13

All about rubbish

as food and paper) breaking down. If landfills are

not properly lined with protective material they can

pollute rivers and springs where people get their

drinking water.

The role of recycling

Recycling is when an item or material is used again.

Rubbish that is recycled for future use won’t go into

landfill or be burned. Recycling allows the Earth’s

natural resources to be reused to make new products.

Natural resources include fuels that are mined from

the ground like gas and oil, and things like fresh

water for drinking. Being able to recycle plastic is

very important. As much as eight million tonnes of

plastic waste every year ends up in the sea. Most of

it is blown from bins and rubbish sites into rivers and

sewers that flow into oceans and seas. Once it’s in

the water, plastic is very harmful to sea life. Reducing

the amount of plastic we use in the first place means

it won’t end up as rubbish or needing to be recycled.

Cleaning up

Cutting down the amount of rubbish we produce,

and recycling as much as we can, are crucial for the

environment and the planet’s future. Some countries

suffer more than others because of rubbish.

They are often poor and can’t afford to have

their own rubbish collected. On top of that, to

make money they also accept plastic waste

from richer nations who pay them, but they

aren’t always able to recycle plastic in a safe

and environmentally friendly way. Earth Day 2022

highlights these problems. It has a campaign called

the Great Global Cleanup to encourage people to pick

up rubbish from beaches, parks, rivers and streets.

Ask a grown-up to find out how you can get involved

at earthday.org/campaign/cleanup

Methane capture

Methane gas created in landfill

sites can be captured and used

as a source of power. It’s

collected from the ground using

wells, pipes and pumps and is

sent to another building to be

treated. It can be adapted and

used to power vehicles, as gas in

homes or to make electricity.

Helping at a

litter-pick.

Plastic waste

harms seas.

FASH

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23 April 2022 • The Week Junior

the world