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?

10 billion tons of solid waste

(2) Why has the amount of waste produced doubled

in the U.S. since the 1960s? Many products are designed to be used once
(3) Compare and contrast biodegradable versus non
biodegradable materials. Provide an example of each
as well.

Biodegradable : broken down by living things ( tomato )

Non-biodegradable : materials combined to make products that are unnatural

(4) Where does most of our solid waste come from

(about 70%)? Manufacturing and mining
(5) What is municipal solid waste? What makes up the
largest portion of this waste (Figure 12-8)? Paper and
Cardboard

(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)?

Incinerated or Landfills

(8) Describe three problems with storing waste in

landfills. Methane, Leachate, Safety
(9) When is NC estimated to run out of landfill space
(use Figure 12-12)?

5-10 years

(10) Describe two problems with incinerating waste.

More toxic, less recycling