Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Teaching and Learning Programme – Recycling and Rubbish Reduction in East Riding of Yorkshire Lesson texts

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Module 1 – Don’t drop litter. Why not? Module 2 – What a load of rubbish Module 3 – What’s in your rubbish? Module 4 – Produce less. Create more! Module breakdown

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates MODULE FOUR Produce less. Create more!

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Think before you junk! The National Waste Strategy 2000 said that councils must recycle more waste instead of just dumping it! So what can you do to help? The strategy suggests ways of producing less waste. Reduce Reuse Recycle Recover What do you think these might be? This is called the waste hierarchy!

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Reduction Discuss what you think is meant by reduction of waste. Reduction means sending less waste to landfill. A tonne of waste prevented is a tonne less to bury

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Reuse Discuss what you think is meant by reuse of waste. Reuse means reusing things, such as glass bottles, returnable plastic crates, shoes, spectacles or even computers. Some products are designed to be reused a number of times.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Recycling Discuss what you think is meant by recycling of waste. Recycling means turning rubbish into new products. Lots of things can be recycled. In East Riding of Yorkshire a kerbside recycling scheme means you can recycle:  Paper  Magazines  Food and drink cans  Plastic bottles

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Recovery Discuss what you think is meant by recovery of waste. Recovery involves transforming (changing) the material by reprocessing it. For example, burning waste, or extracting methane from a landfill site, to generate heat or electricity.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates What materials can be sorted? There are many projects being started across the country to support the reduction of waste. In all areas these plans encourage the sorting of materials that can be recycled. If people sort the waste at home, (called kerbside collection), then less waste has to be disposed of. Think of some materials that can be sorted before collection: Compost bins help households to recycle their kitchen peelings and garden waste. textiles glass cans paper organics plastics

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Get it sorted - spread the word! Tell everyone who can’t recycle at home to do their bit by using our Household Waste Recycling Centres (tip). Discuss what you could find at these centres:  glass banks  save-a-can banks  paper banks  places for textiles  places for garden rubbish.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates How do you think you could help when taking rubbish to the Household Waste Recycling Centres? You could:  wash out bottles, cans and jars  take the labels off them as well  crush the cans and plastic bottles to take up less space. How you can help when it comes to recycling Safety First  be careful when handling rubbish  ask an adult to crush cans for you  watch out for sharp edges. Where is your nearest recycling centre? Visit

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Think! When getting rid of your rubbish think about the 4Rs. What are the 4Rs?  Reduce - Don’t create waste - if we cut down on the things we use we will produce less waste  Reuse - Use it again before you throw it away check to see if it can be re-used by someone else  Recycle - Can it be recycled?  Recover - Can the energy locked up inside it be converted into something useful? If it has to be thrown away (disposal) can we do it safely? Get that rubbish sorted !!!

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Recycled Products Recycling means manufacturing a new product from old, used material. Lots of recycled products are available. Cardboard containers Toilet rolls Plastic bottles Fleece jackets Used aluminium cans New aluminium cans Used glass bottles New glass bottles The display in the photograph shows waste materials that have been collected (on the left) and then recycled into new products (on the right).

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Recycled Products At the moment there is not enough demand for recycled products. Lots of information on products that can be recycled is available. For more information on these products you could use an internet search engine using the key words you have learnt about recycling. A manufacturer will automatically choose to use a raw material rather than a recycled one if there is no demand from the public. To make sure more waste is recycled we must start using recycled products.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates MODULE FOUR Activities

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Group work – waste disposal Task 7(a)  Discuss what you think is meant by landfill.  What do you think are the problems of this method of getting rid of waste (waste disposal)?  What type of products are reused in your house?  What do you think is meant by recycling?  Make a list of the types of waste that can be recycled. Activity 7(a)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Group work – recycling in your area Task 7(b) Discuss the type of recycling that takes place in your area Activity 7(b) Write a report about recycling in your local area. You should include the following in your report:  what material is recycled  how the material is collected  where the material is collected  who collects the material  what you think happens to it when it is collected.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Group work - Presentation Task 7(c) Using the images in the recycling folder, and using your answers to Task 7(a) and 7(b), make a multi-media presentation to show to the class. Work in small groups. Activity 7 (c)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Get the message across Task 8 Activity 8  Design a poster that will be used in an advertising campaign about recycling. The campaign is aimed at promoting recycling and will be used to educate the general public.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates REFERENCE MATERIAL

