Read the passage carefully:

1. When plastic waste is burnt, a complex weave of toxic chemicals is released. Breaking down Poly
Vinyl Chloride (PVC) used for packaging, toys and coating electrical wires. It produces dioxin, an
organochlorine which belongs to the family of Persistent (USEPA) says the risk of getting cancer
from dioxin is ten times higher than reported by the agencyOrganic Pollutants (POPs). A recent
Dioxin Assessment Report brought out by the United States Environment Protection Agency in
1994.

2. Yet the Delhi government is giving the green signal to a gasification project which will convert
garbage into energy without removing plastic waste. Former transport minister Rajendra Gupta, the
promoter of this project, says this is not necessary. He claims no air pollution will be caused and that
the ash produced can be used as manure. An earlier waste-to-energy project set-up in Timarpur
failed. The new one, built with Australian assistance, will cost ` 200 crore. It will generate 25
megawatts of power and gobble 1,000 tonnes of garbage everyday.

3. “Technologies like gasification are a form of incineration,” says Madhumita Dutta, central
coordinator with Toxics Link, New Delhi. Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid
form to air, water and ash, she points out. Toxins produced during incineration include acidic gases,
heavy metals as well as dioxins and furans. “The ‘manure’ will be hazardous and a problem to
dispose,” says Dutta.

4. Municipal solid waste contains a mix of plastics. Breaking down this waste emits hydrochloric acid
which attacks the respiratory system, skin and eyes, resulting in coughing, vomiting and nausea.
Polyethylene generates volatile compounds like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both suspected
carcinogenic. Breathing styrene from polystyrene can cause leukaemia. Polyurethane is associated
with asthma. Dioxin released by PVC is a powerful hormone disrupter and causes birth defects and
reproductive problems. There is no threshold dose to prevent it and our bodies have no defence
against it.

5. “Even the best run incinerators in the world have to deal with stringent norms, apart from
contaminated filters and ash, making them hugely expensive to operate,” says Dutta. In Germany,
air pollution devices accounted for two-thirds the cost of incineration. Despite such efforts, the
European Dioxin Inventory noted that the input of dioxin into the atmosphere was the highest from
incineration.

6. How has global plastic waste disposal method changed over time? In the chart, we see the share
of global plastic waste that is discarded, recycled or incinerated from 1980 through to 2015. Prior to
1980, recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible; 100 percent was therefore discarded. From
1980 for incineration and 1990 for recycling, rates increased on average by about 0.7 percent per
year. In 2015, an estimated 55 percent of global plastic waste was discarded, 25 percent was
incinerated and 20 percent recycled.

7. “India does not have the facility to test dioxin and the cost of setting one up is prohibitively
expensive,” says Dutta. Besides, Indian garbage has a low calorific content of about 800 cal. /kg,
since it has high moisture and requires additional fuel to burn. Toxics link calculates that the
electricity generated from such technology will cost between ` 5-7 per unit, which is six times higher
than conventional energy. India has chosen a dioxin preventive route and burning of chlorinated
plastics is prohibited under Municipal Solid Waste and Biomedical Rules. Nearly 80 percent of Indian
garbage is recyclable or compostable. Resident associations, the informal sector and the municipal
corporation can make Delhi’s garbage disappear in a sustainable manner. “Instead, the government
promotes end of pipeline solutions,” says Dutta.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions

by choosing the most appropriate option:

(a) Dioxine causes ………………..

(i) cancer

(ii) heart attack

(iii) hypertension

(iv) sickness

(b) Which statements are NOT TRUE according to the passage?

1. India has adopted a preventive measure under which burning of chlorinated plastics is prohibited.

2. USEPA says that the risk of getting cancer from dioxin is hundred times higher than reported by
the

agency in 1994.

3. Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid form to air, water and ash.

4. Hydrochloric acid attacks the digestive system, nose and eyes which results in diabetes and
nausea.

(i) 2 and 4

(ii) 1 and 3

(iii) 3 and 4
(iv) 1 and 2

(c) Garbage can be converted into energy by ………………..

(i) gasification
(ii) gratification

(iii) a chemical process

(iv) incinators

(d) Based on the graphical chart in the passage, chose the option that correctly states the ratio
between discarded waste to recycled global plastic waste in 2015.

(i) option 1

(ii) option 2

(iii) option 3

(iv) option 4

(e) Before 1980, how much global plastic waste was discarded?
(i) 40%

(ii) 60%

(iii) 80%

(iv) 100%

(f) Based on the given graphical representation of data in the passage, choose the option that lists
the statements that are TRUE.

1. In the year 2015, the incinerated plastic waste disposal was 80%.
2. In the year 1980, share of discarded plastic waste was 100%.

3. Discarded plastic waste was 60% in the year 2010.

4. Recycled plastic waste in the year 2000 was less than 70%.
(i) 1 and 3

(ii) 2 and 3

(iii) 1 and 4

(iv) 3 and 4

(g) Former transport minister Rajendra Gupta claims that during gasification, ash produced can be
used as ......................................

(i) fuel

(ii) manure

(iii) pesticide

(iv) none of these

(h) Converting waste to energy project will consume how much energy?

(i) 20 megawatts

(ii) 200 megawatts

(iii) 250 megawatts

(iv) 25 megawatts

(i) By 2015, how much global plastic waste has been incinerated?

(i) 55%

(ii) 25%

(iii) 20%

(iv) 0.7%

(j) Which word in the passage means same as ‘waste material’? (para 2)

(i) gasification

(ii) garbage

(iii) pollution

(iv) manure

(k) Arrange the sentences in the order in which they occurred year wise.

1. From 1980, rates increased on average by about 0.7 percent per year for incineration.
2. 20 percent waste was recycled in 2015.

3. Prior to 1980, recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible.

4. In 2015, an estimated 55 percent of global plastic waste was discarded.

(i) 2, 1, 4, 3
(ii) 4, 2, 3, 1

(iii) 1, 3, 4, 2

(iv) 3, 1, 4, 2