Presentation Transcript

1. TYPES OF WASTE: WHITE GOODS- domestic appliances such as washing machines and fridges E-WASTE – Electronic goods e.g televisions, laptops, ipods, mobile phones. It is estimated that half of e-waste is still in good working order but we throw them away to replace them with a newer model and to keep up with the latest technology and fashions. PACKAGING- Paper, cardboard and plastic are often used to package the items we buy. This packaging often gets thrown away creating excess waste. The UK produced 10.5 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2007 of which 70% was for food. HICs produce a lot of packaging waste, lot of the food and products sold in supermarkets have excessive packaging.
2. What are the differences between HIC and LIC waste production? HICs create more waste as they have more disposable income to buy products Many products in HICs are wrapped in lots of plastic as HICs buy a lot of food sold in supermarkets which is heavily packaged, so lots more waste is produced. In LICs people will reuse goods for personal use rather than throw them away In HICs people have high expectations of products and will replace items even if they are still ok, e.g. e-waste LICs tend to be poorer so less people can afford to buy products so less waste is produced.
3. CASE STUDY - Germany Landfill – has 160 landfill sites, waste is processed before landfill to reduce its impact. Incineration – has 68 incinerators, plans to build more, some are mini power plants producing electricity. Recycling – strict laws on recycling, companies can display the Green Dot emblem to show the packaging is recyclable, exports waste be recycled, recycles 60% of its waste. Households take pride in separating their waste into different coloured bins to be recycled. Nuclear waste – Germany does not have a deep mine or reprocessing plant, has to sent waste to UK or France for reprocessing – expensive, sends waste to Siberia to be buried in deep mines, they are planning to build a reprocessing plant and convert a deep mine in the future. Toxic waste – they export much of this as it is expensive to deal with in Germany, 6000 litres of toxic waste was sent to Albania disguised as humanitarian aid where it leaked into a lake killing all aquatic life.
4. Non-renewable energy sources Coal+Supplies should last for another 250 years, easy to convert into energy, cheap to mine. -Bulky to transport, releases greenhouse gases, will not last forever. Oil + Easy to convert into energy, cheap to extract, supplies should last for another 50 years. - Very expensive to buy, releases greenhouse gases, will not last forever. Gas + Cleaner fuel than oil or coal, supplies should last for another 70 years, easy to convert into energy. - Will not last forever, gives off greenhouse gases. Nuclear + Does not give off greenhouse gases, raw materials will last along time, a small amount gives off a lot of energy. - Reactors are expensive to build and run, waste is highly radioactive, waste has to be stored for many years, risk of nuclear accidents.
5. Renewable energy sources Solar + No fuel costs, does not give off greenhouse gases, can be fitted on rooves, Not efficient in countries with little sunshine, can be expensive to buy and install, don’t produce that much energy. Wind + New wind turbines are quiet and efficient, doesn’t give off greenhouse gases, can be build on land or at sea. Need consistent high wind speeds, regular servicing needed, visually intrusive, can kill birds/disturb migration patterns. Geothermal + No greenhouse gases, cheap once built, provides a lot of energy. Power stations are expensive to build, need to be in specific areas – where there is geothermal activity e.g. Iceland. Hydroelectric + No greenhouse gases, cheap once built, can produce large lakes for leisure purposes. Alter water flow in rivers, only built in certain areas, people have to move. Tidal + No greenhouse gases, cheap once built, tidal barrages can also be used as bridges. Can be a problem for shipping, expensive to build, can damage wildlife, can only be built in suitable areas.
6. Energy surplus and deficit Energy surplus is when the country produces too much energy to fulfil its needs. Examples include – Canada, Russia, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia. Energy deficit is when countries don’t produce enough energy to meet their needs and have to import it from elsewhere. Examples include USA, Brazil, India, Germany, France, Spain, Bangladesh, Iceland, Italy.
7. Carbon footprints The carbon footprint of a place, country, business or individual depends on the amount of greenhouse gases they produce. LICs tend to have smaller carbon footprints than HICs. To find out more about carbon footprints and to calculate one visit http://www.carbonfootprint.com
8. Management of energy waste on a domestic scale Fit a hot water tank jacket to reduce heat loss. This costs £12 but you will save £20 on annual bills. Reduce your central heating by 1 degree Celsius. This will help you save upto £70 on annual gas bills. Install cavity wall insulation. A lot of heat is lost through our walls. You will save about £90 on annual heating bills. Fit double glazing. This reduces heat loss through windows. You’ll save £90 on bills. Fit energy saving light bulbs to save £50 on annual electricity bills Switch off appliances e.g. Mobile charger/television rather than leaving them on standby. You’ll save around £37 on annual electricity bills
9. Management of energy waste on a local scale British Gas is working with 16 local councils to improve efficiency. If houses implement changes to save energy they £100 off their council tax bill. Many local councils have installed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems in their properties. There are approximately 1300 CHP schemes in the UK. Wind turbines can be built at schools and businesses to power them. E.g. The turbine at Green Park in Reading provides energy to 1500 homes. Any excess energy can be sold to the National Grid.
10. Management of energy waste on a national scale A grant of £2500 per household is available to install things like wind turbines and solar panels. No planning permission is needed for solar panels and wind turbines. Up to £1 million available for public buildings to install green technologies. UK e-day – when people are asked to think about their energy usage and to turn things off. Educate homeowners and designers about energy efficiency. EU are banning old style lightbulbs so everybody has to use energy saving lightbulbs : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8230961.stm