Reduce, reuse, and recycle

✅ Examples of Reused or Recycled Products

• Metals (aluminium cans, steel)

• Glass (bottles and jars)

• Plastic (bags, containers)

🌍 explain importance of Reuse & Recycling

✅ Saves finite resources (like ores)

✅ Lowers greenhouse gas emissions

✅ save money and energy

How metal can be reused

Metals can be cleaned and reshaped into new products without being melted down (e.g., reusing steel beams, copper pipes).

How can metals be recycled

• Metals are collected, sorted, melted, and then cast into new shapes.

• This process saves energy and natural resources compared to extracting new metal from ores.

Why Some Recycling is Difficult

• Sorting cost/time

• Some products degrade after many uses (e.g., plastics)

• Contamination of materials (e.g., dirty plastics)

How can we minimize the environmental impact of exploiting raw materials?

• ♻ Recycle and reuse materials (less extraction)

• 🌿 Use renewable resources (e.g. bio-based materials)

• 📣 Educate consumers (support sustainable products)

evaluate ways of reducing the use of limited resources when information is given

• Describe the method clearly.

• Weigh the pros and cons (environmental, economic, and practical 1 paragraph each).

• Make a judgement based on the context or data provided.

describe how glass can be reused

Refill and return schemes: Glass bottles (e.g., milk, beer, soft drinks) can be washed, sanitized, and refilled multiple times before needing to be recycled.

Construction “glassphalt”: Whole or crushed glass bottles can be embedded in asphalt for road surfacing, giving old bottles a second life as durable paving material.

describe how glass can be recycled

1. Collected and sorted by color

2. Cleaned to remove labels and waste

3. Crushed into cullet

4. Melted in a furnace

5. Remolded into new glass products