2903 we are talking rubbish

Statistics say that next year, over 80% of Europe’s rubbish will be dumped in landfill sites and less than 20 % will be recycled.. Landfill Sites The main problem is that we’re producing

You’re hungry, so you buy a packet of crisps You eat the crisps ands throw away the packet

No problem, right? Wrong!

The disposal of rubbish has been a social and environmental problem for thousands of years The first landfill site in history was opened by the Greeks in about 2.500 BC They realised they had a problem with rubbish in Athens, so they dug a big hole several kilometres outside town where all the rubbish was thrown And we still generally use the same solution today Statistics say that next year, over 80% of Europe’s rubbish will be dumped in landfill sites and less than

20 % will be recycled So what’s the problem with that ?

Landfill Sites

The main problem is that we’re producing a huge amount of rubbish each year- millions and millions of tones of it – and the existing landfill sites are nearly full Where are we going to put all our rubbish in the future? Unless we reduce the amount of rubbish we throw away, there will be

no room for more rubbish in the Earth, already thinking of setting landfills in the moon or even in

a faraway planet Who knows?

Unless we find an alternative, the environment and, of course all of us, will suffer the

consequences Finding new sites isn’t easy Farmland and the country site have to be

destroyed – and that’s bad for the environment and for the farming industry And, remember that crisp packet that was thrown away? That’s made of plastic Plastic takes about 450 years to degrade In other words, a crisps packet takes hundreds of years to disappear That’s also bad for the environment And, we can’t burn a lot of it either If we burn it the gases that are given off will pollute the air extremely So what can we do?

Remember the 3 Rs

We can do our bit to help solve the problem by remembering the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle

 Reduce  Reuse  Recycle

Reduce : We’ve all got to try to reduce the amount of rubbish we throw away We can do that buy buying unpackaged goods, like fruit and vegetables, rather than goods which are wrapped and packaged in plastic Also, try not to buy disposable products like single-use cameras and non-rechargeable batteries The less that’s thrown away, the more we help the environment

Reuse : Try to use things as many times as possible before you throw them away For

example, you are given some plastic bags at the supermarket to carry your food home in Do you use them again? Most people don’t It would be much better for the environment if they did Your kids have grown out of their old clothes Don’t just put them in the bin- think about giving them to charity Somebody probably wants them

Recycle : Glass, paper, plastic, they can all be recycled If everybody recycled the waste

going to landfill sites would be cut down considerably and factories would need to produce fewer new bottles and packets and paper That also means that less pollution would go into the atmosphere from the factories and fewer trees would cut down to make paper

Protecting the environment is not a load of old rubbish!

For further information on your nearest Recycling Centre and Bottle Bank Phone 0808

1234567 free of charge NOW!

1 Read the leaflet quickly and check if the text includes any of your suggestions Were you right?

2 Now read the leaflet again carefully and answer the questions.

a) When was the world’s first landfill site opened?

b) How much European rubbish will be put in the ground next year? c) How much European rubbish will be recycled next year?

d) How long does it take for plastic to degrade?

e) What are the 3 Rs ?

f) What number can you call for more information?

3 Look at these examples from the leaflet Then, circle the

correct answer in the rule.

Ex: Unless we reduce the amount of rubbish we throw away, there will be no room

for more rubbish in the Earth

Ex:Unless we find an alternative, the environment and, of course all of us, will

suffer the consequences

4 Now match the two parts of the sentences.

1 Unless we leave now

2.We don’t understand

3 I won’t have any money

4.Unless he studies harder

5.Nobody will know our secret

a) unless my dad gives me some b) he’ll fail his exams

c) if you don’t tell anyone d) we’ll be late

e) unless our teacher explains

Rule

Unless we reduce the amount of rubbish = If we reduce / If we don’t reduce.

5.Now look at this example from the text Is it about a real or

imagined situation?

Ex :Do you use them again? Most people don’t It would be much better for the

environment if they did.

Find more examples of the second conditional in the text and underline them Then complete the rule

5.

Now write your own sentences using the second conditional.

Rule

Condition clause Result clause

If + simple + _/ wouldn’t (would not) + verb.

6 Now write your own examples about the way we protect the environment or not with the first and second conditional ( two examples of each ).

Ex: If factories burn too much oil they will pollute the air.

Ex: If everybody reduced the amount of packaged goods they buy the environment would be cleaner.

How green are you? 1

Do this quick quiz to find out how much you help to protect the environment.

1.Do you recycle all your used bottles, packets, boxes and paper?

2 Do you just throw your rubbish in the bin (or on the floor! And not worry about it ?

3 Do you buy environmentally friendly products, even if they are a bit more expensive?

4 Do you frequently buy disposable razors, cameras, etc?

5 Do you care about the rainforests being cut down?

6 Do you think that an urban environment is always better than a rural one?

7 Do you think that cars pollute the atmosphere with their exhaust fumes?

8 Do you think that the car is the best invention ever ?

If your partner answers “yes” to most of the green questions, he /she is a real friend of the Earth If he/ she answers “ yes” to the red ones, he/she has a lot to learn.

1 Adapted from: MANN (2008) Laser B1 Student’s Book Macmillan Hellas SA

1.Write a word or phrase from the box in each gap to complete the sentences.

CFCs environmentally green rural surroundings urban

1 If you are , you care about the environment

2 If you live in beautiful , you live in a beautiful place

3 If you live in a (n) _ environment, you live in the countryside

4 If you live in a (n) _ environment, you live in a town or city

5 If a product is friendly, it’s designed to damage the

environment

6 _ are a type of gas which can damage the ozone layer

environment As you listen decide if the speakers make these points Circle YES/ NO.

Speaker 1: YES / NO Speaker 2 : YES / NO Speaker 3: YES / NO.

Speaker 4: YES / NO Speaker 5 : YES / NO

People are

now much

more

aware

People are trying

to keep the area

clean

We are not so close to nature.

Many adults don’t know enough about it

Each person can make a big difference

Listening Now listen again Match each speaker to a question.

d e.

Speaker 1… Speaker 2… Speaker 3… Speaker 4…

Speaker 5….

Each person can make a big difference

People are trying

to keep the area

clean

We are not so closet o nature

Each person

can make a

big

difference

Each person can make a big difference