eWaste - Glossary

Question 1

ewaste

Answer 1

any broken or unwanted electrical appliance

Question 2

technology

Answer 2

Machinery and equipment, designed using scientific knowledge, for practical purposes

Question 3

illegal

Answer 3

against the law

Question 4

unregulated

Answer 4

No laws have been passed to control it

Question 5

dismantle

Answer 5

Take to pieces

Question 6

Segregate

Answer 6

To separate people or items into groups on the basis of age, materials etc

Question 7

NGO

Answer 7

non-governmental organisation

Question 8

recycling

Answer 8

converting waste into usable material

Question 9

obsolete

Answer 9

out of date; no longer able to be used

Question 10

international convention

Answer 10

An agreement between different countries. Not as formal as a treaty.

Question 11

hazardous

Answer 11

waste products that are harmful to peoples health and to the natural environment

Question 12

toxic

Answer 12

poisonous

Question 13

resource

Answer 13

something that people can use

Question 14

sustainability

Answer 14

Looking after and using the earth in a way that allows its natural environment, societies and economies to continue into the future so that future generations can use them, while providing for the needs of people today.

Question 15

perspectives

Answer 15

the way people understand things

Question 16

exports

Answer 16

goods sent out of a country for sale

Question 17

imports

Answer 17

goods brought into a country to be sold

Question 18

ratify

Answer 18

to make officially valid

Question 19

components

Answer 19

parts something is made of

Question 20

redeem

Answer 20

gain something in exchange for money

Question 21

LEDC

Answer 21

less economically developed country

Question 22

MEDC

Answer 22

more economically developed country

Question 23

incineration

Answer 23

to burn up

Question 24

treaty

Answer 24

A formal and ratified agreement between countries

Question 25

mandatory

Answer 25

compulsory

Question 26

eliminate

Answer 26

get rid of

Question 27

holistic

Answer 27

looking at the whole of something

Question 28

innovation

Answer 28

new ideas or products

Question 29

evaluate

Answer 29

weigh up or assess

Question 30

CRT

Answer 30

cathode ray tube

Question 31

formal sector

Answer 31

where people work in jobs that are taxed and pay levies to the government

Question 32

informal sector

Answer 32

where people work in jobs that are not taxed, monitored by the government in any way and that are not counted as part of the country’s economic output

Question 33

issue

Answer 33

Something about which there are different points of view

Question 34

product stewardship

Answer 34

Everyone accepts responsibility for the environmental effects of products from the time they are produced until the end of their useful life and disposal.

Question 35

justify

Answer 35

give reasons to support an action/belief

Question 36

ecological footprint

Answer 36

the amount of productive land needed on average to support each person for food, water, transport, housing, waste management, and other purposes

Question 37

regulate

Answer 37

passing laws to control something

Question 38

social

Answer 38

about people and society

Question 39

landfill

Answer 39

rubbish dump

Question 40

consumers

Answer 40

people who buy and use a product