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What is landfill?
Landfill is when rubbish is buried, often in former quarries. No strategies have been put in place to prevent environmental damage.
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What can be put on top of landfills to prevent wind-blown litter escaping?
Nets
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How have some closed landfills been recovered?
Through using them as golf courses.
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What have new technologies allowed landfills to provide?
Biofuel, as gases can be captured and used.
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Where have biofuels been produced from landfill?
In Mumbai. In 2008, a landfill was closed and cover, and the methane produced is used to generate electricity. By 2028, this will reduce CO2 emissions by 2.2 million tonnes.
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How can landfills be improved to reduce the pollution of groundwater?
They can be lined with clays and soils. Many landfills also have gas extraction systems ndtalled to extract the landfill gas. Gas is pumped out of the landfill using perforated pipes and flared off or burnt in a gas engine to generate electricity.
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What do landfill sites release?
CO2 and methane emissions. In the UK, landfill sites produce 36% of all methane emissions. This is not sustainable because greenhouse gases cause climate change.
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How else could landfill waste be disposed?
Through recycling or reusing, which can result in valuable materials being saved.
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How much municipal household waste does London produce?
4.4 million tonnes, with most of this waste being transported up to 120 km away to 18 landfill sites.
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How does landfill sites impact the countryside?
It pollutes groundwater and results in the loss of countryside and amenity of brownfield sites, such as old quarries, which could be used for other purposes in the crowded southeast of England. Space is now running out for landfills also.
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In developing countries, how are landfill sites used?
People often live and work on them, savaging for materials to sell. In Manila in the Philippines, 10,000 families lived on or next to the Smokey Mountain dump until it was closed in 1996.
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How are landfills in developing countries unsustainable?
Although they give people an income, they're not sustainable as it doesn't meet their needs (it puts them at risk of disease).
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How do landfill sites impact on the world's oceans?
Around 8 million tonnes of plastic makes its way into the world's oceans every year, causing it to be eaten by 31 species of marine mammals. This is exacerbated by wind-blown litter off landfill sites.
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What are the most lethal Persistent Organic Pollutants?
Dioxins. They get into food chains through fish and increase respiratory diseases. This changes are irreparable.
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How do landfill sites impact on the people nearby?
They increase traffic in ore rural areas on raids that are not designed to take the heavy machines and trucks used to transport waste. Landfills are unattractive and reduce property prices around them.
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What is composting?
In the UK, household waste contains around 38% organic material, which is biodegradable and can be composted by individuals or on a larger scale.
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How can composting be unsustainable?
Composting has to be managed properly to succeed, for example waste must be sorted properly to ensure there are no contaminates, such as metals.
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How can composting be bad for agriculture?
It can pollute the soil and could be harmful to people eating the crops.
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How is composting sustainable on a local scale?
If householders compost in their own gardens it reduces the costs to the local authority for waste disposal.
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How is composting sustainable on a national scale?
Large-scale composting involves collecting compost from people's homes and from public waste. The material is transported to reactors, where microbes break it down anaerobically. It produces two useful products.
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What are the two useful products composting produces?
Methane and CO2 as biogases, and a nitrogen-rich fertiliser. This means that fossil fuels are less relied upon.
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What does 'anaerobically' involve?
Without oxygen.
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Does composting reduce waste going to landfill sites?
Yes
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How can reducing and reusing be unsustainable?
It can be easier for some products than others, such as plastic bottles can easily be reused but aluminium cans cannot. Also, resting materials tends to be easier for individuals than on a large scale.
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Give an example of reducing on a national scale.
In October 2015 in the UK, a plastic bag tax of 5p was introduced. This has been very successful, as within 6 months plastic bag usage dropped by 85%, from 7 billion being used each year to 500 million.
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Give an example of reusing on a national scale.
In Germany, drinks companies charge a deposit for drinks in refillable glass or plastic bottles, which customers get back when they return the bottle to a designated collection point.
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Give an example of reducing on an individual scale.
Registering with the Mail Preference Service, which reduces the amount of junk mail decided. Businesses can reduce packaging on food.
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What is reducing and reusing?
Reducing the amount go waste produced, or reusing the waste produced. Examples can be seen through discouraging the use of disposable cutlery, and using cotton shopping bags.
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What is recycling?
When waste materials are made into new products or materials. For example, plastic bottles are made into fleece jumpers.
