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Take an e-waste quiz

December 28, 2007 at 7:37PM


1.About how many video display devices such as TVs and computers were sold in Minnesota last year?

a. 48 million pounds

b. 10 tons

c. Between 4 and 9 tons

d. 100 million pounds

2. About how much in used or unwanted electronic items accumulates every year nationwide?

a. 10,000 tons

b. 100,000 tons

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c. 1 million tons

d. 2 million tons

3. Of that amount, how much was recycled in 2005?

a. Between 300,000 and 379,000 tons

b. About 500,000 tons

c. Between 1 million and 2 million tons

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d. 10,000 tons

4. How are electronic items dangerous?

a. They degrade over time, releasing cancer-causing chemicals into the air.

b. Lead and mercury in components can cause metabolic changes in users.

c. They leach toxic metals in landfills and into ground water.

d. They create electromagnetic fields that interfere with animal reproduction.

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5. What's the average life span of a computer?

a. 10 years

b. 5 years

c. 2.5 years

d. 1 year

6. How much lead is in a cathode ray tube (CRT), commonly called a picture tube?

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a. 1.75 pounds

b. Between 2 and 3 pounds

c. Several ounces

d. Between 4 and 7 pounds

7. The most valuable part of a PC or TV is the

a. lead in the CRT

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b. circuit boards that contain silver and gold

c. copper in the cathode yoke

d. none of the above

8. Under the Minnesota Electronic Recycling Act of 2007:

a. Manufacturers wanting to do business in the state register and pay a yearly fee of up to $5,000.

b. Retailers, collectors and recyclers register with the state for free.

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c. Consumers in Minnesota can only buy products from registered manufacturers.

d. All of the above.

9. Which toxic compound is not found in e-waste?

a. Mercury

b. Cadmium

c. Neon

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d. Lead

10. When you recycle electronic items in Minnesota, they can end up:

a. at the bottom of a lake

b. in a pile somewhere in Africa or Asia

c. being disassembled and turned into other products such as plastic garden handles

d. all of the above

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11. To know if an electronics recycler will do the job correctly, you should ask (pick three):

a. if the recycler is certified (such as an ISO 14001 environmental management certification) and if you can read their environmental statement.

b. if most of the e-waste materials collected (at least 90 percent) is recycled, and does that happen domestically.

c. if the recycler is registered in Minnesota.

d. if they have signed the Basel Convention Pledge.


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Answers 1 = a: According to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency estimates 2 = d: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 3 = a: EPA 4 = c 5 = b 6 = d 7 = c 8 = d 9 = c 10 = d 11= a, b and d. Basel Convention Pledge is an international standard to do no harm to the environment.

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