8. Summarize the texts of the unit.

9. Comment on the following quotations and proverb.

• Mother planet is showing us the red warning light – “be careful” – she is saying. To take care of the planet is to take care of our own house.

The Dalai Lama

• The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives.

Indian proverb

• The deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers, the earth is our mother; all things are connected like the blood which unites one family.

Chief Seattle

Unit 3 recycling

1. Read the texts and be ready to discuss waste recycling, its importance and benefits.

Recycling is the process of making or manufacturing new products from a product that has originally served its purpose. If these used products are disposed of in an appropriate, environmentally friendly way, the process of recycling has been set in motion.

I tems that are made from materials such as aluminum, plastic water bottles, and certain kinds of paper can be separated from your regular trash and put in an appropriate recycling bin.

Recycling paper

Recycled paper is paper that was made from paper and paper products that has already been used and recovered. The waste paper undergoes a process in which it is made into new paper products. Paper that can be called legally recycled paper has to include materials that have been recovered after the initial manufacturing process.

Why should we recycle paper?

The manufacturing of paper on an industrialized scale has enormous effects on the environment. The procurement and processing of raw materials have a variety of negative effects on the environment. Denudation of woodlands and exhaustion of water supplies are some of these effects.

Manufacturing also has its own share of negative effects. These are often waste disposal issues. When paper and other suitable materials are recycled all these environmental impacts are reduced significantly.

A major part of municipal waste is made up of paper and paper products before the recovery of recyclable materials. Studies show up to 35 percent of the weight of solid waste is made up of paper. This means that any landfill in use can be used longer if waste paper is recovered. This saving in landfill volume is especially relevant today since landfill area is at a premium.

Statistics and facts reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency have shown that there is a reduction in air and water pollution when paper products are recycled over the manufacturing of new paper. Water pollution is lessened by 35 percent and air pollution is lessened by 74 percent.