Text 1. THE BASICS OF RECYCLING. Recycling is the process of returning materials to their raw components and then using these again to supplement or replace new materials in the manufacture
Recycling is the process of returning materials to their raw components and then using these again to supplement or replace new materials in the manufacture of a new product. Recycling allows us to conserve our precious natural resources and energy, contributes to a reduction in pollution and eliminates the negative environmental impact of alternative waste disposal methods such as landfilling and incineration. It helps to preserve treasured wildlife habitats and vital ecosystems.
A brief history of recycling
The virtue of recycling has been appreciated for centuries. For thousands of years metal items have been recycled by melting and reforming them into new weapons or tools. During the industrial revolution, recyclers began to form businesses and later trade associations, dealing in the collection, trade and processing of metals and paper. In the 1930s many people survived the Great Depression by peddling scraps of metal, rags and other items. In those days reuse and recycling were often economic necessities. Recycling also played an important role during the second world war, when scrap metal was turned into weapons.
As industrial societies began to produce ever-growing quantities of garbage, recycling took on a new meaning. Rather than recycling materials for purely economic reasons, communities began to think about how to reduce the waste flow to landfills and incinerators. Around 1970 the environmental movement sparked the creation of the first curbside collection schemes, though it was another 20 years before such programmes really took off.
Steps to Recycling Materials
Recycling includes three steps which create a continuous loop represented by the familiar recycling symbol.
Step 1: Collection
A number of different methods have been implemented to collect recyclates from the general waste stream. They include "drop-off centers," "buy-back centers" and "curbside collection."
Recycling drop-off-centers are situated at specific locations around a community and supplied with large containers, usually “igloos”, trailers or large waste bins, clearly marked for the kind of materials they accept. Such sites can be run by a public body, privately, or by some combination of the two. The location for a drop-off center must be convenient for the public. The less people have to go out of their way to recycle, the more successful the program will be.
A buy-back center is a place where the public can take recyclables and be paid for them. A buy-back center will probably require all recyclables to be separated and insist that all contaminants be removed.
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Curbside collection of recyclable materials is the most effective method of residential recycling because it is the most convenient for consumers. In a typical curbside program recyclables are picked up just like the regular household garbage: in their own containers at the curb. Residents typically separate their solid waste into aluminum, glass, plastic and paper and have a container for each at the curb.
It should be mentioned though that the trend now is toward the so-called “single stream” collection. In fact, the switch towards single-stream collection is being driven by new technologies that can identify and sort the various materials with little or no human intervention. Single-stream collection makes it more convenient for householders to recycle, and means that more materials are diverted from the waste stream.
Step 2: Manufacturing
After collection recyclables are sent to a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned, and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing.
Here’s how it works.
The process begins when a truck arrives and dumps its load of recyclables at one end of the building. The materials are then piled on to large conveyer belts that transport them to a manual sorting station. There, workers sift through everything, taking out plastic bags, large pieces of cardboard and other items that could damage or obstruct the sorting machines. Corrugated cardboard is separated from mixed paper, both of which are then baled and sold. Plastic bottles and cartons are plucked out by hand.
Next, a magnet pulls out any ferrous metals, typically tin-plated or steel cans, while the non-ferrous metals, mostly aluminium cans, are ejected by eddy current.
Finally, the glass is separated by hand into clear, brown, amber and green glass. For each load, the entire sorting process from start to finish takes about an hour.
For many materials the process of turning them back into useful raw materials is straightforward: metals are shredded into pieces, paper is reduced to pulp and glass is crushed into cullet. Metals and glass can be remelted almost indefinitely without any loss in quality, while paper can be recycled up to six times. (As it goes through the process, its fibres get shorter and the quality deteriorates.)
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Plastics, which are made from fossil fuels, are somewhat different. Although they have many useful properties—they are flexible, lightweight and can be shaped into any form—there are many different types, most of which need to be processed separately. Even so, plastics are being used more and more, not just for packaging, but also in consumer goods such as cars, televisions and personal computers.
Step 3: Purchasing
By buying new products made from recycled materials you help close the recycling loop. Here are some of the terms used:
Recycled-content product. This means the product was manufactured with recycled materials, either collected from a recycling program or from waste recovered during the normal manufacturing process. Sometimes the label will tell you how much of the content was from recycled materials.
Postconsumer content. This is very similar to recycled content, but the material comes only from recyclables collected from consumers or businesses through a recycling program.
Recyclable product. These are products that can be collected, processed and manufactured into new products after they have been used.
The rhetoric surrounding the two current alternatives to recycling – landfills and incinerators – is filled with contradictions. Proponents of both of these disposal methods proclaim their safety and efficiency, while environmental groups and independent researchers regularly dispute such claims. Amid all this confusion recycling seems to be an ideal choice.
Even so, most curbside recycling programmes are not financially self-sustaining. The cost of collecting, transporting and sorting materials generally exceeds the revenues generated by selling the recyclables, and is also greater than the disposal costs. Much recyclable material can be processed locally, but ever more is being shipped to developing nations, especially China. The country has a large appetite for raw materials and that includes scrap metals, waste paper and plastics, all of which can be cheaper than virgin materials. In most cases, these waste materials are recycled into consumer goods or packaging and returned to Europe and America via container ships.
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Fun Recycling Facts
• An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now. • Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to listen to a full album on your iPod. Recycling 100 cans could light your bedroom for two whole weeks.
• Your ID card will last approximately 450-650 years.
• One-third of the water used in most homes is flushed down the toilet.
• If you had a 15-year-old tree and made it into paper grocery bags, you'd get about 700 of them. A supermarket could use all of them in under an hour!
2. Paraphrase the underlined words and word-combinations and translate them into Russian.
3. Draw a scheme of a recycling process based on the text. Then using your partner’s scheme speak about the process.
4. Work in pairs and discuss the pros and cons of recycling. Elaborate on the following arguments if you wish.
| 5 Reasons Why People Do Not Recycle | 5 Reasons Why People Should Recycle |
| 1. “Recycling is inconvenient.” This seems to be the number one reason why people don’t recycle – they don’t want to put in the extra effort. Some places have no pick-up. Some people say that they just can’t be bothered. 2. “I do not have enough space in my home to recycle.” The lack of space is an issue for many. People don’t want to see garbage and with little storage space for recycling bins, the trash is an eyesore. 3. “If they paid me, I’d recycle.” Some countries fine people for not recycling. Some regions pay for just bottle recycling (we know that works). Some areas have no penalties or incentives for recycling. 4. “Recycling doesn’t make a difference. So why do it?” Misinformation about overflowing landfills, depleted resources and climate change has convinced some people that recycling doesn’t make a difference. 5. “It is just to hard to do.” Since there are so many facets to recycling – bottle, plastic and paper, it’s hard to decipher which kinds go where. | 1. “Recycling saves energy.” By using recycled materials we save on energy consumption, which keeps production costs down. 2. “Recycling reduces landfills.” Recycling reduces the need for more landfills. No one wants to live next to a landfill. 3. “Recycling preserves our resources and protects wildlife.” By recycling, we reduce the need to destroy habitats for animals. Paper recycling alone saves millions of trees. 4. “Recycling is good for the economy.” Recycling and purchasing recycled products creates a greater demand for more recycled goods. 5. “Recycling helps our climate problems.” Recycling produces considerably less carbon, which reduces the amount of unhealthy greenhouse gas emissions. |
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Text 2
1. Read the title of the text. What do you think it’s going to be about? What is the author’s attitude to the topic? Now read the whole text. Were your predictions correct?
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