Unit 6

Pollution and Recycling

1. Read comments to the photos. Why do these facts look alarming? What elements does
pollution threaten? Answering these questions use the appropriate speaking strategies for
describing the photos and general conversation.

An open-air garbage dump tarnishes the

sapphire coast of Barrow, Alaska. Trash
that makes its way into the oceans
decomposes very slowly, littering
coastlines, polluting ground water, and
harming marine creatures that mistake the
trash for food.

Heavy rains in northwest Iowa washed away soil,

leaving this scarred tableau. This type of erosion,
termed sheet-and-rill erosion, occurs when there
is insufficient vegetation to hold soil in place. As
rain falls, it forms sheets of surface water that
transport soil away. As more water accumulates, it
forms runoff channels called rills, which further
displace soil.

China's burgeoning urbanization has

also increased rates of air pollution, such
as the haze seen in this photograph of
downtown Beijing, where people walk
past a billboard advertising the
Olympics.

Despite China's promise to present

cleaner air to the world in time for the
Olympics, a new World Health
Organization report says nearly a quarter
of a million Chinese die each year from
air-pollution-related diseases—the
highest incidence in the world.
2. The first element is water and oceans. Read about oceans pollution.
The oceans are so vast and deep that
until fairly recently, it was widely
assumed that no matter how much
trash and chemicals humans dumped
into them, the effects would be
negligible. Proponents of dumping in
the oceans even had a catchphrase:
"The solution to pollution is dilution." 

Today, we need look no further than

the New Jersey-size dead zone that
forms each summer in the Mississippi
River Delta, or the thousand-mile-wide
swath of decomposing plastic in the
northern Pacific Ocean to see that this
"dilution" policy has helped place a
once flourishing ocean ecosystem on
the brink of collapse. 

Pollution's Many Forms 

There is evidence that the oceans

have suffered at the hands of mankind
for millennia, as far back as Roman
times. But recent studies show that degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in the past three
centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and coastal cities has increased. 

Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a given ecosystem. Common man-made
pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids.
Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean's depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the
global food chain. Scientists are even discovering that pharmaceuticals ingested by humans but not fully processed by our bodies
are eventually ending up in the fish we eat. 

Many ocean pollutants are released into the environment far upstream from coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers
inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas.
These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine life
can exist. Scientists have counted some 400 such dead zones around the world. 

Solid waste like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with
often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish
and mammals. In certain regions, ocean currents corral trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic, swirling
garbage patches. One in the North Pacific, known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is estimated to be the size of Texas
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex/. A new, massive patch was discovered in the
Atlantic Ocean in early 2010.  

Noise Pollution 

Pollution is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles. The increased presence of
loud or persistent sounds from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like earthquakes can disrupt the
migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales
and dolphins. 

End of the "Dilution" Era

Humans are beginning to see the shortsightedness of the "dilution" philosophy. Many national laws as well as international protocols
now forbid dumping of harmful materials into the ocean, although enforcement can often be spotty. Marine sanctuaries are being
created to maintain pristine ocean ecosystems. And isolated efforts to restore estuaries and bays have met with some success.

(a) Look through the highlighted words and expressions and find equivalents of the following:
to encourage intensive growth of algae, discharging waste in the oceans,
mammals which live in the ocean, chemical substances used for processing
soil, to catch or to get hold of , decay of the sea shore, the spot of the
waste concentration in the Pacific Ocean, dumping ecologically harmful
poisonous chemicals, to return rivers and bays to an earlier good condition,
things made of plastic, waste and sewage from industry, fertilizers
containing much Na, to throw waste from the shore or vessels, polluting by
loud sounds, to conserve initial condition of ocean ecosystems, making
weaker by mixing in other liquid, liquid waste, fishing nets no longer in
use, to violate the natural procedure of the species existence, chemical
substances for washing, to ban throwing ecologically dangerous things into
the ocean, about to perish, to throw waste in water basins, to gather
innumerable decaying plastic things in the ocean, decaying plastic, waste
waters from farms and coastal cities, chemicals exterminating plants, solid
waste, underground water in the soil and rocks, to make oxygen scarce in
water, to take smth. for food by mistake, great flowing heaps of waste items,
chemicals exterminating insects.

