Sustainable Waste Management and Resource Recovery Flashcards
7 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 7 Sustainable Waste Management and Resource Recovery flashcards as text
Which type of composting system is best suited for processing large volumes of food waste with minimum land requirements?
Answer: In-vessel composting
In-vessel composting encloses the process in a drum, tunnel, or container, enabling high throughput with a small footprint and controlled conditions.
When evaluating end markets for recovered plastics, which factor most directly affects market stability?
Answer: Commodity price volatility and contamination levels
Commodity price swings and high contamination rates are the leading causes of market instability for recovered plastics.
A 'zero waste' strategy prioritizes which hierarchy order?
Answer: Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose
Zero waste strategies follow the EPA waste hierarchy: reduce first, then reuse, recycle, recover energy, and dispose last.
What does the term 'upcycling' mean in a resource recovery context?
Answer: Converting waste into a product of higher value or quality than the original
Upcycling transforms discarded materials into new products of greater value, improving on the original material's quality or function.
Which parameter is most critical when designing a biogas capture system at an anaerobic digestion facility?
Answer: Hydraulic retention time and organic loading rate
Hydraulic retention time and organic loading rate govern microbial activity and biogas yield in anaerobic digestion.
A municipality wants to reduce textile waste going to landfill. The most sustainable first step is to:
Answer: Establish reuse and repair programs before recycling infrastructure
The waste hierarchy places reuse above recycling; establishing repair and reuse outlets maximizes resource value before processing.
The concept of 'material flow analysis' (MFA) is used primarily to:
Answer: Track and quantify the movement of materials through a system or economy
MFA maps and quantifies inputs, outputs, and stocks of materials within a defined system to inform resource management decisions.