TERM 1
Wasteful use of resources – be it water, land, energy or materials – makes it difficult to reduce the poverty gap. South Africa is trying to boost economic growth and job creation, but has to be careful it does not destroy our environment at the same time. Using scarce resources more efficiently and effectively is a building block to meeting the needs of a growing population.
Cleaner production methods and technologies also create opportunities for small business and ‘green’ jobs, which are important in the fight against poverty.
How to recycle and reuse goods to satisfy needs
and wants Recycling goods is about processing used materials (waste) into new products. Recycling reduces the loss of useful materials and reduces the demand for fresh raw materials. As a bonus, recycling reduces the use of energy in the manufacturing process. It also reduces air pollution (from burning) and water pollution (from dumping) by cutting down on the need for normal waste disposal. Finally, recycling produces less greenhouse gas that causes global warming.
Every year, millions of tons of raw materials are taken from the earth and processed into goods of various kinds. Eventually, most of these materials will be used up. So it makes sense to extend the life of any useful material for as long as possible. Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics components.
Materials that can be recycled are either taken to a collection centre or picked up from our homes, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials.
New words
recycling: changing used materials into something new
reprocessed: process something into something different
The picture on the left shows how water pollution can kill creatures that rely on the ocean for survival. The picture on the right shows us that it is possible for a big city to be free of pollution.
Unit 3 Goods and services 29
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