Questions & Answers
Browse all 15 questions from the
Historical Milestones in Waste Management study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
The world's first documented municipal landfill was established in which ancient city around 3000 BCE?
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A
Athens
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B
Knossos
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C
Babylon
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D
Rome
2
In 1874, the first large-scale waste incineration plant, known as a 'destructor', was built in which city?
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A
London
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B
New York
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C
Paris
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D
Berlin
3
Which US city implemented the first mandatory recycling program in the United States in 1983?
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A
Seattle
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B
Woodbury
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C
San Francisco
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D
Portland
4
The 'Great Garbage Patch' in the Pacific Ocean was first discovered and brought to public attention in which year?
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A
1975
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B
1988
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C
1997
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D
2005
5
What was the primary purpose of the 'Fresh Kills' landfill in Staten Island, which was the largest in the world before closing in 2001?
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A
Storing industrial hazardous waste
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B
Processing medical waste
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C
Disposing of New York City's residential waste
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D
Nuclear waste storage
6
In 1976, the US Congress passed which major piece of legislation to regulate the disposal of solid and hazardous waste?
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A
Clean Air Act
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B
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
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C
Toxic Substances Control Act
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D
National Environmental Policy Act
7
During the 19th century, the 'scavenger' system in London relied on what primary method for waste collection?
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A
Automated trucks
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B
Horse-drawn carts
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C
River barges
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D
Hand-carried buckets
8
The Basel Convention, an international treaty designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, was adopted in what year?
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A
1989
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B
1992
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C
1995
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D
2001
9
The first 'Bottle Bill', which introduced container deposit legislation to encourage recycling, was enacted in which US state in 1971?
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A
California
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B
Vermont
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C
Oregon
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D
Michigan
10
In the early 20th century, many cities used 'piggeries' as a waste management method where municipal food waste was fed to:
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A
Cattle
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B
Chickens
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C
Goats
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D
Swine
11
The 'Mobro 4000' barge became a famous symbol of the waste management crisis in 1987 when it spent months searching for a place to dump trash from which location?
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A
New Jersey
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B
Chicago
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C
Toronto
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D
London
12
In 1970, the first Earth Day led directly to the creation of which major US regulatory agency?
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A
Department of Energy
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B
Environmental Protection Agency
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C
National Park Service
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D
Bureau of Land Management
13
Before the advent of modern landfills, many cities disposed of waste by dumping it directly into the ocean, a practice largely banned in the US by the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of:
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A
1962
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B
1972
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C
1982
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D
1992
14
The concept of 'sanitary landfilling' was developed in the 1930s to replace what common, unhygienic waste disposal practice?
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A
Incineration
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B
Open dumping
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C
Composting
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D
Deep-well injection
15
Ancient Roman law required citizens to remove waste from the front of their homes; the first known waste collection 'public service' was established in Rome in approximately what year?
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A
50 BCE
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B
200 CE
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C
450 BCE
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D
100 BCE
