Subject Guide
The disposal and recycling of consumer items, including international flows of waste.
The circular economy
- What is meant by "the circular economy"?
- What are the benefits?
- Can you identify any issues or problems in developing a circular economy?
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Use the student textbook to answer the questions below:
- Why is the recycling of paper desirable?
- What are the problems of paper recycling?
- Why are high income countries less efficient in paper recycling than low income countries?
- What is meant by ewaste?How has the growth of the global middle class increased the quantity of ewaste?
- How are patterns of ewaste connected to economic development?
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Exporting waste
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1. Look at the China video above and the news article below and explain why there could be a "waste crisis" in the UK and other western economies?
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/china-plastic-import-ban-uk-recycling-landfill-options-waste-crisis-disposal-a8097166.html
2. What reasons does China give for its actions?
3. The article from the Independent mentions a positive possibility at the end - what is it?
4. Think about the environmental and social consequences of e-waste in LICs. Watch the first 5 mins and then 5 mins from 18:00 of "Toxicity". Then watch the BBC video.
5. Look at pages 302 and 303 of the textbook:
a) What 3 tracks does the e-waste take once it arrives in Agbogbolshie?
b) What health hazards are present?
c) What is a take-back system and what problems/advantages does it have?
The BBC story from Nov 14 2018 on the Khian Sea is attached. Important as it shows that HICs cannot just dump valueless hazardous waste on LICs. The waste from the Khian Sea ended up in landfill in Pennsylvania in 2002.... 16 years after it left the city. If the waste had some value, like e-waste or recycling materials (up until recently for China) then LICs may be interested. Relate back to Q3 above.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/china-plastic-import-ban-uk-recycling-landfill-options-waste-crisis-disposal-a8097166.html
2. What reasons does China give for its actions?
3. The article from the Independent mentions a positive possibility at the end - what is it?
4. Think about the environmental and social consequences of e-waste in LICs. Watch the first 5 mins and then 5 mins from 18:00 of "Toxicity". Then watch the BBC video.
5. Look at pages 302 and 303 of the textbook:
a) What 3 tracks does the e-waste take once it arrives in Agbogbolshie?
b) What health hazards are present?
c) What is a take-back system and what problems/advantages does it have?
The BBC story from Nov 14 2018 on the Khian Sea is attached. Important as it shows that HICs cannot just dump valueless hazardous waste on LICs. The waste from the Khian Sea ended up in landfill in Pennsylvania in 2002.... 16 years after it left the city. If the waste had some value, like e-waste or recycling materials (up until recently for China) then LICs may be interested. Relate back to Q3 above.
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Source: New Internationalist Nov/Dec 2018