Waste Flashcards
What does consumer society mean?
As people become wealthier they demand more products / continually buy new things
What does throwaway society mean?
The tendency to throw things away often before they’ve lost their usefulness
What is landfill?
Where waste is buried underground and left to decompose
What is incineration?
Where waste is burnt
What is domestic waste?
Household waste
What are the three main types of domestic waste?
E-waste, white goods and packaging
Describe the differences in waste production by HICs and LICs
HICs: Produce more than LICs (5 times the amount) Throw away 400-800kg per person per year More e-waste More of a variety More newspapers
LICs: 100-220kg per person per year Less packaging Less e-waste Less white goods
Why do some countries produce more waste than others?
HICs have more money to buy things
HICs throw things away before the end of its life
LICs have lower literacy levels so less newspapers
HIC products are packaged for advertising and transport
Use a case study to show how waste is recycled locally
Oxford
Mixed cans are sent to Oxford to be recycled
Glass and cardboard are sent to Enstone to be recycled
Food goes to Ardley to be turned into fertiliser by anaerobic digestion
Textiles are sent to Oxfam to be sent to LICs
How can paper, glass bottles, aluminium cans and vegetable peelings be recycled?
Paper - turned to pulp then squeezed into new paper
Glass bottles - broken down to cullets then used for new glass
Aluminium cans - shredded, melted and turning into stell rings
Vegetable peelings - composted
Use a case study to explain how HICs dispose of different types of waste
Germany
Packaging - green dot scheme where the product can be returned to the manufacturer. More packaging increased the cost of the green dot
Nuclear waste - buried in old mines in Saxony
E-waste - sent to Ghana
Domestic waste - recycled or sent to incinerators. You pay as you throw
What are the advantages or disadvantages of landfill?
Advantages - the site can be built on afterwards
It isn’t ugly after it’s done
It can take all types of waste
Relatively cheap
Provides jobs
Produces methane which can be burnt as fuel
Disadvantages - smelly and ugly in use Greenhouse gases are given off Shortages of sites Takes up lots of space Can pollute water
What are the advantages and disadvantages of incineration?
Advantages - Visually more attractive in use
Seen as more environmentally friendly
The ash can be used on roads
Creates electricity
Disadvantages - Extremely expensive
Can be damaging from smoke
Can cause cancer
Can cause acid rain which destroys vegetation and wildlife and buildings
Minimum of rubbish is needed to run so encourages people to throw more away
Define renewable resources and non-renewable resources and give an example of both
Renewable resources - They won’t run out, wind turbines
Non-renewable resources - They will eventually run out, oil, natural gas, coal
What are the advantages of, choose one renewable and one non-renewable
Renewable - wind Won't run out Doesn't produce greenhouse gases like CO2 Can be used in land and sea Wind is free
Non-renewable - coal Creates a lot of energy Easier to use and get energy than renewable Coal is found in many countries Relatively cheap to mine
