Unit 7: Climate Change and Energy Production

Topic 7.3: Solid Waste Questions

Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB ESS Topic 7.3. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.

1identify2 marks
Figure 1 shows the carbon impacts of City B's household waste in one year, by kind of waste.
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2Choose1 mark
A company sells a phone whose battery can be swapped easily and offers spare parts for years. Which circular economy principle is shown?
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3identify2 marks
A waste-audit team in a large city empties a week of household bins onto a sorting belt and records what it finds. Identify two different materials the team is likely to find.
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4identify2 marks
Figure 1 shows the carbon impacts of City A's household waste in one year, by kind of waste.
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5Choose1 mark
Which gives the waste hierarchy in order, from most preferred to least preferred?
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6identify2 marks
2026
A company designs a phone with a battery that can be replaced easily and sells spare parts for years. Identify one circular economy design principle shown here, and give a reason.
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7define2 marks
2026
A river can break down the sewage of a small village, but not the sewage of a large town. Define the term pollution.
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8define2 marks
2026
A city council collects bins from homes, shops and offices every week. Define the term municipal solid waste (MSW).
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9state1 mark
2026
A factory releases chemicals into a river and also makes loud noise at night. State the two broad forms pollution can take.
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10define2 marks
2026
Waste plans often use the waste hierarchy. Define the term waste hierarchy.
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11identify2 marks
Figure 1 shows the carbon impacts of City C's household waste in one year, by kind of waste.
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12define2 marks
2026
A school starts a compost heap for its food and garden waste. Define the term composting.
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13define2 marks
2026
Many governments now have plans for a circular economy. Define the term circular economy.
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14state2 marks
2026
A student says: "High-income countries usually produce less waste because they have better recycling." State whether the student is correct, giving a reason from waste data.
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15define2 marks
2026
A landfill operator tests the liquid collected in pipes beneath the waste. Define the term leachate.
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16identify2 marks
Figure 1 is a fact file on the waste produced in Riverside, a made-up farming town. Using Figure 1, identify one agricultural waste and one biohazardous waste produced in Riverside.
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17identify1 mark
A school sorts a week of its waste into food scraps, paper and plastic packaging. Identify one reason why most plastics may be considered more serious pollutants than the food scraps and paper.
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18identify1 mark
Beach cleaners on a Scottish island count cardboard, wood and plastic items. Identify one reason why most plastics may be considered more serious pollutants than the cardboard and wood.
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19calculate1 mark
2026
The table shows the household waste made per person per day in two countries. | Country | Waste (kg per person per day) | |---|---| | A | 2.0 | | B | 0.5 | Calculate how many times more waste per person Country A makes than Country B.
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20outline1 mark
2026
A town sends all its waste to a landfill on the edge of a river valley. Outline one disadvantage of disposing of waste in landfill.
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