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What you should know by the end of this lesson:
What you should know by the end of this lesson:
Why we generate so much waste
Waste Generation
Waste Generation
Most of the world's waste is produced by developed countries, including Britain, even though these countries only make up about 5% of the world's population. In the UK the amount of waste produced is increasing by 3% each year. This means that we will double the amount of waste we produce every 25 years.
The UK produces more than 100 million tonnes of waste every year. Each household produces more than 650kg of unrecycled waste each year, including 6 trees worth of paper. On average, each person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every six weeks. Our peak production of waste occurs at Christmas when over 80 km2 of wrapping paper ends up in our bins, enough to cover half of Glasgow.
There are many reasons why we generate so much waste.
Digital Workbook Task and Paper Jotter Task:
Draw a quick sketch of the rubbish bin (or just write down the figures) for what makes up a typical British bin.
Take notes and a quick diagram/sketch/emoji of the 4 main reasons for Waste Generation.
Waste Generation
Waste Generation
Rising Population
A rising population (about 0.6% per
annum) will naturally create more waste
Globalisation (Packing)
Globalised supply chain (waste produced at many stages) An over-reliance on packaging. Some of this is necessary to protect perishable foods, but much of it is due to sales and marketing strategies.
Obsolescence
Technological obsolescence is when goods become unusable over time e.g. because technical support is no longer available. When consumers are persuaded by advertising or peer pressure to update their model of a product to one which is superior in some way this is called psychological obsolescence. Printer cartridges, containing a set amount of ink which must be refilled or replaced, are an example of planned obsolescence.
Technological
Psycological
Planned
And Packaging
Packaging helps to protect products and can help food to last longer, which helps to reduce waste. Unwrapped cucumbers are often un-saleable after three days, but using just under 2 grams of packaging can keep them fresh for up to 14 days. Packaging is also needed to transport products without damaging them.
Packaging is also used by companies to make their product stand out on the shelf, especially small products.
However...maybe some packaging is a bit excessive. Watch the video on "Outrageous examples of Usless Packaging" to see some examples...
Watch at 1.25 or 1.5 x speed
And Finally...
Britain has a historical reluctance to recycle and the convenience of using landfill sites. Germany, with a
population of 25% larger than the UK, produces only a tenth of our waste.
Lesson Complete
Lesson Complete
Now return to your Teams assignment and complete the quiz to test how well you have understood this lesson
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