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How can recycling on an individual scale be unsustainable?
Some people don't bother.
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Give an example of where recycling on an individual scale has been encouraged.
In Windsor in Berkshire, residents were invited to join a trial scheme which gave rewards (such as points that could be used on buying goods) for recycling. 70% of those invited signed up to the scheme, and recycling rates have increased by 35%.
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How can recycling on an individual be achieved sustainably with the help of local councils?
Some local councils encourage people to recycle them by letting by letting them put all their recyclable waste in together, so they don't have to sort through it. Also, some local councils charge for having the same size landfill bin as recycling.
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How can recycling be economically unsustainable?
Recycling costs money, with initial investment needed for recycling plants to be set up, as well as collection costs throughout the process. Recycling market fees may also be charged to cover the costs of processing materials, discouraging recycling.
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Where some of the UK's recycling go?
Abroad for processing. For example, 55% of paper for recycling was sent to China in 2007, along with batteries. This transportation produces emissions, but generally less than making new raw materials.
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How can recycling be economically sustainable?
It is often quicker and cheaper than making materials from scratch. It also creates employment and can cause cities and countries having to pay landfill or incineration fees.
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Give an example of recycling using less energy than making new things.
It uses 20 times more energy to manufacture aluminium cans from raw materials than recycled materials. Some materials, such as glass and aluminium, can be recycled many times. It also reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
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How many CO2 emissions does recycling prevent in the UK?
18 million tonnes each year.
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How have recycling rates changed in England?
In 2000, only 11% of domestic waste was recycled, but by 2011 this had risen to 40%. In 2011 more commercial and industrial waste was recycled than was sent to landfill.
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In England, how often how bin collections typically.
Every two weeks.
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How has waste recovery changed in the UK?
In 2004, 33% of waste was recovered (composting or recycling), compared to 45% in 2008.
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What targets are there to make waste disposal more sustainable?
National and EU targets. The EU wants 50% of household waste to be recycled by 2020.
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In 2010, how much waste did each person produce in the UK?
452 kg
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Why is managing waste important?
It is an important way of improving urban sustainability. By generating less waste and changing the ways that the waste we do produce is disposed of, we can reduce the amount of resources we use and our impact on the environment.
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What is energy recovery?
This is when waste that can't be composted, reused or recycled is burnt to generate heat and electricity.
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How can energy recovery be carried out?
Though incinerators, which convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam and ash. It is recognised as a practical method of disposing of certain hazardous waste. Some burn waste in a furnace or boiler to generate heat, steam and electricity.
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What does energy recovery reduce the use of?
Fossil fuels.
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Where can money be earnt from by energy recovery?
The National Grid.
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Give an example of where energy recovery is being used to generate electricity from household waste.
In Sheffield. The Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) provides heat for 140 buildings in the CBD, including Sheffield City Hall. Without ERF these would produce an extra 21,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. It also provides 17 MW to the National Grid.
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How much of Sheffield's waste goes to landfill?
15%
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Other than Sheffield, where else is ERF being used?
Leicestershire City Council has given planning permissions for the construction of an energy recovery facility that will produce enough electricity for 42,000 homes.
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How can ash residue from the furnace be used?
It can be processed for removal of recyclable scrap metals.
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How is energy recovery not fully sustainable?
It produces CO2 and other emissions. The incineration process proceeds ash which still needs to be disposed of. This ash can be contaminated with toxins, which need special landfills for disposal. PVC chemicals can also be released.
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How is energy recovery not economical in the short term?
Incinerators cost a lot of money. The upfront capital needed to build a new plant is a lot. At Hedon in Hull, the cost is said to be £144 million.
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How is energy recovery not economical in the long term?
It provides fewer jobs than recycling and composting, and also hinders the development of local recycling-based businesses.
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What can energy recovery encourage?
Continued waste production.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What can be put on top of landfills to prevent wind-blown litter escaping?

Back

Nets

Card 3

Front

How have some closed landfills been recovered?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What have new technologies allowed landfills to provide?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Where have biofuels been produced from landfill?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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