MSW Final Exam_ Solved Guide_2022
When did the American Society of Civil Engineers first publish guidelines for sanitary landfills?
- 1952
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
- Prohibited dumping of large objects into navigable waterways, lead to decline of people
dumping MSW into water bodies
Clean Air Act of 1970
- Stopped open burning of MSW as well as closed uncontrollable incinerators because of their
health risk to humans (respiratory tract)
Resource Conservation and Recover Act of 1976 (RCRA)
- Set guidelines for the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste; Subtitle D also set
guidelines for the design and operation of landfills
Explain the difference between planned and unplanned reuse and what these scenarios entail
for Amazon's shipping boxes. Explain how Amazon and the consumer have to change their
habits.
- Planned Reuse: steps have been taken to design the product where it is easy/convenient to
reuse the product for its intended purpose
Unplanned Reuse: using the product in an alternate way from its intended purpose, NOT
EFFICIENT (Wasted Resource)
Amazon could make their shipping containers sturdier and talk to postal offices about
size/weight limits, having an agreement to let the consumer reuse the shipping container at
various post offices. The consumer in turn would have to agree to reuse the product and not
just dispose of it after arrival.
Europium is a rare Earth element, name a common device that contains this rare Earth
element.
- Televisions
Explain briefly why sampling procedure and sample size are important in characterizing MSW.
- There are two methods to determine composition of MSW: Input Method & Output Method.
Input Method: looks at published data from studies
Output Method: uses samples from studies to determine composition of MSW
MSW is very heterogenous, and you want broader trends about its characteristics to develop an
outline for the quartering or coning process.
Which of the following is NOT a specification included in proximate analysis of MSW?
, - A.) Moisture Content
B.) Hydrogen Content
C.) Volatile Matter Content
D.) Noncombustible Content
Answer: Hydrogen Content
In 2 paragraphs, explain why glass recycling has seen a recent decline in the US and why is
production of glass bottles from new raw material more economic than used glass?
- Glass recycling has decreased in the US primarily because of its weight. Unlike Europe,
recycling and material recovery facilities are generally further away, so it is expensive to
transport the glass to these recycling facilities, instead of just hauling it to a landfill that is
closer.
It is more economic to just create new glass bottles because in the US, most recycling centers
are single-stream recycling. This causes the glass containers to become contaminated/impure,
so it costs money to separate them and clean them for reuse, whenever landfilling the glass is
much cheaper. In addition, the mining companies have streamlined their process of extracting
silica, and because they are a larger business, they can afford to sell it at a lower cost.
Therefore, glass companies are more likely to buy cheaper raw material from a reliable source
than glass from a recycling center that is more expensive.
What is the largest component of MSW collection cost?
- A.) Human Labor
B.) Landfill Tipping Fees
C.) Fuel
D.) None of the Above
Answer: Human Labor
Describe what happens at a transfer station and how can MSW collection be more efficient
here?
- A transfer station is where smaller refuse collecting trucks drop-off/dump their load that they
collected at a more centralized area. This waste is then loaded onto larger vehicles/trailers that
can haul the waste to a landfill. If the waste needs to be hauled a long distance, it is typically
loaded onto railcars because weight and road strength is not a concern. It is more efficient to
do this because these collection trucks have limits to how much waste they can collect at a
time. The limit is based off of their wheel weight/ road strength, so instead of having to waste
time and money by driving to/ waiting in line at the landfill, they can drop off their load and
keep collecting their route.
Which statements are correct guidelines for efficient garbage truck routing?
- Long, straight paths should be used before looping
Avoid heavily traveled streets during rush hour
When did the American Society of Civil Engineers first publish guidelines for sanitary landfills?
- 1952
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
- Prohibited dumping of large objects into navigable waterways, lead to decline of people
dumping MSW into water bodies
Clean Air Act of 1970
- Stopped open burning of MSW as well as closed uncontrollable incinerators because of their
health risk to humans (respiratory tract)
Resource Conservation and Recover Act of 1976 (RCRA)
- Set guidelines for the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste; Subtitle D also set
guidelines for the design and operation of landfills
Explain the difference between planned and unplanned reuse and what these scenarios entail
for Amazon's shipping boxes. Explain how Amazon and the consumer have to change their
habits.
- Planned Reuse: steps have been taken to design the product where it is easy/convenient to
reuse the product for its intended purpose
Unplanned Reuse: using the product in an alternate way from its intended purpose, NOT
EFFICIENT (Wasted Resource)
Amazon could make their shipping containers sturdier and talk to postal offices about
size/weight limits, having an agreement to let the consumer reuse the shipping container at
various post offices. The consumer in turn would have to agree to reuse the product and not
just dispose of it after arrival.
Europium is a rare Earth element, name a common device that contains this rare Earth
element.
- Televisions
Explain briefly why sampling procedure and sample size are important in characterizing MSW.
- There are two methods to determine composition of MSW: Input Method & Output Method.
Input Method: looks at published data from studies
Output Method: uses samples from studies to determine composition of MSW
MSW is very heterogenous, and you want broader trends about its characteristics to develop an
outline for the quartering or coning process.
Which of the following is NOT a specification included in proximate analysis of MSW?
, - A.) Moisture Content
B.) Hydrogen Content
C.) Volatile Matter Content
D.) Noncombustible Content
Answer: Hydrogen Content
In 2 paragraphs, explain why glass recycling has seen a recent decline in the US and why is
production of glass bottles from new raw material more economic than used glass?
- Glass recycling has decreased in the US primarily because of its weight. Unlike Europe,
recycling and material recovery facilities are generally further away, so it is expensive to
transport the glass to these recycling facilities, instead of just hauling it to a landfill that is
closer.
It is more economic to just create new glass bottles because in the US, most recycling centers
are single-stream recycling. This causes the glass containers to become contaminated/impure,
so it costs money to separate them and clean them for reuse, whenever landfilling the glass is
much cheaper. In addition, the mining companies have streamlined their process of extracting
silica, and because they are a larger business, they can afford to sell it at a lower cost.
Therefore, glass companies are more likely to buy cheaper raw material from a reliable source
than glass from a recycling center that is more expensive.
What is the largest component of MSW collection cost?
- A.) Human Labor
B.) Landfill Tipping Fees
C.) Fuel
D.) None of the Above
Answer: Human Labor
Describe what happens at a transfer station and how can MSW collection be more efficient
here?
- A transfer station is where smaller refuse collecting trucks drop-off/dump their load that they
collected at a more centralized area. This waste is then loaded onto larger vehicles/trailers that
can haul the waste to a landfill. If the waste needs to be hauled a long distance, it is typically
loaded onto railcars because weight and road strength is not a concern. It is more efficient to
do this because these collection trucks have limits to how much waste they can collect at a
time. The limit is based off of their wheel weight/ road strength, so instead of having to waste
time and money by driving to/ waiting in line at the landfill, they can drop off their load and
keep collecting their route.
Which statements are correct guidelines for efficient garbage truck routing?
- Long, straight paths should be used before looping
Avoid heavily traveled streets during rush hour
