Recycling - How Important Is It Really?

(1) Recycling is the process of turning used products into raw materials that can be used to make new products. The internationally recognized symbol for recycling includes three arrows moving in a triangle. Each arrow represents a different part of the recycling process, from collection to re-manufacture to resale. Saving certain recyclable materials and taking them to recycling centres has become part of the daily routine in many homes. This should be encouraged for a number of reasons.

(2) To start with, recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future. When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry. For instance, in case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Making a ton of paper from recycled paper saves up to 17 trees and uses 50% less water.

(3) Another important reason is that it almost always takes less energy to make a product from recycled materials than it does to make it from new materials. Using recycled aluminum scrap to make new aluminum cans, for example, uses 95% less energy than making aluminum cans from bauxite ore, the raw material used to make aluminum.

(4) Moreover, recycling reduces the need for extracting and processing raw materials all of which create air and water pollution. As recycling saves energy, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C0₂ a year – the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.

(5) In addition, when we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites or incinerators is reduced. Recycling prevents hazardous materials and chemicals, such as lead and mercury, from ending up in landfills, where they can contaminate soil and leach into our drinking water.

(6) However, many people argue that the actual process of collecting and recycling materials is expensive and unnecessary. They say that special machinery is required and that many peo­ple have to be employed to operate it, thus making recycling more expensive than simple waste disposal. They forget, though, that recycling both creates jobs and is beneficial to the environment.

(7) People should be made aware of the benefits recycling can bring, and should be encouraged to participate in programmes that will help create a cleaner world for everyone in the future.

/Adapted from http://www.recyclenow.com/why_recycling_matters/why_it_matters/index.html

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Recycling

http://earth911.com/recycling/

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=environment_recycling-basics/

COMPREHENSION CHECK

STRATEGY One of the best ways to check the comprehension of the text is to make up some questions to the text. Questions are usually classified into three types: Type 1: questions about the data (that is, the information and ideas in the text) – who, what, when, where, and how questions. Type 2: questions that ask you to look more closely at the data – to find relationships between different parts of the data, to compare and contrast, to analyse, and so on. Type 3: questions that ask you to think critically about what you have read – to evaluate and assess the data, and to justify your answer.

1. Work with a partner. Read the following questions and decide if they are Type 1, 2, or 3.

1. What is recycling?

2. Why has recycling become part of the daily routine in many homes?

3. How do you think people should be encouraged to participate in recycling programmes?

2. With your partner answer the questions from Task 1.

3. Write three questions about the text (try all the three types).

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4. Exchange your questions with your partner, and answer each other’s questions orally.

LANGUAGE WORK

STRATEGY: Building vocabulary: using context clues Although there may be many words in a text that you do not know, you do not want to continually stop and look up words in the dictionary. It is often possible to get a general idea of the meaning of the word or phrase by looking at its context. This means looking at the words and sentences that come before and after the word or phrase.

1. Find words in the text that match the definitions below.

1. to change from one system, use, or method to another, or to make something do this (par. 2) ________________

2. to remove something from a particular place (par. 2) ________________

3. old metal or paper that can be used again after going through a special process (par.3) ________________

4. to treat a substance with chemicals or machines in order to make something (par.4)

________________

5. to remove a chemical or mineral from something such as soil as a result of water passing through it, or to be removed by this process (par.5) ________________

2. Compare your answers in a small group. Discuss which clues helped you. Check your answers in an English-English dictionary.

Speaking