CPWM Sustainable Waste Management and Resource Recovery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric is used to measure the efficiency of a material recovery facility (MRF) in diverting waste from landfill?
- Diversion rate (Correct answer)
- Tipping fee
- Leachate volume
- Gate receipt ratio
Correct answer: Diversion rate
Diversion rate quantifies the percentage of waste redirected from landfill to recovery or reuse pathways.
Question 2: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs primarily shift the cost burden of end-of-life management to:
- Municipal taxpayers
- Waste haulers
- Product manufacturers and brand owners (Correct answer)
- Recycling cooperatives
Correct answer: Product manufacturers and brand owners
EPR holds manufacturers financially and/or operationally responsible for managing their products at end of life.
Question 3: In life cycle assessment (LCA), the 'system boundary' determines:
- The geographic area of waste collection
- Which stages and processes are included in the analysis (Correct answer)
- The weight limit for each waste stream
- The regulatory compliance threshold
Correct answer: Which stages and processes are included in the analysis
The system boundary defines the scope of the LCA by specifying which unit processes are included or excluded.
Question 4: A deposit-refund system for beverage containers is best described as a:
- Command-and-control regulation
- Economic instrument incentivizing return and reuse (Correct answer)
- Voluntary industry stewardship agreement
- Landfill disposal ban
Correct answer: Economic instrument incentivizing return and reuse
Deposit-refund systems are economic instruments that incentivize consumers to return containers by assigning a refundable upfront charge.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a 'waste characterization study'?
- To calculate landfill tipping fees
- To identify the composition and quantity of waste streams (Correct answer)
- To assess groundwater contamination at a landfill
- To rank waste management vendors
Correct answer: To identify the composition and quantity of waste streams
Waste characterization studies sample and sort waste to determine what materials are present and in what proportions.
Question 6: Which approach best exemplifies 'industrial symbiosis' in sustainable waste management?
- A city banning single-use plastics
- One company's waste byproduct becoming another company's raw material (Correct answer)
- A landfill installing a leachate collection system
- A municipality offering curbside recycling pickup
Correct answer: One company's waste byproduct becoming another company's raw material
Industrial symbiosis involves collaborative resource sharing between industries, where one firm's waste becomes another's input.
Question 7: The 'precautionary principle' in waste management suggests that when scientific uncertainty exists, regulators should:
- Delay action until full data is available
- Take preventive action to avoid potential harm (Correct answer)
- Defer to industry self-regulation
- Apply the least-cost management option
Correct answer: Take preventive action to avoid potential harm
The precautionary principle advocates for protective measures even before complete scientific proof of harm is established.
CPWM Sustainable Waste Management and Resource Recovery 2
Which metric is used to measure the efficiency of a material recovery facility (MRF) in diverting waste from landfill?