Sei sulla pagina 1di 5

Rubbish, Waste and Recycling Summary It is generally agreed that the amount of rubbish created by humans today is a worldwide

problem and there is no simple solution for it. Sometimes we think were just a drop in the ocean and that is why we belittle the eco-friendly steps that we can follow to reduce the negative impact on our enviroment.. Does it mean that we cant do anything about it? That is not true. We still h ave the opportunity to re-educate ourselves and learn a new way of relating to our world. What we need first is KNOWING. -In Argentina we produce about 12 million tonnes of rubbish and waste per year. -In 2004 we produced 163 thousand tonnes of urban waste only in Misiones. -Composition of the urban waste in Argentina in 2004:
Paper and cardboard Glass Metals Plastics Organic waste Others

Definitions of rubbish, waste and recycling Waste: (noun) when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible. Rubbish: (noun) food, paper etc that is no longer needed and has been thrown away [= garbage AmE, trash AmE]. Recycling: is the process by which waste materials are diverted from the waste stream, sorted and used to produce new products.

Consequences of the producction of rubbish and wasting Waste of resources: All waste materials represent an investment of water, energy and natural resources.Virgin material has to be taken from our environment to produce new products. Greenhouse gases:As waste rots in landfill, carbon dioxide and methane are created. The latter is a major greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming 21 times more than carbon dioxide. Landfill space and contamination: It is difficult to find suitable locations for landfills. Landfills produce a toxic liquid, called leachate (lixiviado), a mixture of organic acids, dissolved chemicals and rainwater. It can contaminate surrounding land and waterways. Threat to biodiversity What happens to the rubbish in Misiones? In Misiones there is a Company called AESA that is in charge of the disposal of the household waste. This company is responsible for: -the provision of space and equipment that is needed for the landfill and system of Transfer Stations for Hazardous Waste in several towns in our province. -the transport of household waste from the Transfer Stations to the final waste disposal, the landfill. -The treatment of the waste collected by the system. The implementation of this system was intended to erradicate rubbish dumps, that are more harmful to the enviroment. Within this system the waste stream is composed of four steps: 1) Collection: In every town the household is collected and taken to the Transfer Station by the local service. 2) Transfer Stations: The rubbish and waste is compacted and prepared for its transport. 3) Transport: the compacted waste is taken in hermetically sealed containers to the final disposal, the landfill. 4) Final disposal: there, the compacted waste is disposed in the landfill and a carpet of soil is spread over it, forming a layer on which new waste will be dumped. The landfill is all covered by a special impermeable membrane that prevents the leachate to contaminate the ground arround it. 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Practicing the three Rs helps us to lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing and distributing products have on our environment. It means not to produce unnecessary waste in the first place, by extending the life of a product we reduce the need to make new ones and reprocess materials. In this way, we prevent natural resources from being extracted. This reduces pollution and damage to the environment. Reducing and Reusing are the most important 3Rs practices. Tips to reduce de production of waste Buy durable products instead of those that are disposable or cheaply made. Repair/restore used items before replacing them. Buy items you can re-use. Avoid excess packaging when choosing product brands. Pass unwanted items on to friends and family. Sell unwanted items or offer them to someone else for free. You may also donate unwanted items to a local charity or place of worship. Reduce toxic waste by purchasing paints, pesticides and other hazardous materials only in the quantities needed, or by sharing leftovers. Textbooks: Breaking down wood fiber to make paper consumes a lot of energy, which usually comes from coal plants. Therefore, the production of brand new textbooks contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. New textbooks also cost an arm and a leg! If some of your courses don't require a new edition, take advantage of second hand books or websites that specialize in used textbooks. Don't forget to borrow, trade, and sell textbooks among friends and acquaintances as well. Paper: College courses depend on a lot of paper: syllabi, study guides, test outlines, notes, term papers, blue book exams, handouts, etc, Fortunately, more and more colleges are beginning to use online course management systems to post class materials and save paper. If your professors haven't already caught on to this practice, encourage them to do so. For your own work, learn to proofread essays and term papers on your computer as much as possible instead of printing out multiple copies. And to save even more paper, ask your professors if you can turn your homework in on double-sided pages. If they prefer one-sided copies, make sure you print them on recycled paper. Benefits of recycling Manufacturing new products using recycled materials requires far less energy, water and resources than using virgin materials. To reduce the impact of rubbish on our environment refuse, reuse or recycle a product. These are some of the benefits of recycling: conserves natural resources, such as coal, oil, minerals and trees. saves a large amount of water and energy in the production process, e.g. making aluminium from recycled material instead of bauxite requires up to 95% less energy. cuts greenhouse gases by reducing the amount of rubbish breaking down in landfill and saving energy during the production process. extends landfill life as well as protects land and waterways as contamination with leachate is minimised. saves lives of marine animals if plastic and other recyclable material is disposed of properly. saves money. Tips for recycling Dont throw away the candies, sweets and buiscuits wrapping. You can find people who likes to use them for making craft items. Recycle the printed paper in one side only by using them for notes or flashcards that are very useful for studying. Dont get rid of the giftwraps because they can be used for another present. There are many ways for recycling soap waste, like keeping it in a dry place, then melting the soap on a pan and finally pouring it in moulds so that you create a new one for free. Collect cardboards and newspapers that you dont use anymore and take them to some storage place like Corrientes Ave- where people whose job is selling these stuff, will collect them to recycle. Use can turn some useless CDs into beautiful clocks or portraits, among a lot of other posibilities. You can find several ideas to recycle plastic bottles: pencil case, planters, watering cans, lamps, etc; as well as amazing wine glasses with glass bottles, tumblers for terer from soda cans, planters by using old tyres. These are some of the hundreds of ideas that we can get from the web. Dont miss the oportunity to learn how to contribute to recycle and work out your creativity at the same time.