(b) Discuss the following:

1. What is the catchphrase of the proponents of dumping waste in the ocean?
2. Why are coastline ecosystems on the brink of collapse?
3. What are the basic forms of oceanic pollution?
4. What are the consequences of this pollution?
5. What is the Pacific Trash Vortex? Speak about it using the site of Greenpeace indicated in the
text. Is it a unique phenomenon nowadays?
6. How do they describe the ways of eliminating ocean pollution? Have they proved efficient
yet?

3 (a). The second element being heavily polluted is air. Watch the fragment “Common Air
Pollutants” and fill in the gaps in the excerpts from the script form the word banks below.

Pollutants, air pollution, lawn mower (s) (x2), transportation, burning,

visible, diesel, two-stroke gasoline, emissions, fossil fuel, emit, bank of
fuel, harm, diesel-powered, low emission, diesel engine

Sometimes you can see ______ pollution in the air. Because we can see it we understand that
this type of pollution is bad for us. But it’s what you can’t see that causes the most____. In the
city its _________ accounts for the majority of all _________ . As our population grows so too
is the number of cars in our region reducing the benefit of _________ engines. In addition to
cars, one of the highest ______ comes from the smallest engines, especially the _________
engines, found in things like older _______ and leaf bearers. An older style _______ for an hour
can ___ as many _____ as a new car traveling 550 km or about 340 ml.
The other half of pollution caused by ________ comes from ______ trucks, vessels and the
construction industry. DC and Washington State are major ports and ships running on heavy
________ are prime polluters. Fleets of ________ trucks waiting by dock-side make the problem
worse. “The typical _______ has fifteen to twenty year life, so it’s gonna take a while to replace
those fleets with these cleaner _______ and inherently clear engines and until that happens we
are going to have that pollution around”.

PM 2.5, low-sulfur fuels, plug in, low-emission engines, re-suspended dusts,

nitrogen dioxide, pollen, diesel, condensation, filtered out, electrical
grid, smog reactions, bio-diesel, benzene, combustion products, microns,
dust, toxins, hybrid cars, PM 10, penetrate (x 2), gasoline

Particulates are fine solids that hang in the air for days. Along with _______ the color the haze
we associate with air pollution. They also carry _____ such as ______ found in _________ and
other sources. Particulates can measure from less than ten _____ in diameter. And that what
makes them dangerous because we breathe them in easily. “The larger particles come from
mainly ________________ and mechanical activities. When you get down to smaller sizes it’s
mainly due to ______________or to __________ and ______________ in the atmosphere.
Larger particulates are called _______ . That’s the size of ______ and ____ . Very small
particulates, less than 2.5 microns in size are called _______ and are even more dangerous
because they are small enough to ______ into the deepest part of the lung. “The larger particles
equal to or greater then 10 microns are ______ more readily by your nose and to some extent by
your mouth. The smaller particles go in and ________ more deeply in both cases”.
Technological innovations like ______ and _______________ are making a difference. The
entire West Coast Merrytime Industry from Tahoma to Vancouver is addressing the issue of
________ pollution. The part of Seattle is converting its smaller vehicles to run on ______ . Its
container handling machines including these huge carriers run on __________ . And rather than
run their diesel engines whilst hide at that port, cruise ships in Seattle can _______ to an onshore
______________.

3 (b) Discard the following using the whole video fragment:

1. It is evident that air pollution is just an irritant.

2. Recently nobody had died of asthma in Washington State, just dozens have been hospitalized
because of difficulties with breathing.
3. The major contributor of green house gases in the city is a vehicle moving fast.
4. The highest emissions in the city come from biggest engines and trucks.
5. Another type of polluters is diesel engines which have run out of their life term.
6. In rural areas pollution comes from smog.
7. Sunshine Coast, DC, is the clearest place in the District.
8. Particulates PM 10 are more dangerous than PM 2.5.
9. All particulates are readily filtered by our upper respiratory organs.
10. Hybrid cars make no difference for the level of pollution.
11. Only personal commitment can change the situation with air pollution.

