Solid Waste Management

1: Define: Hazardous waste, Organic waste, MSW, and Recyclable waste.

Ans: Hazardous or harmful waste are those that potentially
threaten public health or the environment.
Organic waste comes from plants or animal sources.
Waste that can be potentially recycled is termed
"Recyclable waste".

2: Differentiate between solid and liquid waste.

Ans: Waste material that cannot be easily passed through
a pipe is a solid waste.
One that can be passed through a pipe i.e.
sewage or watery mud is a liquid waste.

3: Define waste sources of solid wastes.

Ans: • Agriculture
• Automobiles
• Industry
• Electronic waste
• Construction/Demolition related activities

4: What do you understand by zero waste movement?

Ans:
5: What are the modern trends of waste movement?
Ans: • Environmentally preferable concept is to consider
wastes as resources out of place
• Economically feasible to reuse
resources
and recycle more
• Waste from one part of the system would be a resource for
another part.

6: How does it differ from early concept of waste disposal?

Ans: • Early concept of waste disposal was “dilute and disperse”
because of having small number of waste generation sources.
• “Concentrate and contain”- a new concept on managing
materials and eliminating waste because of high waste
generation sources

7: Write-down the Effects of Poor Waste Disposal?

Ans: Impact on Environmental: water, soil and air contamination. mainly pollution
 Impact on Human health: Diseases
 Impact on Economy
8: What are the objectives of waste management?
Ans:

9: What are the actions you can take to reduce the waste you generate?
Ans:

10: What is integrated waste management- IWM?

Ans: IWM systems combine waste streams, waste collection, treatment and disposal methods
into a practical waste management system that aims to provide environmental sustainability,
economic affordability, and social acceptance for any specific region.

11:What are the steps of IWM?

Ans: The 4Rs-
Reduce, Reuse, Refuse, Recycle.

12: What are the benefits of recycling?

Ans:
13: Briefly describe the solid disposal processes?
Ans: • Solid disposal processes include:
– Composting
– Incineration
– Open Dump
– Landfill.

14: Mention the environmental impacts of open dumping?

Ans: In the past, solid waste was usually accumulated in open dumps,
where the refuse was piled up without being covered or otherwise
protected. Dumps have been located wherever land is available, without
regard to safety, health hazards and aesthetic degradation.

15: Differentiate between sanitary and secured land field. How do pollutants enter the
environment from sanitary landfill? Briefly discuss about the solid waste management in Dhaka
city.

Sustainable Agriculture
16: What are the environmental factors affecting growth and yield of crops?
Ans: The environmental factors affecting growth and yield of crops
include
 Abiotic factors such as solar radiation, temperature,
rainfall, relative humidity, soil condition, etc. ;
 Biotic factors such as beneficial and harmful micro-
organisms (in soil and air), insects and other plants and
animals.

17: What are the major environmental problems that result from agriculture?
Ans: Major environmental problems that result from agriculture include:
 Soil fertility
 Soil erosion
 Deforestation
 Desertification
 Degradation of water aquifers
 Salinization
 On-site pollution from fertilizers and pesticides
 Loss of biodiversity
 Emission of GHGs

18: Differentiate between industrialized and traditional agriculture.

Ans:
19: Write-down the global effects of agriculture on the env.
Ans:
Through GHG emission, the effects include climate change, change of the
chemical cycle. Agriculture uses fossil fuels but what is particularly problematic
for agriculture are emissions of nitrous oxide from nitrogen
fertilizers and emissions of methane from cows and sheep.
Nitrous oxide has 310-times and methane 21-times the global
warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Emission of greenhouse gases from agriculture practice

20: What is Sustainable Agriculture?

Ans: Farming that makes best use of nature’s goods
and services while not damaging the
environment.
21: Differentiate between the Contemporary and Sustainable Types of Agriculture.
Ans: Contemporary agriculture only looks after the economic benefits but the sustainable type
of agriculture looks at both economy and the environment.
22: What are the Positive aspects of Sustainable Agriculture?
Ans:
23: What are the Elements of Sustainable Agriculture?
Ans:
24: What are the environmentally sustainable agricultural practices?
Ans:  Organic agriculture
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Conservation tillage
 Crop rotation
 Agro-forestry
 Pollution control from agricultural landscape
 Water deficiency control in agricultural landscape
 Management of flood control & irrigation infrastructure

25: How can you make soil sustainable?

