Chapter 12 Waste NotesGuiding Questions

p. 303-309
(1) What is solid waste? How much of it do we
produce in the U.S. each year? Solid waste is any
discarded material that is not a liquid or gas, us
Americans generate more than 10 billion tons each
year.
(2) Why has the amount of waste produced doubled
in the U.S. since the 1960s? Because today things are
designed to be used once and then thrown away.
(3) Compare and contrast biodegradable versus non
biodegradable materials. Provide an example of each
as well. A biodegradable material is a material that
can be broken down by living things into simpler
chemicals whereas non-biodegradable can cause
problems because it consist of plastics and oils, like
carbon and hydrogen.
(4) Where does most of our solid waste come from
(about 70%)? Produced in the united states but
comes from manufacturing and mining.
(5) What is municipal solid waste? What makes up the
largest portion of this waste (Figure 12-8)? Its the
trash produced by households and businesses. Paper
and cardboard make up the largest portion.
(6) What percentage of our trash is recycled?
25%
(7) Where does our trash that is not recycled go (you
can use Figure 12-9)? Our trash that is not recycled
goes to landfills.
(8) Describe three problems with storing waste in
landfills. Leachate and methane. It can create
problems with water pollution and air pollution. By
burring methane it has a possibility of exploding
which is very hazardous.
(9) When is NC estimated to run out of landfill space
(use Figure 12-12)? The U.S. estimated that in the
next 10 years more than 20 states will be out of
landfill space.
(10) Describe two problems with incinerating waste.
One problem is air pollution, another problem is that
the ash that is left from burning must be deposited
into a landfill.