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CUE 3236 Flashcards

1
Q

Why does waste create big issues for urban authorities and urban planners?

A
  • inadequate waste disposal is linked to air and water pollution - which has negative impacts on human health.
  • it’s increasingly difficult to deal with waste as space for landfill is running out and incineration is costly.
  • waste is estimated to account for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • methane from landfill emissions accounts for 12% of methane emissions.
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2
Q

Globally, waste increases by __% per year.

A

7%

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3
Q

Why is waste generation increasing?

A
  • population growth

- economic growth; as greater personal wealth increases consumption of good and services and leads to more waste.

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4
Q

How has waste generation changed over the past years?

A 
2002 = 0.64 kg of MSW per year
2025 = 1.42 kg of MSW per year
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5
Q

What are the 6 sources of waste in urban areas?

A
  • domestic
  • industrial
  • commercial
  • institutional
  • construction and demolition
  • urban services
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6
Q

Define Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).

A

Commonly known in the U.K. as rubbish.
Most definitions don’t include industrial waste, agricultural waste, medical waste, radioactive waste.
The composition of MSW varies between countries and over time.

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7
Q

Types of MSW?

A
  • biodegradable waste
  • recyclable materials
  • inert waste
  • electronic waste
  • composite waste
  • hazardous waste
  • toxic waste
  • medical waste
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8
Q

90% of products become waste within __ months of purchase.

A

6

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9
Q

The nature of waste and its journey from source to disposal will carry according to…

A
  • economic development
  • cultural norms
  • geographical location
  • energy sources
  • climate
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10
Q

Define waste stream.

A

The complete flow of waste from its domestic, commercial or industrial source, through to recovery, recycling or final disposal.

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11
Q

In LICs, indiscriminate and improper dumping of MSW without treatment is common and raises several environmental issues. Including:

A
  • loss of recyclable resources such as metals plastics and glass.
  • loss of potential resources such as compost from organic waste and energy from incineration
  • contamination of land ad water bodies from leachates
  • air pollution due to emissions from burning and the release of methane from decomposition
  • multiple risks to human health (respiratory problems, skin diseases)
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12
Q

Why is solid waste seen as an urban issue?

A

Because urban residents produce about 2x as much waste as rural residents. Globally, rural dwellers tend to be poorer, purchase fewer shop bought items (so less packaging) and have higher levels of reuse and recycling.

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13
Q

Where does waste generation tend to be highest?

A

In countries where disposable incomes and living standards are higher.

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14
Q

Where is likely to see the biggest increase in waste generation over the next decade?

A

Low and middle income countries are set to see the biggest increase in waste generation over the next decade as a result of

  • urbanisation
  • continued industrialisation
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15
Q

As a country urbanises and populations become wealthier, consumption of inorganic materials (eg plastics) __________ and relative organic proportion __________

A

Increases

Decreases

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16
Q

I,pacts of increasing waste generation?

A
  • costs of collecting and treating sewage are high. In LICs, urban authorities may spend 20-50% of their budget on solid waste management.
  • water, ground and air pollution. Waste is a large source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
  • health problems from untreated and uncollected waste. Eg respiratory ailments, diarrhoea, cholera.
  • cities are running out of landfill space. Eg in 2015 in Beirut there was a political crisis when the landfill site South East of the city was closed. Rubbish collectors piled up mountains of untreated waste (eg by the side of the road).
  • quantities. Many city authorities are struggling to collect increasing quantities of waste. In Cairo, 40% of daily waste is collected of and disposed appropriately; the rest is dumped in the desert.
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17
Q

Outline the waste management hierarchy in terms of most preferred to least preferred options.

A 
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Recover 
Landfill / incineration
Controlled dump
18
Q

From the waste management hierarchy, what are the waste disposal options?

A

Landfill, incineration, controlled dump

19
Q

In the hierarchy for waste management, name the waste diversion options.

A

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Recover

20
Q

The best waste management is to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place. How can this be done?

A
  • waste related legislation
  • education
  • financial incentives
21
Q

What’re the most common methods of waste disposal in HICs?

A

Landfill and incineration

22
Q

Most common methods of waste disposal in LICs?

A

Unregulated disposal. Eg disposing their waste in open dumps. This means it’s not controlled or supervised by regulation of the law, and solid waste that’s not properly collected and disposed can be breeding ground for insects vermin and scavenging animals, and so pass on air and water borne diseases.

In areas where waste isn’t frequently collected…
- diarrhoea = 2x greater
- respiratory problems = 6 higher
Compared to areas where collection is frequent

23
Q

Enviaré mental threats of unregulated waste disposal?

