Practice AP Environmental Science questions on landfills, sanitary landfill components, e-waste, leachate, methane, incineration, and disposal effects.
Approximately 30 million mobile devices were sold in 1998 in the United States. The number sold increased to 180 million devices in 2007.
Assume that the average mass of each mobile device was 0.1 kilogram. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 10 percent of the mobile devices sold in 2007 were recycled. Calculate the mass (in kilograms) of the mobile devices sold in 2007 that were not recycled.
(2 points: 1 point for a correct setup and 1 point for the correct answer)
OR
OR
OR
(Note: Students must show the calculation to receive credit for the correct answer. Math setup must be shown for second point. Mass units and correct numbers must be shown for second point.)
Improper disposal of e-waste has harmed human health and caused environmental damage in developing countries.
State TWO reasons why large quantities of e-waste from the United States are shipped to developing countries rather than being recycled in the United States.
(2 points: 1 point for each of two reasons why e-waste is shipped to developing countries.
Acceptable responses include a variety of potential answers, but the key is to include a reason why the U.S. sends the material, not why the receiving country would want it)
Economic
- Lower labor costs in developing countries
- Disposal is cheaper in developing countries
- Shipment/recycling/disposal in developing countries is cheaper than transporting and landfill tipping fees within the U.S.
- Corruption of officials allows evasion of more expensive recycling and disposal options
(Note: "Cheaper" earns only one point unless two distinct reasons are given.)
Public Relations
- Recycling or disposal inside of the U.S. may be a public relations problem (NIMBY)
- When e-waste is shipped outside of the U.S., companies often avoid internal scrutiny
Regulatory/Liability
- Laws and enforcement may be lax
- Environmental impacts of disposal in the U.S. (pollution) may be more visible long-term
- U.S. workers are more likely to be able to sue successfully over health problems
- "Watchdog" organizations common in U.S. may be less common in developing countries
Human activities generate large amounts of solid waste, including organic waste. The decomposition of organic waste in landfills can result in the release of methane into the atmosphere.
Describe one factor that could affect the decomposition of the solid waste in a landfill.
Describe one factor that could affect the decomposition of the solid waste in a landfill. 1 point
Accept one of the following:
- The amount of/percentage of organic material in the solid waste.
- The amount of/percentage of non-degradable material in the solid waste.
- Conditions of the landfill (such as concentration of oxygen, population of microbes/decomposers, temperature, moisture).
- Environmental conditions of the area (such as temperature, amount of rainfall, climate, weather, etc.).