4. A way to curb air pollution and ensuing global warming is the political agreement know as
the Kyoto Protocol. Read the information about this agreement, its Doha prolongation and
answer the questions below.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

Michael Bloch
Carbonify.com

The Kyoto Protocol was an agreement negotiated by many countries in December 1997 and came into force
with Russia's ratification on February 16, 2005. The reason for the lengthy timespan between the terms of
agreement being settled upon and the protocol being engaged was due to terms of Kyoto requiring at least
55 parties to ratify the agreement and for the total of those parties emissions to be at least 55% of global
production of greenhouse gases.

The protocol was developed under the UNFCCC - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.

Participating countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have committed to cut emissions of not only
carbon dioxide, but of also other greenhouse gases, being:

Methane (CH4)
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

If participant countries continue with emissions above the targets, then they are required to engage in
emissions trading; i.e. buying "credits" from other participant countries who are able to exceed their
reduction targets in order to offset. 

The goals of Kyoto were to see participants collectively reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2%
below the emission levels of 1990 by 2012. 

While the 5.2% figure is a collective one, individual countries were assigned higher or lower targets and
some countries were permitted increases. For example, the USA was expected to reduce emissions by 7%.
India and China, which have ratified the Kyoto protocol, are not obligated to reduce greenhouse gas
production at the moment as they are developing countries; i.e. they weren't seen as the main culprits for
emissions during the period of industrialization thought to be the cause for the global warming of today. 

This is a little odd given that China is about to overtake the USA in emissions, but take into account the
major differences in population and that much of the production in these countries is fuelled by demand
from the West and influence from the West on their own culture. As a result of this loophole, the West has
effectively outsourced much of its carbon emissions to China and India. 

This phenomenon, whether intended or coincidental is a major hole in the Kyoto Protocol.

Signing vs. Ratification

While almost every country in the world has signed the Kyoto Protocol, the signature alone is symbolic; a
token gesture of support. Ratification carries legal obligations and effectively becomes a contractual
arrangement.

169 countries have ratified the agreement. Canada denounced the convention effective 15 December 2012
and ceased to be a member from the date.

In Doha, Qatar, on 8 December 2012, the "Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol" was adopted. The
amendment includes:

 New commitments for Annex I Parties to the Kyoto Protocol who agreed to take on commitments in
a second commitment period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020;

 A revised list of greenhouse gases (GHG) to be reported on by Parties in the second commitment
period.

During the first commitment period, 37 industrialized countries and the European Community committed to
reduce GHG emissions to an average of five percent against 1990 levels. During the second commitment
period, Parties committed to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18 percent below 1990 levels in the eight-
year period from 2013 to 2020; however, the composition of Parties in the second commitment period is
different from the first.

1. What is the Kyoto protocol? How long was it valid?

2. What limitations does it impose on the countries?
3. How mane countries participate in its implementation?
4. What countries are exempt from it? Why?
5. What is the prolongation of the Protocol? What’s the difference?
6. The main objection against it is that limitations on emissions cause slowing down the
development of economies. Do you agree with it? Why?
5. The third element is soil. Read the text below and fill in the gaps with the phrases given below:
erosion; solvents and cleaners; land pollution; dispersing them over the surface; dumping waste
materials; use of agrochemicals; denudation of soil; mercury, lead; minerals and medicines;
deforestation; drainage waters; by-products of massive industrialization; derelict; storing
radioactive wastes; overexploit; industrial wastes.

LAND POLLUTION

The issue of _____________________stands out among the most topical nowadays since the factors
causing it range from ___________________on land to abusing land by agriculture.
The former lies in the sphere of industrialization and search of new sources of energy. This brings, for
example, nuclear technologies to the necessity of ___________________in the land, which in the end
may result in ________________________or under it by ________________. The other
__________________are chemical and other _______________, which include ________________and
various types of ____________________.
Agriculture nowadays affects land so that _________________is not a rare case. The immediate
consequence of this is ___________. In Africa, for example, the Sahara desert is growing bigger every
year. That's what happens when farmers _____________or misuse the land. As a result of the
denudation of soil, the wind blows it away or erodes it. Extensive ________________as well as herbi-
and pesticides makes the land ______________.
The other aspect of land pollution is __________________. 40% of the world's rainforests have
disappeared in the last 80 years. Today in South America 50 hectares disappear every minute. This is
happening because people need wood and paper, ___________________and more room for farms and
houses.

