Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Environmental Specialist Practice Test
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Waste Management and Pollution Control Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Waste Management and Pollution Control flashcards as text

  1. Under RCRA, which characteristic makes a solid waste a hazardous waste due to its ability to cause fire during routine management?

    Answer: Ignitability

    Ignitability is the RCRA characteristic applied to wastes that can spontaneously combust or have a flash point below 60°C, posing fire hazards during storage or transport.

  2. A landfill operator notices leachate seeping from the base of an older unlined cell. Which regulatory mechanism most directly requires corrective action?

    Answer: RCRA Subtitle D groundwater monitoring and corrective action requirements

    RCRA Subtitle D requires municipal solid waste landfills to conduct groundwater monitoring and implement corrective action if contamination is detected.

  3. Which air pollutant standard is expressed as a 24-hour average concentration limit that must not be exceeded more than once per year on average?

    Answer: PM10 24-hour standard

    The PM10 24-hour NAAQS is set at 150 µg/m³ and is expressed as a standard not to be exceeded more than once per year on average.

  4. In stormwater pollution prevention, which best management practice (BMP) is classified as a source control rather than a treatment control?

    Answer: Covering outdoor material storage areas

    Covering outdoor storage areas prevents pollutants from contacting stormwater at the source, making it a source control BMP rather than a treatment control.

  5. Which process describes the biological decomposition of organic waste in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas and digestate?

    Answer: Anaerobic digestion

    Anaerobic digestion breaks down organic matter without oxygen, yielding methane-rich biogas for energy recovery and a nutrient-rich digestate residual.

  6. A facility must report an accidental release of a listed extremely hazardous substance (EHS) that exceeds its reportable quantity. Which law mandates this notification?

    Answer: EPCRA Section 304

    EPCRA Section 304 requires facilities to immediately notify the LEPC and SERC when an EHS release exceeds the reportable quantity.

  7. Which metric is used to compare the global warming impact of different greenhouse gases relative to CO2 over a 100-year timeframe?

    Answer: Global Warming Potential (GWP)

    Global Warming Potential (GWP) normalizes the radiative forcing of greenhouse gases to CO2-equivalents over a 100-year period for standardized comparison.