Whats what recycling - Fragile Planet

We are all throwing away too much waste and we are running out of space to put it.

So, why is waste a problem?

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RAW MATERIALS

To make all of the things we like, we need to use some of the following things:

Oil

Oil is used to make plastics - plastics are used to make many goods like televisions, food wrappers, bottles, mobile phones, computer cases etc.

Wood

Wood is used to make paper, furniture, newspapers, magazines and is often used to heat peoples' homes. If we keep using as much wood as we do now this will mean that one day we may lose lots of our beautiful forests.

Iron Ore

Iron Ore is used to make steel which can be used to make food tins and drinks cans.

Bauxite

Bauxite is used to make aluminium. This too is often used to make food and drinks cans.

Limestone

Glass is made out of silica and limestone. We have lots of silica as this is another name for sand and we have plenty of that. However Limestone is much harder to dig out of the ground and we do not want to ruin our countryside by creating any more limestone quarries.

Once we have used it up it cannot be replaced. If we do not reduce, reuse and recycle then we may eventually run out.

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LANDFILL SITES

If we throw things away without recycling them, they end up in big holes in the ground called landfill sites. We are running out of space to make new landfill sites. If we don't reduce the amount of waste we put into landfill sites then one day we may end up having nowhere to put all of our stinky waste!

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ENERGY

If we throw away things without reusing or recycling them it means we have to make new products from materials we have to take from the earth - which uses a lot of energy. Recycling saves energy.

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THE ENVIRONMENT

Landfill sites are ugly and smelly. If we cut down more and more trees there will be fewer places for wildlife to live. Waste is also bad for animals as some creatures can get hurt or killed in waste (e.g. broken bottles, sharp tins/cans and plastic bags).

When we have to dig materials out of the earth to make the things we need, the environment is damaged. It is a lot better to reuse and recycle rather than to put useful materials in a landfill site where they may stay buried forever!

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