What is municipal solid waste (MSW)?
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What is municipal solid waste (MSW)?
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is waste that is classified as domestic waste and municipal refuse, categorised as either hazardous, biological or recyclable waste.
True or False?
High-income countries generate about 34% of the world's waste.
True.
High-income countries generate about 34% of the world's waste, despite accounting for only 16% of the world's population.
Define waste streams.
Waste streams are flows of specific waste, from origin through recovery, recycling and final disposal.
What are the two types of waste streams?
The two types of waste streams are material-related streams and product-related streams.
True or False?
LDEs produce more waste than HDEs.
False.
HDEs (High-income Developed Economies) produce more waste than LDEs (Low-income Developing Economies).
What is leachate?
Leachate is liquid that has passed through waste and extracted potentially harmful substances.
Define freeganism.
Freeganism is a practice where people retrieve and use food or items that other people, shops, or organisations have thrown out to reduce waste.
What is the global waste trade?
The global waste trade is the international trade of waste between countries (usually to EMEs) for further treatment, disposal, or recycling.
True or False?
China is still the main destination for global waste.
False.
China imposed a total ban on foreign waste imports in January 2021.
Define e-waste.
E-waste is electronic products that have become unwanted, non-working or obsolete and have essentially reached the end of their useful life.
What are the 3 Rs in waste management?
The 3 Rs in waste management are:
Reduce.
Reuse.
Recycle.
Define incineration in the context of waste management.
Incineration is the process of burning waste at very high temperatures, which can be used to generate electricity in a process called energy recovery.
True or False?
Incineration completely eliminates the need for landfills.
False.
Incineration reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, but the remaining ash still needs to be disposed of, often in specialised landfills.
What is energy recovery in waste management?
Energy recovery is the process of generating electricity from the heat released during waste incineration.
Define landfill.
A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial, often in hollowed out land or disused mines and quarries.
True or False?
Modern landfill sites are unlined.
False.
Modern landfill sites are lined to prevent leachate from running out of the site.
What is the gas-to-energy process in landfills?
The gas-to-energy process in landfills is the collection and use of methane produced during waste decomposition to generate electricity.
Define submergence in waste disposal.
Submergence is the illegal practice of dumping waste at sea.
What is waste recovery?
Waste recovery is the process of repurposing waste into new products, such as crushing concrete to use as a base for new roads and buildings.
True or False?
Recycling always reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
False.
Although recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions, it does require new infrastructure and collection points, which can contribute to emissions.
What is particulate in the context of waste incineration?
Particulates are tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air, which can be released during waste incineration and need to be filtered out.
What is a leachate pond?
A leachate pond is a special pond where leachate from landfills is collected and treated to reduce environmental damage.