Thinking ahead Starter: Is recycling all its cracked up to be? What is better than recycling?

Objectives: understand that scientific advances can make life better, but can also have unforeseen consequences explain the factors that determine the sustainability of a product or process Key words: Life Cycle Assessment Biodegradable

Worksheet answers Activity 1 (Low demand) resources; generations; sustainability; energy; packaged; pollution.

West berks kerbside recycling

Reading kerbside recycling Recyclable rubbish is collected from households in Reading once every two weeks, in a red wheeled bin/plastic box. What CAN go in your red bin/box? Mixed paper and card Newspapers and magazines Plastic bottles (including drinks, cleaning and toiletry bottles) Food tins and drink cans Empty aerosol canisters Please put all items directly into your recycling container and NOT in plastic bags. What CAN'T go in your red bin/box? Plastics other than plastic bottles - yogurt pots, margarine tubs, plastic trays or expanded polystyrene. These cannot currently be recycled in Reading Carrier bags Glass - please take glass bottles/jars to your local neighbourhood recycling banks Expanded polystyrene Food waste - consider buying a composter or Green Cone Green garden waste - consider getting a green waste bin/bag Loose shredded paper (this must be sealed in a large envelope or a cardboard box - such as a cereal box) Anything in plastic bags or carrier bags

Recycling in reading What can I recycle at my local HWRC? A wide range of materials can be recycled at the Smallmead and Longshot Lane HWRCs, including: Glass bottles Glass jars Gas bottles (restrictions apply - see the Waste Acceptance Policy for full details) Paper (inc. card, magazines, envelopes (with or without the window) and books) Plastic bottles Food tins and cans (metal and alloy) Cartons Used engine oil Car batteries Domestic batteries Household light bulbs and fluorescent tubes Printer cartridges All textiles and shoes (but not duvets or pillows) Foil Books and CDs DVD´s, video cassettes Garden waste All grades of wood (inc. painted, treated, chipboard and MDF) Plasterboard White goods (fridges, freezers, microwaves, stereo´s, irons) Scrap metal Soil and rubble Electronic products (TV´s, computers, printers, radios) Cooking Oil Paint Car tyres Electrical wire Paint Asbestos Household items / furniture (mattresses, sofas, cupboards, kitchen wall tiles, floor tiles) Children´s toys Cutlery Lawnmowers Carpets Household chemicals Garden chemicals

What can I recycle at my local HWRC? A wide range of materials can be recycled at the Smallmead and Longshot Lane HWRCs, including: Glass bottles Glass jars Gas bottles (restrictions apply - see the Waste Acceptance Policy for full details) Paper (inc. card, magazines, envelopes (with or without the window) and books) Plastic bottles Food tins and cans (metal and alloy) Cartons Used engine oil Car batteries Domestic batteries Household light bulbs and fluorescent tubes Printer cartridges All textiles and shoes (but not duvets or pillows) Foil Books and CDs DVD´s, video cassettes Garden waste All grades of wood (inc. painted, treated, chipboard and MDF) Plasterboard White goods (fridges, freezers, microwaves, stereo´s, irons) Scrap metal Soil and rubble Electronic products (TV´s, computers, printers, radios) Cooking Oil Paint Car tyres Electrical wire Paint Asbestos Household items / furniture (mattresses, sofas, cupboards, kitchen wall tiles, floor tiles) Children´s toys Cutlery Lawnmowers Carpets Household chemicals Garden chemicals

Worksheet answers Activity 3 (High demand) Natural materials are most sustainable; minimally processed materials (such as paper) are less sustainable than natural materials, but still preferable to plastics. Suppliers should let customers know which parts of the packaging are made from recycled materials and how they can be recycled after use. The minimum amount of packaging that keeps the product in a good condition should be used.

Student Book answers Q1 They can be expensive; use a lot of energy to produce and transport; take a long time to degrade. Q2They do not cause waste like disposable nappies do; but energy is used in washing and drying these nappies. Q3Leaves the environment unharmed and able to provide that product again in the future. Q4When produce is bought and sold at a farmers’ market, the costs, energy and pollution created by transporting that product to a supermarket and then back to a person’s home are minimised. Q5The Life Cycle Assessment should include the raw materials used; the chemicals applied to the crop; the fuel used in maintaining and harvesting the crop and then getting it to the processing plant; the energy and pollution caused through the processing and packaging; the air transport to the UK and road transport to the supermarket and then to the consumer’s home. Q6It is probably not sustainable; drinking English apple juice would be much more sustainable; more sustainable still would be growing your own fruit and squeezing it for juice.