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Glossary 1 (Primary) Biodegrade – when a product breaks down, safely and disappears into the environment. Bring sites – a place where people take their rubbish to be recycled. Civic amenity site – a place where people take their bulky waste. Collection facilities – all of the organised collection networks available to people. Contaminants – materials that have been mixed with other materials when they shouldn’t have been. Controlled waste – industrial, household and commercial waste. Disposal – getting rid of rubbish. Home composting – the breaking down of kitchen and garden waste to either produce a soil conditioner or to achieve a reduction in their collected waste. Household waste – all wastes covered by Schedules 1 and 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations Household waste recycling sites – see ‘bring sites’. Kerbside recycling – a system where the householder puts their waste or recoverable materials into a container or bag and places it, on a specific day, outside of their property, for collection.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Landfill site – a place where rubbish is tipped into the ground. Municipal waste – all waste collected by or on behalf of local councils and includes all household waste, street cleaning waste and some business waste. Processing – the treatment of recyclable, compostable or otherwise recoverable materials at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) or other facility, prior to reprocessing. Recover – to transform material by using it again for the original purpose or for other purposes. Recycle – to reprocess rubbish for the original purpose or for other purposes. Recycling – the reprocessing of rubbish into new products e.g. paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and scrap metals can be recycled. Reprocessing – the treatment of recyclable or compostable materials, after collection and processing, to prepare a secondary material that meets market specifications. Reduce – to reduce the actual amount of rubbish produced. Residue – materials sent for final disposal after collection and processing. Reuse – involves products designed to be used a number of times in the same form, such as glass milk bottles or returnable plastic crates. Glossary 2 (Primary)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Special waste – defined under the Special Waste Regulations In broad terms, any wastes on the European Hazardous Waste list that have one or more of 14 defined hazardous properties. Controlled waste, which consists of, or contains, substances which are ‘dangerous to life’ as defined in UK regulations. Sustainable development – development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Waste (rubbish) – products which have been discarded by the householder, business, or other waste generator, as having no further use. Waste management – management of the collection, recovery and disposal of wastes. Waste minimisation – the reduction of waste. Further sources of information: - Waste not, want not – A strategy for tackling the waste problem in England (November 2002) - Review of environmental & health effects of waste management (May 2004) Glossary 3 (Primary)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Glossary 1 (Secondary) Biodegrade – when a product breaks down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. Bring sites – a place where people take their waste and/or their recyclable, compostable or otherwise recoverable materials. Civic amenity site – facility provided by a local authority for householders to take bulky household waste, garden waste and other household wastes, which are not normally taken by vehicles on domestic collection rounds. Collection facilities – all the collection infrastructure available to the householders for the collection of waste and recyclable, compostable or otherwise recoverable materials, civic amenity sites and mini recycling centres. Contaminants – misplaced materials that are not targeted (including dirty materials) but which are set out by the householder in the programme facilities. Contaminants can also be the result of failure to maintain the separation of the targeted materials during the collection and processing. Controlled waste – Industrial, household and commercial waste, as defined in UK legislation. Disposal – getting rid of rubbish as a last resort.

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Home composting – the aerobic decomposition of kitchen and garden putrescible waste organised by householders in private gardens or allotments, to either produce a soil conditioner or to achieve a reduction in their collected waste. Household waste – all wastes covered by Schedules 1 and 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations Household waste recycling sites – see ‘bring sites’. Kerbside recycling – a system of waste recycling in which the householder or other waste generator places their waste or recoverable materials into a container or bag and places it, on a specific day, at the curtilage or in the immediate vicinity of their property, for collection. Landfill site – site used for waste disposal into/onto land. Municipal waste – all waste collected by or on behalf of local authorities and includes all household waste, street cleaning waste and some commercial and trade waste. Processing – the treatment or upgrading of recyclable, compostable or otherwise recoverable materials at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) or other facility, prior to reprocessing. Upgrading operations include sorting, densification, shredding, bulking. Recover – to transform material by extracting value from it through reprocessing the material in a production process for the original purpose or for other purposes, including energy recovery. This is also referred to as ‘to valorise’. Glossary 2 (Secondary)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Recycle – to reprocess waste materials in a production process for the original purpose or for other purposes, including composting but excluding energy recovery. Recycling – the reprocessing of wastes into new products. Many non-hazardous wastes such as paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and scrap metals can be recycled. Certain special (hazardous) wastes such as solvents can also be recycled. Reprocessing – the treatment of recyclable or compostable materials, after collection and processing, to prepare a secondary material that meets market specifications. For example, composting, the production of recycled plastic pellets, recyled paper or clean glass cullet. Reduce – to reduce the actual amount of waste produced. Residue – materials sent for final disposal after collection and processing. Residues comprise both contaminants and targeted materials that have been either missed during sorting, or contaminated so they cannot be sorted to the specification. Reuse – involves products designed to be used a number of times in the same form, such as glass milk bottles or returnable plastic crates. Special waste – defined under the Special Waste Regulations In broad terms, any wastes on the European Hazardous Waste list that have one or more of 14 defined hazardous properties. Controlled waste, which consists of, or contains, substances, which are ‘dangerous to life’ as defined in UK regulations. Glossary 3 (Secondary)

Copyright © 2004 TC Associates Sustainable development – development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Waste (rubbish) – products which have been discarded by the householder, commercial outlet, institution, industry or other waste generator, as having no further use. Waste management – management of the collection, recovery and disposal of wastes, including options for waste reduction. Waste minimisation – the reduction of waste at source, by understanding and changing processes to reduce and prevent waste. This is also known as process or resource efficiency. Waste minimisation can include the substitution of less environmentally harmful materials in the production process. Further sources of information: - Waste not, want not – A strategy for tackling the waste problem in England (November 2002) - Review of environmental & health effects of waste management (May 2004) Glossary 4 (Secondary)

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