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The plastic planet

Vocabulary: WASTE CLASSIFICATION Think about examples of waste types in the pictures and where they come from.

©Wikipedia, Mark Ahsmann, 2013 ©Wikipedia, D5481026, 2014 ©Wikipedia, Muu-karhu, 2005

Divide the words (mostly adjectives describing waste) below into the four categories in the table.

Origin – where from? In what form? What properties? Legal definition?

agricultural solid (non-)flammable controlled

sewage liquid beneficial commercial (non)recyclable

gaseous inert hazardous radioactive sludge / slurry

powder caustic household explosive photodegradable

medical toxic industrial carcinogenic biodegradable

organic usable infectious construction municipal solid w.

Classify the following waste materials, use the adjectives from the table.

paper _______________________________________________________________________________ manure _____________________________________________________________________________ nuclear waste ________________________________________________________________________ tires ________________________________________________________________________________

©Wikipedia, Wutsje, 2008 ©Wikipedia, Malene Thyssen, 2005 ©Wikipedia, HopsonRoad, 2019

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Resource efficiency and the polluter-pays principle Globally, we are using more resources to produce goods than the planet is able to replenish. Resource efficiency means reducing environmental impact of the production and consumption of these goods, from the raw material extraction to the disposal. The “polluter-pays principle” is a principle where the polluter must pay for the impact caused to the environment (for example a beverage company pays for recycling of plastic bottles). Waste handling practices Curbside collection is the most common method of disposal in most countries, in which waste is collected from households at regular intervals by specialized trucks. Waste is then transported to a disposal facility. Landfilling A landfill is a site for burying or depositing waste materials (municipal solid waste, construction waste such as concrete, brickwork and rubble). Landfills were often established in unused quarries or mining areas. Landfills can create environmental impacts such as wind-blown litter, attraction of rodents or birds, and generation of leachate. Leachate is a liquid substance full of pollutants created by water which goes down through the landfill. If leachate escapes out of the landfill, it may contaminate the soil or groundwater. That is why leachate should be collected and treated. Another common product of landfills is landfill gas (mostly composed of methane and carbon dioxide), which is produced from anaerobic decomposition of organic waste. This gas might create odour problems, kill surface vegetation and is a greenhouse gas, but it can be collected and used for generating electricity. Today, about 40 percent of municipal solid waste goes into landfills, but in some cases, landfills had to be closed, because the peak of their capacity had been reached. Incineration Incineration is burning of waste in special facilities called incinerators. Today, about 10 percent of municipal solid waste is incinerated. This process reduces solid waste to 20 percent of the original volume. Incinerators convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam, and ash. Incineration is a practical method for disposing of hazardous waste materials such as medical waste, but it is also a controversial method because of emissions of gaseous pollutants. Incineration facilities are able to generate heat which can be converted to steam or electricity. Although modern incinerators must have filters and scrubbers, the burning process in an incinerator is not always perfect and pollutants in gaseous emissions (dioxins, furans, and PAHs) may be created and may have serious environmental consequences. Recycling Recycling refers to the collection and reuse of waste materials (about 40 percent of waste is recycled today). The materials can be reprocessed into new products. Recyclable waste has to be separated into various different containers (e.g. for paper, plastics, metals) or placed in a single container and sorted later at a central facility. The most common recyclable products include aluminium beverage cans, copper or iron wire, old steel furnishings or equipment, polyethylene and PET bottles, glass bottles and jars, paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines and light paper. Plastics as PVC, HDPE, LDPE, PP, and PS are also recyclable. Items composed of a single type of material are relatively easy to recycle. The recycling of complex products (such as computers and electronic equipment) is more difficult because these products have to be dismantled and separation of individual components is required. In the future we should recycle most of our waste and we should reduce the amount of waste which is landfilled or incinerated. Biological reprocessing Organic materials such as plant material, food scraps, sewage sludge or paper products, can be recovered through composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural purposes. In addition, waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity and heat. Composting is transformation of organic material into a material called compost, usually in a compost pile. Invertebrates (insects and earthworms), and micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) are able to transform the material into humus which is rich in nutrients. Compost is beneficial for soil structure, soil fertility, pH balance, erosion control and water retention. Composting is more effective and usually cheaper than landfilling or incineration. For an effective composting process we need suitable temperature and water content, proper aeration and enough oxygen. based on various Wikipedia texts

Skills / Reading: WASTE MANAGEMENT Starter: What happens with municipal solid waste which is collected from households?

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Vocabulary from the text Think about waste management hierarchy. Match the 6 “R”s on the left with correct explanations. Arrange the 6 “R”s in the pyramid from the most favoured to the least favoured option.

reuse decrease/minimise the amount of waste

recover dispose waste in landfills

refuse reprocess waste materials to produce new products

reduce get energy from waste (incineration, biogas)

rot use waste products again

recycle prevent generating waste, go zero waste

Find examples of materials in the text, fill them in the table below, the add your own examples.

metals plastics organic materials building materials

Understanding the text Study the methods of waste management in the text (landfilling, incineration, recycling and biological reprocessing), answer the following questions for each of them.

1. What is the amount of waste processed by the method?

2. What are products and by-products of the method? Are they useful or harmful?

3. Is there any impact on the environment?

4. What are advantages /disadvantages of each method?

Grammar from the text: MODALS Study all examples of modal verbs in the text (highlighted in yellow), fill them in the table. Think about the usage of modals in English.

Ability Obligation / necessity

Possibility / probability

Advice / suggestions

Permission / ban

Can you think of more examples of modal verbs for each modal function in the table?

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Summary and feedback

Classify chosen waste materials (paper, manure, nuclear waste, tires…). Describe landfilling, incineration, recycling, composting (efficiency, products and by-products,

environmental impact, advantages and disadvantages). Give examples of materials.

Vocabulary to remember

Grammar Practice: MODALS Practise using modal verbs according to the instructions and hints below.

Possibility and probability - what might / could happen in the future because of climate change?

climate / sea level / ice caps

human population

animal / plant species

politics / society

Advice and suggestions – what should / shouldn’t people do to prevent environmental crisis?

use less / more

produce less / more

waste / save

destroy / pollute

consider / think about / protect

reduce / increase

Permission or ban – what is permitted and what is prohibited?

In a protected landscape area, visitors…

While driving, you…

Obligation and necessity – what has to be or must be done? We must / have to…

nuclear waste

sewage

leachate

Adjectives: flammable Verbs: refuse digestion

aerobic hazardous bury reprocess disposal anaerobic household collect reuse humus

agricultural industrial dismantle rot incineration

beneficial inert dispose separate landfill (gas) biodegradable infectious establish leachate

carcinogenic medical generate Nouns: resource efficiency

caustic municipal solid w. incinerate aeration scrubbers

commercial photodegradable recover ash sludge / slurry controlled radioactive recycle compost(ing) water retention

explosive (non)recyclable reduce curbside collection + materials