Please read the following scenario and then answer the questions. You are working in a municipal office situated on the outskirts of the city, where part of your role is to manage environmental health. Your manager has assigned you the task of creatin

The waste hierarchy typically includes several key elements ranked from most to least favorable in terms of environmental impact: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Energy Recovery, and Disposal. Based on this framework, the strategies in your scenario can be matched to the appropriate elements of the waste hierarchy as follows: 1. **A budget is proposed to acquire metal water bottles and reusable lunch boxes, eliminating the need for plastic takeout containers.** - **Answer 1:** **Reduce (and Reuse)** - This strategy focuses on reducing the need for single-use plastics by encouraging the use of reusable items instead. 2. **Staff members are encouraged to limit the use of disposable pens and notepads, opting for refillable pens and digital notes instead.** - **Answer 2:** **Reduce (and Reuse)** - Encouraging the use of refillable pens and digital notes aims to minimize waste generated from disposable office supplies. 3. **Certain waste is processed at the municipal waste facility to generate energy.** - **Answer 3:** **Energy Recovery** - This process utilizes certain waste materials to produce energy, which aligns with the energy recovery phase of the waste hierarchy. 4. **Non-recyclable waste is collected in black bags daily and taken to a municipal waste facility.** - **Answer 4:** **Disposal** - This represents the final stage in the waste management hierarchy where non-recyclable waste is disposed of in a landfill. By categorizing these strategies, it becomes clearer how each action contributes to a more sustainable waste management plan within the municipal office.