22
Waste Management 1
10
open dump
Waste management is critical for human and environmental health.
Without proper waste management, people would just throw garbage
in
open dumps
. Fortunately, many places have better ways to handle
waste. However, even the best facilities face challenges.
Liquid
hazardous
waste is often stored in
surface impoundments
.
However, these can leak and contaminate groundwater. Fumes may
also add to air pollution. A better solution is
deep-well disposal
. This
method is permanent and environmentally sound if managed
properly.
Solid waste landfills
are sites that handle municipal and
industrial
solid waste
. A
composite liner
is placed under the landfill. The
intention is to prevent water pollution. However, environmental
agencies suggest that this is only a temporary barrier. On top of
the liners is a series of
cells
which have
daily cover
over them.
Lifts
lead to multiple layers of cells.
Solid waste landfills are extremely common. But they are not
without problems. Many of them have reached or are
close to
disposal capacity
. As the population grows,
this will become a bigger problem. In addition,
landfills release flammable
toxic
gases as waste
decomposes
.
Methane recovery
can be
accomplished with a series of pipes that suck
the gas out. Meanwhile, underground
carbon
storage
can prevent CO 2 from entering the
atmosphere.
Get ready!
●
1
Before you read the passage,
talk about these questions.
1
Why is waste management
important?
2
How do solid waste landfills
handle waste?
Vocabulary
●
3
Match the words or phrases (1-8)
with the definitions (A-H).
1
___
toxic
5
___
composite liner
2
___
cell
6
___
methane recovery
3
___
lift
7
___
disposal capacity
4
___
carbon storage
8
___
surface impoundment
A
the collection of a gas so that it can be used for
another purpose
B
an area of compacted waste
C
a hole that holds liquid waste
D
a synthetic material placed over compacted soil
E
poisonous
F
the largest amount of waste a facility can hold
G
a layer put over cells when they are full
H
the capture and storage of CO
2
so that it
doesn’t pollute the atmosphere
Reading
●
2
Read the magazine article.
Then, choose the correct answers.
1
What is the purpose of the article?
A
to compare types of waste management
facilities
B
to describe waste management problems
and solutions
C
to explain how solid waste landfills are created
D
to highlight the harmful effects of open dumps
2
What can be inferred about solid waste landfills?
A
They can be difficult to operate.
B
They often have hazardous liquids.
C
They may eventually pollute water.
D
They have too many cell layers.
3
Which of the following is NOT a problem with
waste facilities?
A
They are quickly filling up.
B
They emit hazardous gases.
C
They are not compacted well.
D
They can catch fire.
