7.3 Solid wasteIB Environmental Systems and Societies HL: Subtopic test

1. 1
   A study compared the approximate composition of solid domestic waste in two cities. In City H, a high-income city, the waste was 28% food and garden waste, 25% paper and card, 12% plastics, 14% metals and glass and 21% other materials. In City L, a low-income city, it was 56% food and garden waste, 8% paper and card, 6% plastics, 4% metals and glass and 26% other materials. Waste in City H is also collected more often and in larger volumes per person.

   (a)

   Classifying waste as domestic, industrial, agricultural or construction waste is classification by:

   [1 mark]

   • ASource
   • BType
   • CDisposal method
   • DToxicity

   (b)

   Which statement best explains the higher proportion of plastics and paper in City H's waste?

   [1 mark]

   • APeople in City H waste less food
   • BHigher incomes lead to more consumption of packaged and manufactured goods
   • CCity L has banned all plastics
   • DPlastics are only produced in high-income countries

   (c)

   Explain two factors that cause the volume or composition of solid domestic waste in a society to change over time.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   For years, discarded televisions, computers and phones from high-income countries were shipped to Agbogbloshie, a scrapyard district in Accra, Ghana. Workers burned the plastic coating off cables to recover copper, releasing smoke containing toxic metals such as lead and persistent organic pollutants, including dioxins. Soil and water around the site became heavily contaminated. The Basel Convention restricts the export of hazardous waste between countries.

   (a)

   Which statement about the impacts of waste is correct?

   [1 mark]

   • AThe impacts of waste are always experienced where it is produced
   • BWaste produces only environmental impacts
   • CImpacts can occur in a different place from where the waste was generated, for example when waste is exported
   • DOnly landfill sites cause impacts

   (b)

   Pollution occurs when:

   [1 mark]

   • AAny waste is added to an environment
   • BHarmless substances are added to an environment
   • CWaste is stored in a closed container
   • DHarmful substances are added to an environment faster than they are transformed into harmless substances

   (c)

   Explain why burning cables at Agbogbloshie caused pollution that persisted in the environment.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   Town M produces 120,000 tonnes of solid domestic waste a year. Of this, 72,000 tonnes are buried in a landfill site, 24,000 tonnes are burned in an incinerator that generates electricity, 18,000 tonnes are recycled and 6,000 tonnes of food and garden waste are composted. The town council is considering whether to open a second landfill site or to build a larger incinerator.

   (a)

   Calculate the percentage of Town M's solid domestic waste that is diverted from landfill.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Compare the advantages and disadvantages of landfill and incineration as ways of disposing of Town M's waste.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   Kamikatsu, a town of fewer than 2,000 people in Japan, declared a zero-waste goal in 2003. Residents wash and sort their waste into around 45 categories and take it to a central facility, and about 80% of the waste is now recycled. Unwanted but usable items are left in a reuse shop, and there is no kerbside collection. In contrast, most large cities are still organised on a linear economy model, in which resources are extracted, made into products, used and thrown away.

   (a)

   Explain how the principles of a circular economy provide a holistic perspective on sustainable waste management.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Evaluate preventative and restorative strategies for managing waste, with reference to Kamikatsu.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions