CPWM Waste Management Planning and Program Economics Questions and Answers Flashcards
6 cards from real CPWM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CPWM Waste Management Planning and Program Economics Questions and Answers flashcards as text
What is 'zero waste' as a waste management planning goal?
Answer: Designing systems so that all discarded materials are reused, recycled, or composted with nothing sent to landfill or incineration
Zero waste is a systems-thinking approach that aims to eliminate waste by redesigning products and processes so all materials cycle back into productive use.
Which term describes the set of policies requiring manufacturers to design products for easier disassembly, recycling, or reuse?
Answer: Design for environment (DfE) or eco-design
Design for environment (DfE) or eco-design policies encourage or require manufacturers to minimize environmental impact across a product's entire lifecycle, including end-of-life management.
A municipality conducting a 'needs assessment' for solid waste infrastructure is most likely trying to determine:
Answer: Gaps between current waste management capacity and projected future demand
A needs assessment compares current infrastructure capacity (collection, processing, disposal) against projected waste volumes to identify where investment or expansion is required.
What is 'commodity risk' in a recycling program budget?
Answer: Uncertainty in the prices paid for recovered materials, which can turn recycling revenues into costs
Commodity risk refers to the volatility of market prices for recovered materials; when commodity prices drop (as with China's National Sword policy in 2018), recycling programs can become costly rather than revenue-generating.
Which stakeholder is typically responsible for developing and enforcing solid waste management regulations at the state level in the US?
Answer: State environmental or natural resources agencies
State environmental agencies (e.g., state EPAs or departments of natural resources) develop and enforce solid waste regulations within federal RCRA guidelines.
In public sector waste management, 'integrated solid waste management' (ISWM) refers to:
Answer: A coordinated approach using multiple waste management strategies (source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, disposal) in combination
ISWM is a framework that employs a hierarchy of complementary strategies — reducing, reusing, recycling, composting, and disposing — to manage the full waste stream sustainably.