7. One of the major factors in the soil pollution is bad waste management. Do you see any
problems with waste management in your city/country? Brainstorm on the most frequently
noticed or most disturbing problems with waste and dumping.

8. Read the text and agree or discard the statements below.

Waste disposal is the collection, processing, and recycling or deposition of the waste
materials of human society. The term "waste" covers both solid wastes (refuse, or
garbage) and sewage (wastewater).

Solid Waste Disposal Systems are the technique for the collection and disposal of the
solid wastes of a community. The development and operation of these systems is often
called solid-waste management.

Has it always been the same in human history? Although all societies have had some
systematic form of refuse disposal, it was not until relatively recent times that the modern
concept of solid-waste management became recognized as an essential health and welfare
service.

Carelessly deposited garbage was for centuries a prime source of disease, whether through the
infection of water supplies or as a breeding ground and food source for flies, rats, and other
carriers of disease. Because pigs were often permitted to feed on raw garbage, they contracted
such diseases as trichinosis, which was then passed along to humans. In the early 20th century
Britain began heat treatment of garbage to prevent the transmission of such diseases.

How Did Industrialization Aggravate the Issue? The industrialization of modern

societies resulted in a vast increase in the amount of refuse generated per person. Industry has
created new types of waste, especially toxic chemicals and radioactive materials that are highly
dangerous to public health and safety if they are disposed of improperly. There have already
been several instances of entire communities being contaminated and evacuated because of
careless handling or decomposition of toxic chemicals.

How We Ourselves Contribute into the Problem? Individuals share in the carelessness
by littering roads and highways with trash and indiscriminately dumping such items as wrecked
cars and old refrigerators. Estimates for the United States have put the bulk amount of these
materials at 20,000,000 cubic yards (15,300,000 cubic metres) per year.

How is the Refuse Processed Now? Refuse is generally collected either by manually
picking up trash bags from individual households or by mechanically emptying large community
trash containers into trucks equipped with compactors to maximize their capacities. The refuse is
then taken to a disposal site, of which the favoured design site is a sanitary landfill. Refuse of a
landfill -- as opposed to garbage in an open dump which is left exposed--is dumped into
trenches, levelled and compacted with a bulldozer, and then covered with a layer of soil. When
the landfill has reached its full capacity after a period of years, it may be used as a recreational
area. Many cities have begun to run short of landfill space, however, and have begun to transport
refuse to areas with sparse populations.

Is Incineration a long-term alternative? Incineration has proved to be a satisfactory means

of refuse disposal in areas where there is little or no landfill capacity. Combustible refuse is
brought to a plant that is, in effect, an enormous furnace. There it is burned thoroughly by
putting it through two combustion stages, and to protect air quality, the exhaust gases are
cleansed. The expense of such a system can sometimes be reduced by putting the heat energy to
use; plants of this type are in operation in Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, and Montreal.

Is the Issue of Waste in Water Solvable? Disposal of refuse in water often creates
pollution that can be a hazard for living things; for this reason the long-practiced method of
dumping garbage at sea from scows has been greatly restricted. A relatively effective and safe
method of disposing of organic refuse in water is the use of a food grinder attached to the sewage
system of a household or food-handling establishment. Although these devices add only a small
quantity of water to the community sewage system, they do increase the amount of solid material
that must be handled at the treatment plant.

