LIVING WITH THE EARTH
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Once called "The Green City in the Sun", ______________ is now called "The Stinking City in the Sun" due to the odor of uncollected garbage.
2. Which Act was passed by the federal government in 1976 which forbade open dumping and introduced the concept and use of the sanitary landfill?
3. Which of the following is a practice used to reduce and manage MSW?
4. Which of the following is not a material in MSW?
5. The major proportion of generated waste products is categorized as containers and packaging representing _______percent of the total.
6. There are less than ________ municipal solid waste landfills today.
7. The _________ has the fewest landfills (208) and the fewest remaining years of landfill capacity.
8. Which of the following is not a source reduction activity?
9. Facilities that perform the function of preparing recyclables for marketing are referred to as __________________.
10. Most of the recovery of materials from municipal solid wastes is in paper and paperboard , accounting for almost _______ of all material recovered.
11. Which of the following is not a method for the disposal of hazardous wastes?
12. There are more than ______ of the ______ hazardous waste sites under Superfund authority that are listed on the USEPA's NPL.
13. The RCRA protects public health by: (circle those that apply).
14. Which of the following is NOT a major option for managing hazardous waste?
15. Secure landfills require all but one of the following:
16. One of the most effective forms of hazardous waste disposal may be:
17. What is the most common form of waste management in the US today?
18. Landfills have historically been sources of all but one of the following:
19. Which federal law was promulgated to reduce contamination by hazardous wastes?
20. Compost is being used for all of the following except:
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TRUE AND FALSE
1. Nearly 94% of the 17,000 land disposal sites surveyed in the mid-1970's failed to meet minimum requirements.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-4)
2. RCRA was passed by Congress to provide strict requirements for the proper siting of landfills to minimize surface and groundwater pollution.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-4)
3. Community opposition to landfill siting which has exaggerated the problem of diminishing refuse disposal capacity is known as NIMBY.
T ______ F ______ (True 11-4)
4. The term generation refers to the product of composting that is then sold for low grade fertilizers and landscaping.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-5)
5. Paper and paperboard material represent the largest component of MSW at 38%.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-5)
6. A transfer station is a site where solid waste is concentrated before it is taken to a processing facility or a sanitary landfill.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-9)
7. The Northeast serves over 80% of its population with a curbside recyclables program.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-18)
8. The present rate of recovery of materials from municipal solid waste is over 57% nationally.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-20)
9. Composting is a controlled process of degrading organic matter by microorganisms into a humus-like material.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-22)
10. The majority of composted material is used for low-grade fertilizers and mulches.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-23)
11. CERCLA is also known as "Superfund".
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-36)
12. Environmental justice indicated that minorities were being favored in environmental legal cases against major corporations.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-27)
13. The definition of hazardous waste in RCRA includes any discarded material that may pose a substantial threat or potential danger to human health or the environment.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-28)
14. In-situ virtification is a process whereby electrodes are inserted into the contaminated soil and a huge quantity of electricity is passed through it which melts and fuses the soil into a glass-like block.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-32)
15. Pyrolysis, a form a thermal treatment of waste, combusts materials in an oxygen-rich atmosphere.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-32)
16. PRPs are Potentially Responsible Parties who are considered to be any entity that has anything to do with a hazardous waste site.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-36)
17. Historically, most surface impoundments were depressions in the ground, usually lined with a low-risk of contaminating the groundwater.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-35)
18. The hazard ranking system is based on the estimated hazard potential of a hazardous waste site.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-37)
19. The most recent listing of the NPL shows an increasing trend in the number of listed sites.
T ______ F ______ (False: pg. 11-38)
20. "Superfund " is attributed to the bill that created a trust fund financed primarily by excise taxes on chemicals and oil, and an environmental tax on corporations.
T ______ F ______ (True: pg. 11-36)
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ESSAY / SHORT ANSWER
1. Discuss at least 4 consequences of the inappropriate disposal of refuse.
The inappropriate disposal of refuse invites the proliferation of rodents and insects. It can become a source of contamination to groundwater. When combusted, refuse pollutes the ambient air. It can facilitate the spread of debris around the dumping site. Refuse also lowers property values about the site and encourages the spread of disease from microorganisms and toxic chemicals. (pg. 11-3)
2. List five factors that must be considered in the collection of MSW.
3. List the 5 critical elements of a municipal landfill based on many current State requirements.
4. Briefly describe three of the five technologies for hazardous waste treatment.
5. Discuss 3 ways in which the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) is focused on protecting groundwater.