Energy to Recycle Glass Bottles vs. Aluminum Cans vs. Plastic

Energy to Recycle Glass Bottles vs. Aluminum Cans vs. Plastic

Recycling does more than just keep renewable resources from the landfill - it reduces your impact on the environment beyond your immediate sphere. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, much of the municipal waste stream is recyclable, but the average American throws out more than 1,130 pounds of garbage per year. The agency reports that besides saving landfill space, recycling glass, aluminum and plastic containers saves a considerable amount of energy compared to creating new products from raw materials.

Glass

Most of the glass salvaged (использованный) through recycling is made into new bottles and jars. Glass recycling involves crushing waste glass into small pellets known as cullet (стекольный бой). Manufacturers create new containers from up to 70 percent cullet, mixing it with raw materials to achieve specific color or quality standards. According to the Glass Packaging Institute, each 10 percent of cullet in the mix reduces the energy required to make new containers by 2 to 3 percent. Using less energy also helps manufacturing equipment like furnaces (печь) last longer.

Aluminum

Aluminum recycling is a very efficient process - manufacturers can melt down and reuse aluminum from reclaimed containers repeatedly with little loss in quality. According to The Aluminum Association, creating an aluminum can out of recycled materials requires only 5 percent as much energy as creating a brand new can from bauxite ore. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that recycling one ton of aluminum saves the equivalent of almost 32 barrels of oil, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process.

Plastic

Plastic recycling programs exist throughout the United States; one of the most commonly collected plastics is No. 1-coded polyethylene terepthalate (полиэтилентерефталат), or PET. Widely used in drink containers, PET is recycled into products like carpeting and jackets. It takes about 1/10th as much energy to recycle plastics as it does to create plastic from raw materials. However, due to alterations in the chemical structure during the recycling process, many plastics become different types of products once recycled.

Other Recycling Benefits

While recycling produces energy savings, consumption of natural resources and environmental impacts are also important considerations. Recycling aluminum reduces the need to mine fresh bauxite ore to meet demand, lessening environmental damage caused by the mining process. Plastic may not be as repeatedly recyclable as aluminum, but finding new uses for reclaimed plastics conserves petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Glass production uses common raw materials like quartz sand, but the energy saved by manufacturing with recycled glass reduces carbon emissions.

Tasks

I. Mark the following statements with T (true) or F (false). Correct the false sentences.

1. It’s said that recycling glass, aluminum and plastic containers keeps a significant quantity of energy in comparison to creating new products from raw materials.

2. Many plastics become different types of products after recycling thanks to modification in the chemical structure during the recycling process.

3. Energy savings is considered to be the only upside of recycling.

4. Recycling aluminum hardly decreases the necessity to mine fresh bauxite ore to meet demand.

5. It’s believed that aluminum recycling is a very efficient process, since manufacturers are able to melt down and reuse aluminum from reclaimed containers constantly with little loss in quality.

6. Although plastic might not be as repeatedly recyclable as aluminum, finding a new way of using reclaimed plastics saves petroleum.

7. It takes about 1/5th as much energy to recycle plastics as it does to produce plastic from raw materials.

II. Find synonyms to the following words in the text.

1) to engage (v);

2) eco-friendly (adj.);

3) squashing (gerund);

4) accomplish (v);

5) construct (v, 3d p. sg);

6) modification (n).

III. Find antonyms to the following words in the text.

1) destroy (v);

2) increase (v);

3) insignificant (adj.);

4) discard, to get rid of (v);

5) inefficient (adj.);

6) old.

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