PUBH 4109 Assignment 2 – Short Answer

Name: Jay Mulye Student ID: 20188510

1. Name the three types of waste with examples of each.

Ans. The three types of waste are

a. Municipal waste

Examples: wastes from dwellings, furniture, clothing and vegetable peels.

b. Special waste

Examples: Medical, construction, mining waste, radioactive and asbestos

c. Hazardous waste

Examples: solvent based paints, batteries, cleaning agents and pesticides.

2. Name the ten symbols used to classify hazardous materials.

Ans. The ten symbols used to classify hazardous materials are:

a. Exploding bomb

b. Flame

c. Flame over circle

d. Gas cylinder

e. Corrosion

f. Skull and Crossbones

g. Health and hazard

h. Exclamation mark

i. Environment

j. Biohazardous Infectious Materials

3. Name the five sources of waste and provide three examples of each.

Ans. Five sources of wastes are

a. Residential

Examples: Food waste, rubbish, clothing and bulky waste ( from single or multi family dwellings and high
rise apartments.

b. Commercial

Examples: Demolition and construction wastes, ashes and occasionally hazardous waste (stores,
restaurants and office buildings)

c. Municipal

Examples: Treatment wastes composed of residual sludge, rubbish and food waste (wastes from streets,
alley, schools, hospital and parks)

d. Industrial

Examples: Cafeteria garbage, oil, food wastes, rubbish and ashes (wastes from Construction, fabrication
and chemical plants)

e. Agricultural

Examples: Agricultural waste, tires rubbish and hazardous wastes (waste from farms, vineyards and
dairies)

4. Explain what Integrated Waste Management is?

Ans. Integrated Waste Management

This is a strategic approach to managing waste by combining waste handling and waste reduction
strategies that include reducing , reusing, recycling, composting and disposal.

Integrated waste management involves the proper mix of several waste management approaches,
depending upon the prevailing local economic and environmental conditions: source reduction,
composting, incineration, recycling, and landfills. Most communities use a combination of several or all
these options to manage their waste streams. Each of these options has both benefits and costs that will
make it more appropriate in some situations and less in others.

The integrated waste management brings about safety from explosions and fire. It can also be a factor in
producing green house emissions which can lead to climate change.
5. What are the three R’s and provide a brief explanation of each?

Ans. Three R’s are:

a. Reduction

The concept of reduction is essential in terms of both production and consumption. The process of multi
use of any product is environmental friendly.

Reduction in amount of material, increase lifetime, eliminate the need

b. Reuse

The items can be reused or donated as much as possible instead of throwing in garbage which ultimately
goes to landfill.

c. Recycle

Use of the material as a source raw material, involves physical transformation.

6. Name four problems with paper recycling.

Ans. Four problems with paper recycling are:

a. Inks are petrochemical based

b. Coating of high gloss paper

c. Demand for high quality paper

d. Chlorination produces dioxins/furans.

7. Provide three advantages and three disadvantages of Incineration (Waste to energy).

Ans. Three advantages are:

a. Comparing to landfills which take hundreds of years, the destruction by incineration will be done in
seconds.

b. Air discharges can be controlled.

c. The required disposal area is small.

Three disadvantages are:

a. The construction of incinerator will cost high.

b. Management and operation to maintain incinerator will require skilled and costly workers.

c. Incinerators will produce smoke which are cancer forming chemicals like dioxin.
8. How is methane produced in a landfill and how can it be used in terms of waste to energy?

Ans. Generally, decomposition of organic waste in landfill produces methane.

At first, the capturing and combusting landfill gas prevents substance like methane to escaped into
atmosphere. This energy is then used to displace sources such as coal, oil or natural gas.

The uses in terms of waste to energy are:

It can be utilized to generate electricity, fuel utilized and heat buildings.

9. List the seven steps involved with the Life Cycle Analysis Process.

Ans. The seven steps are:

a. Disposal of waste at the end of its useful life

b. Recycling

c. Useful life, maintenance of product and reuse

d. Transportation/Distribution

e. Packaging

f. Manufacturing

g. Extraction and Processing of raw materials

10. Tell me a fun fact about aluminum.

Ans. Fun fact about aluminium is

Making aluminium cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy and 20 recycled cans can be made
with energy needed to produce one using virgin ore.