Quiz

1) Which of the following best describes municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States?
Sixty percent comes from residences, and 40% comes from commercial sources.
Sixty percent comes from commercial sources, and 40% comes from residences.
Fifty percent comes from commercial sources, 30% comes from residences, and 20% comes from hospitals.
Fifty percent comes from residences, 40% comes from commercial sources, and 10% comes from hospitals.
MSW comes from agricultural waste and mining waste.

2) Which of the following items would most likely end up in the waste stream the fastest?
An appliance
A paper cup
A piece of antique furniture
A ceramic plate
Auto parts in an abandoned car

3) The major component of MSW in the United States is
paper.
yard trimmings.
metal.
plastic.
wood.

4) It is believed that approximately ____ of the current MSW generated in the United States could be composted.
3%
5%
10%
25%
33%

5) Which of the following would NOT be categorized as e-waste?
CRTs
Computers
Cell phones
Construction debris
Portable music players

6) An environmental cost of sending computers to landfills is that
there is inadequate landfill space in the United States for computers.
it is less expensive to send computers to the landfill than to recycle them.
children separate the components of the disposed of computers.
the disposed computers contain toxic metals that can end up in the environment.
landfill standards keep the toxic compounds in the computers from leaching into the water table.

7) In order from the most desirable to the least desirable, the 3 R's stand for
Recycle, Reuse, Reduce.
Recycle, Reduce, Reuse.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.
Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.

8) Which of the following best explains why the recycling of plastic is an example of open-loop recycling?
Manufacturers may use a lesser amount of material for newer products.
Plastic bottles can be melted down and then used in the production of new bottles.
Plastic bottles can be recycled and used in the production of different plastic products.
Recycling plastic reduces the need for the raw material.
Plastic products can be used repeatedly before disposal.

9) One of the greatest problems associated with recycling is
the amount of land required to accommodate the material.
recycling has increased MSW generation.
people in the United States are not inclined to participate.
there is no legislation to promote recycling.
there is not always a market for recycled goods.

10) Which of the following is least likely to be a danger associated with leachate from a sanitary landfill?
The leachate can leak into nearby soils.
The leachate can leak into groundwater.
The leachate can contain toxic metal compounds.
The leachate can be at a high temperature.
The leachate can be classified as toxic waste and have to be treated accordingly.

11) The reclamation of a sanitary landfill occurs
after the cells have been compacted.
before the clay liner is installed.
after the landfill is capped.
before the landfill is capped.
after the clay liner is installed.

12) The best soil in which to engineer a sanitary landfill is
high in sand.
high in sand and low in silt.
high in silt.
high in clay.
high in sand and low in clay.

13) Byproducts of waste incineration include

I. waste heat.
II. fly ash.
III. acid deposition.
I
II
I and II
I and III
I, II, and III

14) Negative aspects of waste incineration include all of the following EXCEPT
generation of electric energy.
cadmium in ash.
environmental justice issues when determining the site.
incomplete burning of all waste in the incinerator.
required hazardous waste treatment of ash.

15) Given the following waste management options, which is the optimal choice?
Production of less waste material
Depositing waste in a landfill
Depositing waste in an open pit in the ground
Incineration of waste
Hazardous waste treatment

16) All of the following would be classified as hazardous waste EXCEPT
manure-based fertilizer.
dry-cleaner fluid.
car batteries.
insecticides.
jet fuel.

17) The U.S. legislation that protects human health and environmental integrity by reducing source hazardous waste is the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
National Environmental Policies Act.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
National Priorities List.
Clean Water Act.

18) The U.S. legislation that imposes a tax on targeted industrial facilities and then utilizes those funds to cleanup selected abandoned hazardous waste sites is
NEPA.
CWA.
CERCLA.
RCRA.
NPA.

19) In the United States, the primary method of disposal of MSW is to
collect it at a recycling facility.
collect it in a sanitary landfill.
burn it in an incineration facility.
collect it and ship it to a country that purchases it.
collect it and compost food and other organic waste.

20) U.S. legislation that directly addresses the handling of hazardous waste includes the

I. Clean Air Act.
II. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
III. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
I only
II only
I and III only
II and III only
I, II, and III

21) Which component of a landfill is extracted and transported to a wastewater treatment facility?
Clay liner
Leachate
Solid waste
Methane
Toxic metals.