Chapter 14, Problem 1CYE

To determine

The highest recovery rate of recovery and the lowest rate of recovery among the materials.

Answer to Problem 1CYE

The paper and paperboard have the highest and the plastics have the lowest recovery rate.

Explanation of Solution

The solid waste contains various types of wastes, such as hospital wastes, recyclable wastes, toxic wastes, electronic wastes and many more. The solid waste is dumped into open or closed land areas or old factories.

There are some wastes that can be recycled efficiently and thus, their generating volume can be lowered. Also, there are some types of wastes that include some of the wastes that need proper time and treatment for their recycling and thus, their generation rate is higher.

As referred from the given figure, the material with the highest recovery rate is paper and paperboard. Also, the material with the lowest recovery rate is plastics. This is because paper and paperboard can be easily recycled without much extensive treatment. Plastics are more resistant to the recycling techniques because of their non-degradable properties.