Conservation Waste Reduction Recycling and Substitution IB SL

Conservation, Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Substitution IB SL

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle • Reduce the amount of the Earth's resources that we use. • Reuse Don't just bin it, could someone else make use of it? • Recycle Can the materials be made into something new?

Substitution and Landfill • Substitution: is basically when you use one resource over another for example using alternative fuels rather than fossil fuels to benefit the environment. • Landfill: Burying waste in the ground (filling in land with rubbish). It is cheap but sites are filling up/running out. This waste is mainly domestic but some hazardous waste is allowed.

Fly-Tipping • When people or companies dump waste and old equipment and is becoming an increasing problem due to • Increased costs of landfill. • Many goods are hazardous. • New E. U. Regulations are being imposed which could be costly to manufacturers.

Waste Imports In China • Dumping of old equipment is becoming an increasing problem. • A new PC requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals. • Old PC’s are often shipped to LEDC’s to be recycled. • Workers bathe components in acid to strip the materials apart.

Waste Imports In China • Imports more than 3 m tonnes of waste plastic and 15 m tonnes of paper and cardboard per year. • A third of UK’s waste plastic and paper is exported to China every year. • Low wages and a large workforce means this waste can be sorted out cheaply. • This is not responsible as a lot of countries are just exporting their waste to other places.

Activity • Create a Poster/Fact-Sheet to educate people of how they can make changes to their lives in order to think about the environment. . . Reduce Re-use Recycle Conserve Substitute