The Throw – Away Society

Britain is well on the way to being swamped by rubbish. Every year each family offers the dustmen one ton of “mixed waste” (two black sacks a week).

More than half of the dustbin content is a combination of paper (33%) and vegetable matter (20%). The rest includes glass (10%), dust and ash (10%) and smaller quantities of metals, plastics and textiles.

How do we get rid of this rubbish? We find or dig huge holes in the ground and fill them with this stuff. These are known as “landfill sites”.

This 20 million ton rubbish pose major environmental problem polluting the area. It is a slowand unseen menace. Methane gas given off by decaying organic matter can build up and explode. Toxic materials poison the water and air and pose a longterm threat to our food chain.

But a lot of what we throw away is still useful. The glass, plastic, metal, oil, textile, paper, cardboard, battery content we send to landfill is potentially very valuable because it is a concentrated source of many raw materials. Rubbish can be also burnt to generate electricity and heat our homes.

Britain recycles less than 1,5% of wast. It is pretty poor record if compared to 10% in the US and Germany, 14% in the Netherlands, 18% in Canada. There is a problem – recycling is expensive. But it should be sponsored by government, local councils and industry.

Still the number of recycling centers is growing. Collection “banks” and kerbside “blue boxes” have become very popular. Consumers separate materials (paper, metal, textiles, glass, cans, plastic containers) and take them to collection points. It cuts waste going to landfill by half and reduces pollution.

Vocabulary list

Swamp – затоплять,утоплять

Sack – мешок

Landfill – мусорнаяяма

Landfill site – свалка

Kerbside – обочина

Rubbish – мусор

Waste – отбросы,мусор

Garbage – пищевыеотбросы

Dustman – мусорщик

Dustbin – мусорныйящик

Menace – угроза, опасность

Consumer – потреблять

Recycle – перерабатывать

Explode – взрывать (ся)

Poison – отправлять

Reduce – уменьшать

Litter – мусорить, мусор

Raw – сырой

Raw material – сырьё

Valuable – ценный

Comprehension task

I. Decide what paragraph these sentences can go in the text.

1. Britain trows away 7 million tons of paper every year.

2. At the moment, most countries turn only 5 – 10% of their rubbish into energy.

3. There are three ways to beat the throwaway society. They are cleaner and cheaper than bury rubbish.

4. Recycling saves trees, energy, money and cuts pollution.

5. Some countries now have recycling laws these mean that supermarkets pay customers to return cans and betties.

II. Read the text and find out what can be done to cut waste going into landfill.

1. Recycling,

2. …

3. …

4. …

5. …

6. …

7. …

8. …

III. Study the text and point out the benefits of recycling.

1. Saves every and resources.

2. …

3. …

4. …

5. …

IV. Paraphrase and explain in your own words the underlined parts of the following sentences; translate them into Russian.

1. Britain is well on the way tobeing swamped by rubbish.

2. How do we get rid ofthis rubbish?

3. This is a slow and unseen menace.

4. This rubbish posemajor environmental problem.

5. This gas can buildupand explode.

6. They poison the water and air and pose a longterm threat to ourfood chair.

7. It is a pretty poorrecord.

8. Collection “banks”andkerbside “blue boxes”have become very popular.

9. It cuts waste by halfand reduces pollution.

V. Match the parts of the slogans you’d make.

1. Buy products a) use rechargeable battaries.

2. Bring your own b) aerosol cans.

3. Use c) collection point for glass, paper,

metals.

4. Write on d) both sides of paper.

5. Take wastepaper e) to local paper banks.

6. Avoid f) made from recycled materials.

7. Buy your drinks g) shopping bags.

8. If you have a choice h) in glass bottles, not plastic ones.

VI. Read the sentences and find two newspaper stories:

a) Focus on Paper; b) Six Billion Glass Containers.

1. Recycling glass saves energy and raw materials.

2. Britain throws away 7 million tons of paper every year.

3. Already three – quarters of all paper used in the UK is mate in Scandinavia.

4. It means that each family throws out at least five jars or bottles a week, thereby creating mountains of glass.

5. So as a nation we use a forest the sire of Wales each year.

6. Theoretically, almost all glass could be made of recycled material.

7. That is the same as 80 million trees.

8. Nearly one tenth of all waste currently sent to landfill.

9. Our appetite for paper is growing, we import a great deal of pulp (raw material for paper production) at enormous (great) cost.

10. The UK industry currently recycles just one – fifth of what we use.

11. Recycling waterpaper will greatly reduce pulp imports water and air pollution.

12. Bottle banks have been around for 13 years but we still have far fewer bottle banks per person than other EC countries.

13. This represents an enormous amount of waste in both senses of the word.

14. It will cut the need to farm trees and reduce air pollution.

15. This will change when people at home and at work buy more recycled paper products.

16. Don’t forget that a simple milk bottle can make 25 trips per lifetime.

17. You can save woods if you buy only recycled paper products, collect and re – use anything printed on one side.

VII. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Мы выкидываем огромное количество мусора.

2. Мусор – это коробки, мешки, бумага, банки, тряпки, бутылки. Это также остатки еды.

3.Часть мусора сжигают. Когда горят предметы из пластмассы, выделяются вредные газы.

4. Мы должны научиться использовать вещи снова и снова. Тогда не будет так много мусора.

5. Один из способов – это переработка, тогда предметы используют снова, а не выбрасывают.

6. Другой способ уменьшить количество мусора – использовать вещи снова для другой цели.

7. Подарки можно заворачивать в комиксы или красивые картинки. Тогда мы будем выбрасывать меньше бумаги.

8. Стеклянные банки можно использовать снова для хранения еды или других вещей.

9. Вещи, которые нам не нужны, мама отдает другим людям, которые нуждаются в них.

10. Еще один способ создавать меньше мусора – это покупать только самые нужные вещи.

11. Старайся покупать такие вещи, которые можно починить, их не надо будет выбрасывать.

VIII. Write a letter to your local “Friends of the Earth” branch with your suggestions to start a campaign “Join in and help things change”.