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RECYCLING

C o m m e n t a t o r. We hear it a lot in the news these days: “Recycle

newspapers and save a tree. Collect bottles and cans so they can be reused in

the manufacturing of new products”.

Protecting our delicate environment seems to be on the agenda of politi-

cians, government leaders, and citizens in many parts of the world to show

support for mother nature. The concept of green consumerism has gained

momentum more and more over the last decade, and the public feels moved

to pitch in and help. However, three essential keys needed to power this movement include a more informed public, the development of improved technology, and a greater demand for recycled materials.

Let’s use paper as an example. The first step is to raise public awareness

about the recycling process, to explain the kinds of materials that can be re-

cycled, and provide ways on how to properly dispose of them. Local govern- ments should educate the public on how to properly sort reusable materials

from those, like waxed paper, carbon paper, plastic laminated material such

as fast food wrappers, that can’t be recycled very easily. Then, a system of

collecting these sorted materials needs to be established. The Public inter-

est might be there, but soon may wane if there isn’t a system where they can take these materials to be recycled. Sometimes, we become complacent

when it comes to recycling, but when you speak in terms of actual facts and

figures that everyone can understand, people become more cognizant of the problem. I remember reading one time that the energy saved from one re-

cycled can provides enough power to operate a television for three hours. Give the public information they can grasp, and then you will increase your

chances of gaining followers.

Second, technological progress has been made on many fronts, but go- vernmental agencies need to step up their support for companies involved in

recycling by providing tax incentives, low-cost loans, or even grants to up-

grade equipment and to encourage further research. One breakthrough has

been the development of a new manufacturing process that uses enzymes to

help remove ink from paper in more energy efficient and environmentally safe methods. Recycling paper materials can be expensive in both monetary

and environmental terms. The difficulty in removing print from paper, the

amount of energy expended during the process, and caustic waste that is sometimes produced are costs that companies incur that are then passed on to the consumer.

The final key is to increase demand for the growing surplus of resour-

ces waiting to be recycled. This process (or rather, problem) has appeared in

various regions of the world where the technology to process the used mate- rials lags far behind the amount being collected for recycling. There may be

a great outpouring of support; yet the great stumbling block to implement-

ing the second stage of this plan could be impeded by the corporate sector’s

inability to find commercial enterprises interested in using recycled goods

especially when the cost exceeds those of virgin materials.

Recycling is a crucial key to protect our planet. The three keys men- tioned are important ways to achieve this end.

1) What would be the best title for this lecture?

a) Important Keys to Recycling Paper

b) Technological Advances Improve Recycling c) Steps to Improving Recycling

2) According to the article, paper materials that are difficult to recycle include:

a) copy paper

b) document shred c) food wrappers

3) In some cases, recycling could be hazardous to the environment if spe- cial precautions are not taken because:

a) industrial emissions are sometimes created in the process. b) chemical waste is sometimes produced as a result.

c) a great deal of energy is expended to create new products.

4) According to the lecture, the demand for recyclable materials in the manufacturing of new products is sometimes sluggish because

a) some governments are unwilling to support expensive recycling methods.

b) there is a lack of advanced technology to process the materials. c) businesses do not invest enough money into research.

5) Which is NOT one of the main keys to recycling as mentioned in the lecture?

a) government regulation of waste b) better technology

c) more demand for recycled materials

Key: 1 c, 2 c, 3 b, 4 b, 5 a.

ADDICTION MAY BE IN OUR GENES

Scientists have discovered that addictions may be hereditary. A team from Britain’s University of Cambridge found that siblings of drug addicts share the same brain abnormalities as their drug-using brothers and sis- ters. The research team said these abnormal brain structures are linked to poor self-control and drug dependence. The researchers suggest that addic- tion is in some ways a “disorder of the brain”. This may provide important new ways into helping people with problems of self-control when it comes to addictions. The study sought to find out if drugs changed the “wiring” of the brain or whether the brains of drug addicts were wired differently from birth.

Lead researcher Dr Karen Ersche told the BBC: “It has long been known that not everyone who takes drugs becomes addicted”. She continued: “It shows that drug addiction is not a choice of lifestyle, it is a disorder of the brain and we need to recognise this. These brothers and sisters who don’t have addiction problems, what they can tell us is how they overcome these problems, how they manage self-control in their daily life”. Dr Ersche and her colleagues studied 50 pairs of siblings — one with a history of drug addiction and one with no experience of taking drugs. She compared these with 50 healthy people. She concluded: “We need to find out how these non- addicted siblings were able to resist using drugs”.