Ans: • Agroforestry
• Vegetative cover
• Multiple cropping
• Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT)

26: What is IPM?

Ans: Integrated pest management. Integrated Pest Management is a science-based approach that
combines a vanety of techniques By studying their life cycles
and how pests interact wth the environment, IPM professionals
can manage pests with the most current methods to improve
management, lower costs, and reduce risks to people and the
environment
27: What are the principles of IPM.
Ans: 1) Monitor 2) Evaluate 3) Prevent 4) Action 5) Monitor.

Write down the techniques of IPM. Write-down the Components of Integrated Pest
Management.

28: what are the advantages of IPM?”

Ans:  More regular crop quality and quantity
 Healthier plants
 Reduced contamination of the environment
 Reduced use of pesticides
 Reduced input costs
 Better use of natural resources
 Reduced contamination of the crop with chemical residues
 Reduced risk of farmers from contamination with chemicals

29: Define biological control.

Ans: Biological control is the use of living organisms to suppress pest populations

Energy Resources
30: Differentiate between renewable energy and non-renewable energy.

Ans:  Non-renewable energy resources will eventually run out – once

used they cannot be used again. Examples are fossil fuels (coal,
oil, natural gas) and nuclear fuels (uranium, plutonium).
 Renewable energy resources can be replaced or regenerated
and will never run out. Examples are wind, hydroelectricity and
solar power.
31:What are fossil fuels?

Ans:

32: What is petroleum? (Define).

Ans:  Petroleum or Crude oil (a non-renewable

resource) is usually found in underground
areas called reservoirs.
 It is liquid in nature and yellowish black in
color.
 They are composed mainly of
hydrocarbons and organic compounds.

33: Briefly discuss about the Problems with Extraction and use of Coal.

Ans:  Negative impacts due to loss of agricultural crops & morphological

changes of land is higher than the positive impact of extracted
coal.
 Commercial extraction is not feasible due to techno-economic,
environmental & social reasons.
 Experiences of open cut mining can not be transferred from other
countries. As for example: Population Densities (Person/Sq.km)
are low of the countries practicing Open Cut Coal Mining are:
Australia, Canada, USA, Indonesia, China, Germany, India.
Population Density of Bangladesh is 1138.89/km² (Highest in the
World).

34: Problems with Extraction of Coal

 Coal combustion is a major cause of Air Pollution. It releases toxic
mercury particles when burned.
 Coal also produces Sulfur oxides and Nitrogen oxides which cause
Acid rain.
 Another major pollutant from coal combustion is Carbon dioxide
which is a major element of global warming problem.
 Water pollution: Waste can pollute streams and ground water.

35: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using fossil fuels?

Ans:

36: Write-down the strategic, economic and environmental concerns associated with use of
fossil fuels.

Ans:

37: What are Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, and Biomass energy?

Ans: Biomass, is a
renewable energy
source made of
biological material
from living, or recently
living organisms.
 Energy is released by
combustion (burning).

38: What are the advantages and disadvantages of : (I) Solar power, (ii) Hydroelectric power,
(III) Nuclear Energy and (IV) Wind power?

Ans: Solar Power

AdvantagesAdvantages
 The energy from the Sun is
free.
 The sun will always be there
during our lifetime.

DisadvantagesDisadvantages
 Solar panels are expensive.
 When it is cloudy or at night
there is not enough light.

Hydroelectric
Advantages
 When the electricity is generated, no greenhouse gases are made.
 The water used is free.
 It is a renewable energy source.

