parks.  

Multiple choice

What is the method of rotting and conversion of same material into compost with help of worms called?

  1. Composting

  2. Vermicomposting

  3. Dumping

  4. Recycling

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Biodegradable waste for e.g. food waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, meat & bones, leaves, flowers etc can be recycled by the method of composting. It is a natural process that recycles the nutrients in the waste to yield manure or compost. The manure is very rich in nutrients and is an        excellent medium for growing plants. Vermi-composting is a method of composting where compost is made from biodegradable waste with the help of a type of earthworms called red worms. The red worms eat biodegradable kitchen waste & convert it into compost, which is an excellent manure.

Multiple choice

Always dispose your waste after separating into ________ and _______ waste materials.

  1. Solid and liquid

  2. Useful and Non-useful

  3. Recyclable and non-recyclable

  4. Plant and animal waste
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

There are two types of waste material: Biodegradable - are useful waste material as such waste that can undergo decaying & mix with the soil. Such waste can be recycled by the method of composting. It is a natural process that recycles the nutrients in the waste to yield manure or compost. The manure obtained is very rich in nutrients and is an excellent medium for growing plants. Non-biodegradable - are non-useful waste material. Such wastes cannot undergo decaying & do not get mix with the soil & hence no useful products like manure can be obtained by them. Hence, waste should be dispose off separately as biodegradable waste and can easily undergo decaying & products obtained by decaying of biodegradable wastes are useful.

Multiple choice

Why is disposal of plastics a major problem?

  1. It is a degradable substance.

  2. It is a non-biodegradable substance.

  3. It is a biodegradable substance.

  4. It is a reusable substance.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Plastics are very useful but they do not get decomposed by microbial action, which causes many problems. It means that they are non-biodegradable.

Multiple choice

Why substances like tin, aluminium metal cans are advised to be banned?

  1. Because they get decomposed easily by bacteria

  2. Because they do not decompose easily by natural process

  3. Because they can be recycled again and again

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Non-biodegradable substances are the ones which cannot be broken down further into simpler substances by natural processes. Tin, aluminium and metal cans possess the same property and thus, are known as non-biodegradable substances. Such substances are hard to dispose of. Hence it is advisable to minimize the use of non-biodegradable material.

Multiple choice

Why should not we burn any waste especially wood, plastic etc?

  1. Burning causes air pollution and also releases toxic gases.

  2. Wood and plastics are valuable and very costly.

  3. Their demand in industries is very high.

  4. Because we need it for future generations.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 Burning of wood and plastic should be avoided as they can be reused and recycled in various ways. Moreover, their burning results in emission of many harmful gases causing air pollution and global warming. 

Multiple choice

What according to the passage can be done to regulate overwhelming increase of garbage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question on the basis of the content of the passage.
  
Waste management systems and market conditions, even at their best, are incapable of handling the growing amounts of waste globally. So, unless a new paradigm of global cooperation and governance is adopted, a tsunami of uncontrolled dumpsites will be the prevailing waste management method, especially in Asia. Despite the development of 'easy-to-repair' product design, long-lasting products or enhancement of reuse; a clear de-linking of economic growth from waste generation will still only be in its infancy. Even if sorting and recycling technologies are significantly improved and mechanised, a separation at source will be an inevitable prerequisite for an economic recycling schedule.

  1. Increasing awareness

  2. Proper waste management

  3. Global collaboration

  4. Cooperation of the government
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 It is stated here, "So, unless a new paradigm of global cooperation and governance is adopted, a tsunami of..." in the passage. 

Multiple choice

According to the passage, what cannot be separated easily?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question on the basis of the content of the passage.
  
Waste management systems and market conditions, even at their best, are incapable of handling the growing amounts of waste globally. So, unless a new paradigm of global cooperation and governance is adopted, a tsunami of uncontrolled dumpsites will be the prevailing waste management method, especially in Asia. Despite the development of 'easy-to-repair' product design, long-lasting products or enhancement of reuse; a clear de-linking of economic growth from waste generation will still only be in its infancy. Even if sorting and recycling technologies are significantly improved and mechanised, a separation at source will be an inevitable prerequisite for an economic recycling schedule.

  1. Economic growth and waste generation

  2. Economic recycling schedules

  3. Sorting and recycling technologies

  4. Reusing and recycling technologies
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The line, '....a clear de-linking of economic growth from waste generation will still only be in its infancy" states that these two cannot be separated easily.