A
  • contamination of groundwater and surface waster by leachate
  • air pollution from burning of waste that’s not properly disposed of.
24
Q

What is resource recovery?

A

The selective extraction of disposed materials for a specific next use, such as recycling, composting or energy generation.

25
Q

What’s recycling?

A

Recycling is carried out when materials from which the items are made can be reprocessed into new products. In recent years the global market for recyclables has increased significantly.

Recycling, particularly in LICs occurs through an active, usually informal, sector.

About 1% of the population survive by salvaging recyclables from waste.

26
Q

Key advantages of recycling and recovery?

A
  • reduced quantities of disposed waste eg landfill

- return of materials to the economy

27
Q

Disadvantages of recycling and recovery?

A

Energy may be required for the operation of material recovery from waste - leading to greenhouse gas emissions.

28
Q

Outline trade.

A

Waste may be moved within or between countries.
The global waste trade is the international trade of waste between countries for further treatment, disposal or recycling.

The trade is predominantly from HICs to LICs.

29
Q

What do critics of the global waste trade claim?

A

That inadequate regulation has allowed many LICs to become toxic dumps for hazardous waste.

Toxic wastes are often produced in HICs, and these people often suffer little or no health effects.
As LICs do not have safe recycling process processes or facilities and hazardous wastes aren’t properly disposed of. Workers may process toxic waste with their bare hands leading to illness and death. The surrounding environment may also be poisoned with disastrous effect on natural ecosystems (eg by chemicals leaking into waterways and groundwater - poisoning local people).

Thus, workers in the dumps and local children searching for items to sell in LICs are exposed to dangerous health risks.

30
Q

Have laws been introduced regarding trade?

A

Yes. International laws eg the Basel Convention have been produced to prevent trans boundary movement of wastes.
However, it still happens.

31
Q

What is incineration?

A

Thermal treatment if waste (burning)

32
Q

What is ‘energy from waste’?

A

Electricity and heat is produced when general waste is safely burned at high temperatures and under carefully controlled conditions.

33
Q

Why is ‘energy from waste’ preferred over ‘incineration’?

A

Because of the costs and pollution of incineration.

34
Q

What is burial (landfill)?

A

Burial is the placement of waste in man-made or natural excavations, eg pits of landfills.

35
Q

What’s the difference between landfill in HICs and LICs?

A

In LICs there may be a hole in the ground where open dumping occurs.
Whereas in HICs, there are much stricter regulations and the types of material that can be sent to landfill are often defined by law. In the U.K., most landfill sites control and collect the gas that’s released by decomposing waste, often using it to generate electricity by turbines.

36
Q

Advantages of landfill?

A
  • facilities are properly cited with necessary cornrows
  • different types of waste are accepted and ordered
  • good use of abandoned quarries
  • methane can be vented and used as a fuel
  • cost effective and safe if managed efficiently
  • on reaching capacity, can be sealed, top soiled and landscaped for recreational use
  • easily managed
37
Q

Disadvantages of landfill?

A
  • unsightly
  • high transportation costs
  • heavy, dirty lorry traffic is generated
  • often opposed by neighbouring residents
  • smell is unpleasant, especially in hot weather
  • attracts vermin, flies and scavenging birds
  • wind blown matter becomes unsightly litter
  • potential leaching of chemicals threatens groundwater supply
  • decaying matter produces methane a strong greenhouse gas which is also explosive
  • burying organic waste leads to anaerobic decay
38
Q

Advantages of incineration?

A
  • can be used to produce energy
  • requires less land than landfill
  • long life span
  • cost effective once constructed and operational
  • can reduce volume of waste needing disposal by 90%
  • can inactivate disease agents
  • can reduce toxicity of waste
  • incinerator bottom ash can be recycled as a secondary aggregate
39
Q

Disadvantages of incineration?

A
  • expensive
  • not all waste is combustible
  • unpopular with local residents
  • poses challenges of air pollution - CO2 is a greenhouse gas, particulate emission require managing and chimney emissions can be toxic
  • poses challenges of incinerator bottom ash disposal
  • capacity limitations
40
Q

Outline submergence.

A

The submergence of waste in oceans is banned by international convention, but according to the UN, some companies have been dumping radioactive waste and other hazardous materials in the coastal water of Somalia, taking advantage of the fact that the country lacks strong government.

41
Q

What is the only material allowed to be dumped at sea now?

A

Only fish wastes and inert material of natural origin (eg rock and mining wastes).

42
Q

Define urban mining.

A

The process of reclaiming compounds and elements from products, buildings and waste which would otherwise have been left to decompose in landfills.

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