23) E-wastes are a source of ________.
A) combustible organic compounds
B) ignitables
C) heavy metals
D) radioactive materials
E) acid corrosives
24) Presently in Canada, low–level radioactive waste is ________.
A) not classified as hazardous
B) not considered persistent
C) stored on site
D) incinerated
E) shipped to depositories in Ukraine
25) In Edmonton, Alberta, ________% of the municipal waste is composted.
A) 50
B) 60
C) 40
D) 30
E) 20
26) Deep-well injection ________.
A) is a method of disposing of hazardous wastes in deep aquifers
B) is a pool of strong acids on the land surface used for breaking down e-waste
C) injects mostly liquid hazardous wastes into porous rock deep beneath human water supplies
D) is the Environment Canada-approved method of disposing of low-level radioactive wastes
E) has been banned as unsafe by Environment Canada
27) Which province in Canada composts the highest percentage of kitchen and yard waste?
A) Prince Edward Island
B) Nova Scotia
C) British Columbia
D) Alberta
E) Ontario
28) Low-income countries, compared to high-income countries, ________.
A) are more exposed to the negative health and environmental effects of waste
B) have a similar level of consumption, because their income “stretches” further, since the goods
they buy are much cheaper
C) can better deal with the waste they do produce because they produce less waste
D) consume less, but generate a comparable amount of waste, because the cheap products they
use break down and are thrown away quicker
E) create less hazardous wastes and therefore are less exposed to toxins
29) Which action would result in the largest reduction of municipal solid waste in Canada?
A) introduce fees for all plastic containers
B) double the bottle deposit on glass containers
C) double the prices paid for recycled metals
D) increase the recycling of paper
E) increase composting
30) The “poison in small bottles” ________.
A) gets into many municipal landfills legally (i.e., without breaking local waste management
regulations)
B) is a bigger problem in landfills with drier conditions, because such conditions increase
evaporation of toxic fumes
C) has impacts that are independent of what other waste materials are in the landfill
D) could have smaller impacts in landfills in municipalities with successful paper recycling
programs
E) refers to the practice of the industry of dumping its chemicals in municipal landfills in small
containers to avoid the costs of proper disposal
31) Which of the following does NOT apply to heavy metals?
A) They enter the human body most typically by being absorbed through the skin.
B) They are one of the main concerns in e-waste.
C) They accumulate in animal fat.
D) They are an issue in many older houses.
E) They can be a problem in popular fishing spots.
18.5 True/False Questions
1) Most municipal solid waste comes from packaging and disposable goods.
2) Open dumping and burning are currently illegal all over the world.
3) Canadians generated more than a tonne of waste per person in 2004.
4) People in developing nations presently generate more waste per capita than people in
developed nations.
5) Current waste practices in Canada include the greatest proportion of trash being landfilled,
with lesser amounts being incinerated, recycled, and composted.
6) Trash decays rapidly in closed landfills.
7) The most effective way to manage waste is to minimize the amount of wastes entering the
stream.
18.6 Essay Questions
1) Briefly describe the three main components of waste management. Which method is
preferred?
2) Discuss the benefits and environmental disadvantages of modern–day landfills in Canada.
3) There are three main disposal methods for hazardous waste. One is landfills. Describe how
hazardous waste landfills differ from ordinary sanitary landfills. Briefly discuss the other two
ways that hazardous waste is contained.
4) What are the benefits and drawbacks of incinerating trash? How have these problems been
dealt with in most developed countries?
5) What are the three basic steps in the recycling loop? What is the step that needs the most
attention if the recycling loop is going to work?
6) What are the pros and cons of curbside recycling.
7) Why are e-wastes a problem and what can be done with them?
8) What is the life-cycle impact analysis of consumer products? Why should we, as consumers
and citizens, be asking for it?
9) If reducing waste can increase efficiency, why is the output of industrial waste still so great?
Illustrate this using the example of paper (new paper vs. recycled paper). Suggest possible
solutions.
10) What are some of the possible actions that would reduce the amount of material entering the
waste stream? Which of these actions should be undertaken by the industry and which by the
consumers, and how should these actions complement each other?
18.7 Scenario‐Based Questions
Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The prevalence of “throwaway mentalities” and increased packaging have amplified the
consumption of paper and plastic in our society. Disposable plates, cups, and utensils are
convenient, sanitary, and inexpensive, and packaging preserves freshness, prevents breakage,
protects against tampering, provides information to consumers, and allows shipment of products
over long distances. However, paper and plastic do not degrade readily in sanitary landfills.
Garbologist William Rathje found legible newspapers in landfills decades after disposal. Because
trees used to make virgin paper and petrochemicals used to make plastics may soon become
depleted, source reduction is the best solution to the waste dilemma. Denmark has banned the
use of nonrefillable beverage containers and McDonald’s restaurants in Austria and Sweden have
been using biodegradable, compostable cutlery. Recycling has value as well, as long as the
recycling loop is closed and people purchase recycled items. Bottle deposit refunds and
municipal curbside collection provide recycling incentives. Paper recycling is profitable if waste
is properly sorted. All kinds of paper and cardboard are recyclable. Food and paperboard
(uncorrugated thin coated board) can contaminate collections, however, reducing their value.
After processing, paper and cardboard are used to make paper towels and paperboard for
packaging cereal, shoes, and toys. Decapped, washed, and squashed plastic is recycled into
carpets, pillows, and new bottles. Although low–density polyethylene, or LDPE (recycling
symbol #4), from grocery bags is the most widely used plastic, beverage bottle polyethylene
terephthalate, or PET(E) (symbol #1), and high–density polyethylene, or HDPE (symbol #2), are
the most widely recycled plastics. Containers from toxic substances such as motor oil, pesticides,
and solvents are not usually accepted with collected plastic because of contamination. Methods
to reuse and recycle polystyrene are in development, although presently, Styrofoam is not
collected with other plastics and so it is considered a contaminant as well.
1) The best way to reduce plastic in landfills is to ________.
A) increase use of recycled items
B) use biodegradable plastic items
C) urge the government to pass more bottle bills
D) buy products produced locally with minimal packaging
E) reuse beverage bottles
2) Which of the following would provide the best incentive for increasing the rate of plastic
recycling?
A) a decrease in the price of petrochemicals
B) a decreased supply of petrochemicals
C) elimination of bottle deposits
D) cessation of curbside recycling
E) banning the use of plastic bags
3) Closing the recycling loop refers to ________.
A) avoiding contamination of plastic and paper collectables during sorting
B) finding ways to recycle all plastics, including polystyrene
C) covering landfills once they have outlived their usefulness and converting the sites to public
parks
D) composting biodegradable plastic
E) purchasing items made from recycled materials
4) Plastic ________.
A) containers from motor oil are recycled with beverage bottles to make new bottles
B) polystyrene is considered a plastic contaminant
C) not made from recyclables is made from renewable raw materials
D) from beverage containers is easily recyclable if decapped, washed, and squashed
E) from grocery bags is labelled with recycling symbols #1 and #2
5) ________ are wastepaper contaminants that cannot effectively be recycled.
A) Corrugated cardboard boxes
B) Cereal boxes
C) Office papers
D) Newspapers
E) Paper shopping bags
6) Paper and plastic waste share the following characteristics: ________.
A) they are both made from petrochemicals
B) they readily degrade in landfills
C) their increased consumption leads to increased waste
D) they cannot be incinerated to produce energy
E) both are recycled 100% in Canada.
7) LDPE is ________.
A) not currently recycled
B) the most widely recycled plastic
C) the plastic used to make grocery bags
D) banned in Denmark
E) a toxin found in most plastics