Waste Management

Question 1

About how much garbage is generated by 1 person a day

Answer 1

about 5 pounds

Question 2

About how much of our garbage is recycled

Answer 2

20%-30% is recycled

Question 3

What is our trash mostly composed of

Answer 3

1. Paper
   2.Food
2. Plastics

Question 4

What are some types of wastes?

Answer 4

-organic wastes
-solid wastes
-recyclable wastes
-radioactive wastes
-hazardous wastes

Question 5

How many gallons of fresh water can be polluted with one gallon of gasoline

Answer 5

one million gallons of fresh water

Question 6

How much does each piece of litter cost to pick up

Answer 6

about 17-79 cents

Question 7

Where do heavy metal toxic wastes come from?

Answer 7

-power plants
-health facilities
-painting
-automobile industry

Question 8

How long does organic waste take to decompose

Answer 8

1-2 weeks

Question 9

how long does it take for wood to decompose

Answer 9

10-15 years

Question 10

How long does it take for plastic bags to decompose

Answer 10

We dont know

Question 11

Why is biological waste so dangerous?

Answer 11

They can be highly infectious and a health threat

Question 12

What are the main household sources of plastic

Answer 12

-containers
-plastic
-bags

Question 13

Why is burning plastic bad?

Answer 13

It releases dioxin which is carcinogenic and toxic

Question 14

How can Dioxin be passed on to someone else?

Answer 14

Through breast milk to nursing infants

Question 15

What does dioxin do?

Answer 15

-low sperm count
- genitals abnormalities

Question 16

Why is plastic bad?

Answer 16

-blocks storm drains
-if eaten can kill animals
-can leach toxic dyes

Question 17

Why is plastic bad for the ocean

Answer 17

its 1/3 of the oceans pollution alone
-kills many animals when ingested

Question 18

What are alternative plastics we can use

Answer 18

we can use biodegradable plastics

Question 19

What are the Pros to incinerating garbage

Answer 19

-reduces impact on landfills
-cheap

Question 20

What are the cons to incinerating garbage?

Answer 20

-air pollution (lead, mercury, dioxins, sulfuric acids,)
-tipping fees are high
-ash has toxic materials

Question 21

What are the pros to composting?

Answer 21

-slows soil erosion
-creates nutrient rich soil
-no major toxic issues

Question 22

What are the pros to demanufacturing

Answer 22

-recovers soon to be discarded items
-more jobs are available

Question 23

What are the cons to demanufacturing

Answer 23

-toxic materials might be present
-may contain heavy metals

Question 24

What are the pros to exporting

Answer 24

-gets rid of problem
-source of income for poor countries

Question 25

What are the cons to exporting

Answer 25

garbage racism

Question 26

What are the pros to landfills

Answer 26

• waste gets covered with dirt
  -helps control leaching into groundwater
  -can use methane for energy

Question 27

What are the cons to landfills

Answer 27

-expensive to run
-suitable areas are limited
-NIMBY
-plastics don’t decompose completely

Question 28

What are the pros to open dumping?

Answer 28

-cheap
-provides source of income to poor

Question 29

What are the cons to open dumping

Answer 29

-trash blows away
-diseases
-leaches toxic materials

Question 30

What are the pros to ocean dumping

Answer 30

-cheap
-illegal in US

Question 31

What are the cons to ocean dumping

Answer 31

-wildlife is affected
-debris floats on surface

Question 32

What is closed loop recycling

Answer 32

The by product of one material is used again to make a similar material

Question 33

What is open loop recycling

Answer 33

converting a material into a different new product

Question 34

What are the pros to recycling

Answer 34

-removes waste and transforms it into a new resource
-reduces impact on landfill
-reduces need for raw materials

Question 35

What are the cons to recycling

Answer 35

-poor regulation
-throw away packaging is more popular
-policies favor the extraction of raw materials for new jobs

Question 36

What are the best ways to reduce our waste

Answer 36

1. Source reduction
2. Recycling/composting
3. combustion/landfill

Question 37

Why is e-waste exported so much?

Answer 37

exporters dont have to comply with laws and regulations