18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · May 2014
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
Reference texts: Tchobanoglous, Theisen & Vigil, Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues; Vesilind, Worrell & Reinhart, Solid Waste Engineering; Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (6th ed.); CCME, Guidance Document on Landfill Gas Management; Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.
(1) Contamination of the recyclable stream — residents placing non-recyclable or unclean materials in recycling containers degrades the marketability of the recovered material and raises materials-recovery-facility (MRF) processing and residue-disposal costs. (2) Weak or volatile end markets for recovered materials — commodity price swings (especially for mixed plastics and glass) and limited local reprocessing capacity mean that even well-sorted material can have no buyer, or only at a price below collection/processing cost. (3) Inconsistent public participation — variable household sorting habits, confusion over what is accepted locally, and inconvenient collection (infrequent pickup, no curbside service) all reduce the capture rate of recyclables that are technically diversion-eligible.
