CPWM CPWM Waste Management Planning and Program Economics Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'diversion rate' a measure of in solid waste management?
- The speed at which trucks travel between collection stops
- The percentage of waste materials diverted from landfill disposal through recycling, composting, or reuse (Correct answer)
- The rate at which landfill gas is captured
- The fraction of hazardous waste treated on-site
Correct answer: The percentage of waste materials diverted from landfill disposal through recycling, composting, or reuse
Diversion rate is a key performance metric calculated as the weight of materials diverted from landfill (recycled, composted, reused) divided by total waste generated.
Question 2: In waste management, what is 'airspace' at a landfill?
- Permitted flight paths over the facility
- The remaining volumetric capacity available for waste disposal (Correct answer)
- The space required between waste cells for aeration
- Buffer zone acreage around the perimeter
Correct answer: The remaining volumetric capacity available for waste disposal
Landfill airspace refers to the remaining permitted volume in which waste can be placed; when it is exhausted, the facility must close or expand.
Question 3: Which element of a solid waste management plan typically identifies the quantities and types of waste generated within a service area?
- Financial pro forma
- Waste characterization or waste stream analysis (Correct answer)
- Emergency response plan
- Environmental justice review
Correct answer: Waste characterization or waste stream analysis
A waste characterization study samples and analyzes the composition and quantity of waste generated so planners can design appropriate management strategies.
Question 4: What is a 'transfer station' in the context of solid waste logistics?
- A facility that permanently disposes of waste
- An intermediate facility where waste is consolidated and transferred from smaller vehicles to larger transport vehicles (Correct answer)
- A recycling sorting facility
- A hazardous waste storage site
Correct answer: An intermediate facility where waste is consolidated and transferred from smaller vehicles to larger transport vehicles
Transfer stations receive waste from collection vehicles, consolidate it, and load it onto long-haul trucks or rail cars for cost-effective transport to distant disposal facilities.
Question 5: When evaluating a new waste-to-energy facility, which financial metric represents the net present value of revenues minus costs over the project lifetime?
- Tipping fee index
- Net present value (NPV) (Correct answer)
- Debt service coverage ratio
- Return on equity
Correct answer: Net present value (NPV)
Net present value (NPV) discounts all future cash flows to the present, allowing planners to determine whether a project creates financial value over its lifetime.
Question 6: Which federal law requires states to have an approved solid waste management plan as a condition for certain EPA grants?
- CERCLA
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D (Correct answer)
- Clean Water Act
- Safe Drinking Water Act
Correct answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D
RCRA Subtitle D establishes a framework for non-hazardous solid waste management and encourages states to develop comprehensive solid waste management plans, often as a condition for federal funding.
CPWM CPWM Waste Management Planning and Program Economics Questions and Answers 2
What is 'diversion rate' a measure of in solid waste management?