18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · May 2016
Question 17 of 17: Data Sources for a Seasonal Community's Waste Strategy
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
Notes on this paper
National Examination, May 2016 — 04-Env-A6 / 18-Env-A6, Solid Waste Engineering and Management. 3 hours duration, closed book, one non-communicating calculator (Casio or Sharp), one letter-sized aid sheet permitted. All 17 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 17: Data Sources for a Seasonal Community's Waste Strategy (8 marks)
Existing collection contractor/hauler records. Billing tonnage and load-count data already held by the current collector, if the community is presently serviced — the fastest source to obtain within a short timeline.
Landfill or transfer-station scale records. Weigh-scale data for the community or the regional facility it hauls to, the most accurate directly-measured source available (Q6).
Regional or provincial waste composition/generation studies from comparable seasonal (resort or tourism-based) communities, since a generic year-round urban benchmark will not reflect this community's demand pattern.
Tourism authority/local government population and visitor-day statistics. A seasonal community's waste generation tracks its highly variable total (resident plus visitor) population, not just its permanent resident count, so visitor-day data is essential to interpret any tonnage figures correctly.
Provincial waste-diversion program statistics (e.g., provincial extended-producer-responsibility program reporting) for a baseline composition breakdown by material category.
A short-duration, site-specific sort/weigh study (Q6's methods) conducted during the current peak season, if time and budget allow even a partial one, to ground-truth the secondary sources above against this community's actual waste.
Benchmarking against comparable seasonal communities of similar size and tourism type, documented in the technical literature or by provincial waste-management associations, to cross-check the strategy's assumptions before finalizing it.
