SC11d Recycling and Life Cycle Assessment

Question 1

recycling?

Answer 1

converting waste materials into new products

Question 2

how are metals recycled?

Answer 2

many metals can be recycled by melting them down and making them into something new

Question 3

advantages of recycling? 7 (dont need all)

Answer 3

~natural reserves of metal ores will last longer
~less mining, less damage to landscape
~less noise pollution
~less dust pollution
~less polluting gases given off
~less energy is needed to recycle metals compared to extracting metals from their ores
~less waste metal ends up in landfill sites

Question 4

disadvantages of recycling? 4

Answer 4

~energy is needed for collecting, transporting and sorting metals that need to be recycled
~sometimes more energy is needed to recycle than extract
~there are also costs involved in collecting, transporting and sorting metals that need to be recycled
~sometimes it can be more expensive to recycle than extract new metals

Question 5

life cycle assessment (LCA)?

Answer 5

used to work out the environmental impact of a product from the raw materials to disposal of product

Question 6

how does the LCA help?

Answer 6

helps people decide whether it is worthwhile to manufacture the product and to recycle it

Question 7

what can LCAs be used for?

Answer 7

comparing effects of using different materials for the same product

Question 8

4 stages of LCA?

Answer 8

1. obtaining and processing raw materials
2. manufacturing and packaging the product
3. using the product
4. disposal of product