Vocabulary Chart
2

Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations

waste /west/ Desperdicio When something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible. Nuclear waste. Hazardous industrial waste. rubbish /rb/ Basura Food, paper, etc that is no longer needed and had been thrown away Householders may be charged for the removal of non-recyclable rubbish. The streets were littered with rubbish. recycling /risakl/ Reciclaje In the process by which waste materials are dicerted from the waste stream, sorted and used to produce new products. A call for the recycling of all paper The recycling of glass. belittle /blt()l/ Menospreciar / subestimar To say or think that someone or something is unimportant or not very good You shouldn't belittle her achievements. He tends to belittle her effort. waste stream / west strim/ Flujo de residuos Aggregate flow of waste material from generation to treatment to final disposition. Recycling is the process by which waste materials are diverted from the waste stream.

rot / rt/ Pudrirse To decay by a gradual natural process, or to make something do this. As waste rots in landfill, carbon dioxide and methane are created. The trees were cut and left to rot. landfill /lnd fl/ Vertedero A place where waste is buried under the ground. As waste rots in landfill, carbon dioxide and methane are created. Secure landfills are those where hazardous waste is dispose of the burial. methane / mi en / 3 Metano A gas that you cannot see or smell, which can be burned to give heat. Methane is one of the principal gases contributing to the greenhouse effect. Life generates methane, ammonia, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and many other gases. Gas

Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations Pronunciation Translation Definition Examples Collocations

leftover /left v / Sobrante Food that has not been eaten at the end of a meal: Give the leftovers to the dog. Reduce toxic waste by sharing leftovers. From (preposition) proofread /pruf |rid / Prueba To read through something that is written or printed in order to correct any mistakes in it. Learn to proofread essays for your own work. If you do use parentheses, check them when you proofread! styrofoam / star fm / Espuma de poliestireno A soft light plastic material that prevents heat or cold from passing through it, used especially to make containers. Inside, covered by a light packing of Styrofoam bubbles. The Styrofoam plant is now wholly owned by Dow.

Activities 1) Think about another way of recycling or reducing the amount of waste you produce.

2) Choose the correct answer:

A) In Argentina we produce about: a- Twelve million tons of rubbish and waste per year b- Twenty million tons of rubbish and waste per year c- Two million tons of rubbish and waste per year B) The major greenhouse gas which contributes the most to global warming is: a- Carbon dioxide b- Methane c- Ethane C) abcManufacturing new products using recycled materials requires: Far less energy, water and resources than using virgin materials. More energy, water and resources than using virgin materials. The same amount of energy, water and resources as using virgin materials

3) Fill in the gaps using only one word: aThe food, paper, etc. that is no longer needed and has been thrown away is considered bThe toxic mixture of organic acids, dissolved chemicals and rainwater is called cA .. is a site in which refuse is buried under layers of earth. The .. are the food that has not been eaten at the end of the meal.

as

Potrebbero piacerti anche