Disadvantages
 The dam is expensive to build.
 If it does not rain much we may not have enough water to turn
the turbines.
 By building a dam, the nearby area has to be flooded and this
could affect nearby habitats.
 Downstream area will be affected..
 Fishery resources will be hampered

Nuclear energy

DisadvantagesDisadvantages
 Harmful radioactive waste is created.
 Uranium supplies may only last for 50 years.
 Non-renewable
 Radiation may cause cancer
 Waste disposal is a controversial part of the nuclear cycle, cause
no one wants a nuclear waste disposal facility nearby.
AdvantagesAdvantages
 Greenhouse gases are not made.
 Only a small amount of fuel is needed to create a lot of energy

Wind

Advantages
 Wind is renewable.
 Wind is free.
 No greenhouse gases are made.
 There are few safety risks.
Disadvantages
 Lots of wind turbines are needed to produce enough power.
 Turbines can only be put in windy areas.
 It is not always windy.

39: What is a photovoltaic cell/solar cell?

Ans:

40: What is hydroelectric power?

Ans: Flowing water is used to turn a turbine

which generates electricity.

41: What are the negative environmental impacts associated with large scale hydroelectric
dams?
Ans: Inhabitants of the storage reservoir area who lost their homes and
farmland due to flooding were not compensated. More than
40,000 Chakma tribals emigrated to Mizoram, India.
The scarcity of land is considered a main cause of the continuing
conflict in the area.
The building of the dam and reservoir also caused destruction of
wilderness and loss of wildlife and wildlife habitats.

Why is saving energy important? How can we save energy?

42: What are the coal deposits of Bangladesh?

Ans:
Khalaspur
Jamalganj
Phulbari

Dighipara

Barapukuria

43: What are the problems of coal extraction?

44: Write down the environmental effects of oil?

Ans:  The most extensive and

significant environmental
problems associated with oil
occur when fuel is delivered and
consumed.
 Oil are mostly transported on
land in pipelines or across oceans
by tankers. Both methods have
the potential to produce oil spills.
Marine spills have killed
thousands of seabirds,
temporarily spoiled beaches and
caused loss of tourist revenue.
 Air pollution is the most well-
known and serious
environmental impact associated
with the use (burning) of oil.

45: What materials can be used as biomass fuel?

Ans: Agriculture crops and residue

Animal residue

Forestry crops and residue

Industrial residue

Sewage

Municipal solid waste

46: What is the prospect of biomass energy in Bangladesh?

Ans: Improved stove: BCSIR has done R&D and developed 30 up-draft and down-
draft models. It undertook also a dissemination program, under which 149,430
improved stoves were installed. Some NGOs have started to work on improved
stove dissemination.

Biogas plants: BCSIR (Bangladesh

Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research) has developed bio-gas plants
suitable for Bangladesh. Under an
implementation program, till June
2004, 20,000 plants have been installed.

47: What is the prospect of windmills in Bangladesh?

Ans: The potential of wind energy has not been fully explored in Bangladesh, mainly due
to lack of reliable wind speed data. It appears that in Bangladesh the wind speed will
not be high but wind energy can be put to a variety of uses. Such as,
 Hybrid electricity generating systems with wind as one of the energy sources
 Small battery chargers at isolated places
 Electricity inputs to local grids in some coastal areas or the bay islands.
 Fish/poultry firming
 Salt/ ice production
 Fish-mill industries
 Hatcheries
 Irrigation
We should make maximum use of it (including more efficient boat sails where wind
energy is directly used). This needs creation of necessary data and manpower base,
setting up some demonstration plants at appropriate locations and carrying out
research and studies for indigenization of technology.

48: Mention the Current Issues of energy management of Bangladesh.

Ans:  Matching supply of and demand for electricity

 Energy security for all
 Reduce consumption of natural gas
 Reasonable cost-effective price policy for gas, coal and electricity
 Energy mix for electricity generation
 Energy conservation
 Promotion of renewable
 Efficiency of the power sector
 Reduction of system loss

49: What is the difference between fossil fuels, petroleum, and hydrocarbons?
Ans: Hydrocarbons are basically chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms stuck on the
outside (see diagram below). The only difference between different fuels, like oil, petroleum
and natural gas is the length of the carbon chain in their molecules.

