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Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Intermediate

Former School/College

Former School of Environment, Science and Engineering

Unit aim

The impacts of people as agents of environmental change require careful management. Wastes, recycled in natural systems, are being produced at greater levels, such that waste disposal is one of the most pressing problems today, especially in urbanised and industrial areas, and to a lesser, though equally important, level in rural areas. The management of wastes is a skill increasingly in demand, and an essential component of environmental resource management.

Unit content

  1. Types of waste, including domestic and trade wastes, litter, environmental contaminants such as agricultural and industrial chemicals, dangerous goods, radioactive substances.
  2. Waste disposal methods including incineration, ocean disposal, landfills, non-food chain and food chain land application.
  3. Materials recovery and recycling including composting and vermicomposting.
  4. Waste minimisation.
  5. Risk identification and characterisation.
  6. Life cycle assessment.
  7. Waste site remedial action and rehabilitation.
  8. Government actions, including local government.
  9. Waste audits.

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 describe types of waste, their impacts on the environment and understand waste disposal problems and methods
2 understand hazard evaluation, risk analysis and monitoring strategies
3 understand waste minimisation and recycling
4 obtain and summarise information from a range of different sources and present that information in written and oral form
5 interpret and evaluate field, experimental and case study results
6 advise on waste minimisation techniques and recycling methods
7 fully and accurately cite sources of information

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. describe types of waste, their impacts on the environment and understand waste disposal problems and methods
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  2. understand hazard evaluation, risk analysis and monitoring strategies
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  3. understand waste minimisation and recycling
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  4. obtain and summarise information from a range of different sources and present that information in written and oral form
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  5. interpret and evaluate field, experimental and case study results
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  6. advise on waste minimisation techniques and recycling methods
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  7. fully and accurately cite sources of information
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA3:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:
    • GA7: