Topic 3 - Inter-relationships: Recycling

Question 1

Explain the advantages of recycling paper.

Answer 1

E.g. paper is produced from wood. Recycling paper means that fewer trees have to be cut down, which helps to prevent deforestation. Recycling paper uses much less energy than manufacturing new paper. It also means that less paper goes into landfill.

Question 2

Name three materials that can be recycled.

Answer 2

E.g. plastics, paper and metals.

Question 3

Why is it better to recycle metal instead of extracting new metal?

Answer 3

E.g. metals are extracted from ores. There’s a limited amount of metal ore and by recycling we make the most of what we’ve got. Mining and extracting metal takes a lot of energy, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels. So recycling metals also uses less of our limited resources of fossil fuels and means less carbon dioxide is released.