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ENV320H5F Managing Our Waste Fall 2025

Mid-term (take-home) Test

Due: Sunday, October 19th, 11:59 pm

Instructions

1. Answer BOTH questions below using a 12-point font, double spaced. The word limits
are not strict, but if you are coming substantially under or over the suggested word
count, you are probably going into too much depth or are not developing your
arguments fully. You are encouraged to discuss your own opinions, observations, etc.

2. Please use (and cite) the resources provided. For each answer, you are encouraged to
cite 2- 3 other works – these do not need to be peer reviewed (news items, press
releases, government documents etc. are acceptable). For each answer provide a
reference list of cited sources using APA or similar format.

3. You may include diagrams and figures if you wish (include a caption and source).

4. Submission is online as a .pdf or Word file via Assignments on Quercus. Please use the
following filename: (Surname)_(First Name)_Mid-term.docx (or pdf).


Required readings:

• The Circularity Gap Report 2024: Executive Summary (pdf available on Quercus, or
can be accessed at https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024)

• OECD Environment Policy Paper No. 41 (2024): Extended Producer Responsibility:
Basic facts and key principles (pdf available on Quercus, or can be accessed at
https://plastic-reboot.org/en/resources/oecd-extended-producer-responsibility-
basic-facts-and-key-principles)


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Question 1: Circular Economy (600–1,000 words)
The idea of a circular economy is often presented as the antidote to the problems of a linear
economy. Based on the reading The Circularity Gap Report 2024, along with at least two
additional sources, discuss:

• What are the major barriers (practical, technical, economic, and social) to moving
from a linear to a circular economy in waste management?

• To what extent do emerging technologies (e.g., advanced sorting, upcycling,
AI/robotics, material substitution) offer real solutions versus creating new problems
(cost, unintended impacts, equity issues)?

• In your view, what policy or governance shifts are most crucial to accelerate this
transition (beyond just “more recycling”)?

Question 2: Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility (600–1,000 words)
Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are often promoted as key tools for
managing waste more sustainably. Using the reading Extended Producer Responsibility: Basic
Facts and Principles along with at least two further sources, evaluate:

• why recycling alone seems increasingly unable to keep pace with consumption and
waste generation.

• What role EPR has played (with examples) in offsetting these limitations: what works
well, and what doesn’t.

• What trade-offs or unintended consequences emerge in EPR implementations (e.g.,
who bears costs, greenwashing, infrastructure gaps, market failures)?

Q1: 50 points
Q2: 50 points
Total = 100 points. Worth 20% of final grade.

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