Recycling

Question 1

Explain the importance of recycling, in terms of conserving resources and energy.

Answer 1

• Recycling materials saves energy as this process requires much less of it compared to the energy used to extract raw materials
• Recycling is important for conserving resources too as there is a finite amount of many raw materials on Earth, (e.g. metals, fossil fuels)

Question 2

Explain the importance of recycling, in terms of protecting the environment.

Answer 2

• Extracting metals negatively impacts the environment - mines can cause noise pollution, are damaging to the environment and destroy habitats
• Recycling materials cuts down on the rubbish that is sent to landfills - landfills occupy lots of space and pollute their surroundings

Question 3

Explain the economic benefits of recycling.

Answer 3

• It is beneficial to the economy to recycle metals that are expensive to extract or buy
• As recycling uses less energy than methods of extracting raw materials, the cost for energy is much less
• Recycling is a massive industry that creates lots of jobs - there are jobs at every stage of the process (e.g. recycling materials, transporting materials, processing materials at recycling centres)

Question 4

Using aluminium as an example, explain the importance of recycling metal.

Answer 4

• If you didn’t recycle aluminium, you would have to mine more aluminium ore - mining harms the landscape as mines are typically in rainforests
• The ore needs to be transported also, and the aluminium needs to be extracted which would use a lot of electricity