Salvageable Materials. How to recycle? The practice of recycling such salvageable

materials as metal, glass, and newsprint began in earnest during World War II and has been
revived to some extent since the early 1970s. Several states have passed laws requiring deposits
on beverage containers (refundable with the return of the containers), which has resulted in
reduced roadside litter. A variety of salvage companies have been established; products made of
recycled paper, for example, have become common.
Using the information given in the text above, confirm or discard the following statements:

1. Solid-waste management is the technique for collection and discrimination wastes.

2. The term “waste” covers refuse and garbage.

3. Manual packing up trash bags was a prime source of disease.

4. Solid wastes are a breeding ground and food source for flies, rats and other carriers of
disease.

5. Rats were the main contractors of trichinosis.

6. The growth of industries in modern society resulted in the big amount of garbage.

7. Toxic chemicals and radioactive materials disposed improperly can contaminate

communities evacuated in the places where they are dumped.

8. Indiscriminate dumping wastes causes littering roads and highways.

9. Compactors in the trash collecting trucks are used to avoid contaminating communities
with the waste.

10. There is no principal difference between an ordinary dump and a landfill.

11. The landfill is a completely derelict land when it has reached its full capacity.

12. Incineration is possible only for combustible waste.

13. The expense of an incineration plant can be reduced by using its exhaust gases.

14. A food grinder in the household is a way to avoid polluting water by solid refuse.

15. The drawback of the food grinders is adding solid waste for processing it in the plant.

16. Salvageable materials are recycled due to the practice of fining the population for
littering the roadsides.

8. As it is stated above, recycling is one of the keys to the problem of waste management.
Watch the fragment “Waste Management and Recycling: How do they do it?” discuss or do
the following:
 1. How has collecting garbage procedure in San Francisco changed crucially nowadays?
2. How much is now being collected a day by one garbage truck?
3. Where do they take the garbage?
4. What is ‘the single stream recycling facility’?
5. How is the garbage sorted out? Make a stream scheme of processing the waste by
material it is made of.
6. What happens with the garbage when it has been sorted out? What is baling?
7. How is the proper waste treated? Where and how is it transported?
8. What is a landfill? How is it designed? How and for what purpose is polyethylene and
geo-textile used?
9. What can cause dangerous subsidence?
10. What do compactors and bulldozers do in the landfill?
11. How is car upholstery or auto fluff used there?
12. Where does methane come from and how is it utilized now and in perspective?

9 (a). Now listen to the text THE QUICK RECYLCING GUIDE. Complete the table.

The Quick Recycling Guide

Please consult this chart before recycling

Unbroken 1) __________ 2) ___________, mirrors Only bottle glass is recyclable.

Ceramics 3) _______________

Plastic which bears the 5) ____________________ Even a small amount of the

plastic. wrong type of plastic can
4) _____________________
6) __________________.

Throw away if unmarked.

Mixed paper, junk mail, computer
7) _____________________.
dry newspapers and newspaper
Wet or 9) _________________ Pack newspaper tightly using 11)
___________________ twine.
paper, stickers, milk (fast food
wraps, foil). Keep dry.

8) ____________, cereal boxes.

12) _____________________ Magnetic 14) ______________ Aluminum is not attracted to

magnets.
such as lawn chairs and window parts. Spray cans may have held
frames. paint or 15) ________________

Empty 13) _________________, material.

caps, lids and foil.

  There is no need to remove 16) __________________ from cans and bottles.
 Keep motor oil and 17) ____________________ out of the environment. Call your council if
you need to dispose of used car 18) _________.

9 (b). Read the facts about recycling worldwide and discuss what you personally can do to
participate in this global process.

 544,000: Trees saved if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70
sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones.
 20 million: Tons of electronic waste thrown away each year. One ton of scrap from discarded computers contains
more gold than can be produced from 17 tons of gold ore.
 9 cubic yards: Amount of landfill space saved by recycling one ton of cardboard.
 $160 billion: Value of the global recycling industry that employs over 1.5 million people.
 79 million tons: Amount of waste material diverted away from disposal in 2005 through recycling and
composting.
 5 percent: Fraction of the energy it takes to recycle aluminum versus mining and refining new aluminum.
 315 kg: Amount of carbon dioxide not released into the atmosphere each time a metric ton of glass is used to
create new glass products.
 98 percent: Percentage of glass bottles in Denmark that are refillable. 98 percent of those are returned by
consumers for reuse.
 51.5 percent: Percentage of the paper consumed in the U.S. that was recovered for recycling in 2005.