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A big clean-up
Level 1 |
Elementary
2
W
aste is a big problem for many
towns and cities. Usually, there
are 3 ways of treating waste.
One way is to burn it. This is called
incineration. The waste is burned at very
high temperatures. The second way is to
put it in large holes in the ground and
cover it with earth. This is called
landfilling. The third way is to use waste
products again. For example, it is
possible to re-use glass bottles, paper
and some kinds of plastic. This is called
recycling.
The UK produces more than 20m tonnes
of waste each year and by the year
2020 it will produce more than 40m
tonnes. What will towns and cities do
with so much rubbish? A new law from
the European Union means that all
European Union countries have to
reduce landfilling because it is very bad
for people’s health and for the
environment. Incineration is a possibility
but there are problems with this. It is an
expensive way of treating waste and it
also produces pollution which is bad for
health and the environment.
Now there is a new idea. It is called
zero waste. With this method everything
we buy will be made from materials that
we can repair, re-use or recycle.
Governments and industry must work
together to introduce zero waste
programmes.
In New Zealand 45% of all towns and
cities have introduced zero waste
policies. In Canberra, Toronto and
California they believe that zero waste is
a target that they can reach by the year
2015 at the latest
At the moment Britain recycles 11% of
household waste, burns 8% and buries
the rest in landfills. Canberra is already
recycling 59% of its waste and
Edmonton, Canada, recycles 70%. Most
waste in our rubbish bins is organic
waste and this can be very dangerous to
our health because it becomes rotten
and can then leak into the water
system. Many towns and cities now
separate organic waste, dry recyclables
such as bottles and plastics, and
dangerous materials such as batteries.
Supporters of zero waste also say it can
make money. Small businesses that
recycle waste can create jobs in places
where there is high unemployment.
“This is a quiet revolution,” says Warren
Snow, of the New Zealand Zero Waste
Trust. “Local people are turning waste
into jobs”.
15%-20% of waste is difficult or
expensive to recycle. In the zero waste
system, industries will not use these
materials any more. Perhaps in twenty
or thirty years time, we will all have zero
waste and the world will be cleaner and
healthier.
