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18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · May 2014

Question 20 of 22: Methods to Assess Solid Waste Quantities

Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)

Notes on this paper

National Examination, May 2014 — 04-Env-A6 / 18-Env-A6, Solid Waste Engineering and Management. 3 hours duration, closed book, no calculator, one letter-sized aid sheet permitted. All 22 questions constitute a complete paper (100 marks total).

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 20: Methods to Assess Solid Waste Quantities (3 marks)

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) Load-count analysis — recording the number and approximate volume/type of collection-vehicle loads delivered to a disposal or processing facility over a given period, then converting to a mass/volume estimate using assumed or measured densities. (2) Weight-volume (scale) analysis — direct weighing of collection vehicles (or individual loads) at a weigh scale, typically located at a transfer station or landfill, giving the most accurate mass data of the three methods. (3) Materials-balance analysis — accounting for waste generation at the source (e.g., a commercial or industrial generator's production and purchasing records) by tracking material inputs against outputs (product, recycled material, waste), used where direct measurement of the waste stream itself is impractical.