Environmental research & Organizations

Objectives of Environmental organizations. Article 18A: of the Constitution of Bangladesh,
Bangladesh Government, 2011, for the Protection and improve of environment and biodiversity.
Mention the (Draft) National Environmental Policy 2013 of the Ministry of Environment and
Forest, GoB, about the Necessity of Environmental Education in Bangladesh.
What are the Vision and mission of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) ?
What is the vision and mission of the Department of Environment (DoE), MOEFCC, GOB?
Write-down about the of the followings:
(a) Institute of Water Modelling (b Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS)
Ans: • Natural Resources and Biodiversity management
• Climate Change adaptation
• Livelihood
• Food, agriculture & nutrition
• Water & sanitation

(c) Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD)

Ans:
(d) Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA)
Ans: Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.
• Ensuring environmental protection through due processes of law.
• Anthropocentric environmentalism that seeks conservation inclusive of the
natural resource dependent poor.
• Community ownership and management of natural resources in a just,
equitable and gender sensitive way.
• Upholding the rights of people, particularly the poor and the women, to their
environmental entitlements.
(e) International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (f) The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) (g) International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD)(h) Bangladesh Centre for Advance Studies.
(i) International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) (j) Centre for
Environment and Geographic Information Services CEGIS. (k) BAPA Bangladesh Poribesh
Andolon (BAPA)(L)Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Briefly discuss about the followings:
(a)IPCC(b) International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD
Ans: • Training future and current leaders on Climate Change and Development
• Conducting research to generate peer reviewed publications on Climate Change and
Development, with a focus on Climate Change Adaptation
• Building capacity
• Building and leading a network of partners, mainly consisting of Southern based
institutes
©Ecologically Critical Area (ECA)
Ans: Under this rule, government can declare any vulnerable habitat as
Ecologically Critical Area (ECA). Following activities have been
prohibited in the ECA areas:
• extraction and cutting of natural forest and trees;
• all sort of hunting and pouching of wildlife, Catching and collecting Shell,
Coral, Tortoise and other wild animals;
• Destruction of Plants and Wildlife habitat;
• Change of characteristic of land and water;
• No industry cannot be set up which can pollute soil, water, air and sound;
• Any activity, which can be detrimental to fish, and other aquatic animals.

(d) Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995;

Ans: The act covers conservation and management in all its meaning from
lower to higher organisms of biodiversity through ecosystem
management.
(f) National Agricultural Policy 2013
Ans: Biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of land and water
resources, integrated crop cultivation and collection, conservation
and use of genetic resources has been emphasized.

(g)Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 1997

Ans: • This rule ensures environmental safety by maintaining National
Environmental Quality Standards for ambient air, various types of
water, industrial effluent, emission, noise, vehicular exhaust etc.
• It also ensures proper environmental impact assessments for various
types of industry.
(h)Bangladesh Water Act, 2013
Ans:
The Act has the emphasis on the use of water for balancing
ecosystem, wildlife, natural river flow and conservation of potable
water sources such as tanks and ponds; conservation of Haor
(naturally created saucer shaped large shallow depression), Baor
(stagnant ox-bow shaped lake) and lakes for seasonal birds to stay or
to move safely and to keep their sanctuary safe.
(i)National Energy Policy 1995
Ans: The policy emphasizes to ensure environmentally sound sustainable
energy development programs causing minimum damage to
environment.
(j) Wildlife (Conservation and Security Act 2012
Ans: The act has the required provisions towards wildlife biodiversity
conservation. Under this act, the hunting, trapping, killing of wildlife
are strictly prohibited.
(k) National River Protection Commission Act, 2013
Ans: The commission under this act is responsible to oversee the rivers
and recommend the government to act appropriately towards
addressing the river pollution, encroachment, maintaining ecological
balance of the river system and sustainable management of river.
(l) Rio Declaration 1992
Ans: One of the major principles of ‘Rio Declaration’ is to achieve
sustainable development; environmental protection should
constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be
considered in isolation from it.

(m) World Heritage Convention 1972

Ans: This Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage whose outstanding values should be preserved for
all humanity.