77 Plastic fantastic! Do you feel (0) (remark) guilty reaching for a single-use plastic bottle of water? Plastic has such a bad rap these days, it’s almost become a dirty word. It’s so easy to say that glass is more environmentally friendly than plastic, but this is (1) (lead). Let’s get some facts straight. To start with, making new glass requires sand. While we have tons of sand on beaches, deserts and in the ocean, we’re using it faster than the planet can (2) (place) it. What’s more, only a specific kind of sand called ‘silica sand’ can be used. Mostly, sand is harvested from riverbeds and seabeds, and taking sand out of the natural environment also disrupts the ecosystem. (3) (move) sand from seabeds endangers shore communities, leaving them open to flooding and erosion, clear signs of climate change. Because glass is heavy compared to other materials, its (4) (transport) requires more energy than that of plastic. So while used glass containers can be recycled, in (5) (real) this process presents its own problems. Used glass is often shipped longer distances from local recycling companies to glass recycling plants, adding to their emissions, (6) (surprise) causing air pollution. Moreover, coloured glass can only be recycled and melted down with like-colours, so it has to be separated, and that’s a lot more work than recycling plastic! What’s more, windows and special kitchen glassware are not (7) (cycle) because of the way they are manufactured to withstand high temperatures. And what about all that glass that doesn’t find its way to recycling due to people’s (8) (respond) behaviour? Well, it’s been estimated to take around one million years to decompose! Plastic, however, is fantastic to recycle and (9) (use). It’s light to transport, therefore produces fewer emissions, and can be made into a wide range of new products from clothing to carpets. Nowadays, everyone is well-trained in the art of (10) (put) their plastic bottles into a recycling container, so it’s more likely than glass to actually make it to the recycling plant. So, before you get on the ‘plastic equals pollution’ bandwagon, weigh up the facts. Put your plastic bottle into the appropriate recycling container and contribute to a system of (11) (sustain) which won’t lie around for a million years like a glass bottle. My opinion is that plastic is fantastic! 0 remarkably 6 1 7 2 8 3 9 4 10 5 11 Nur zu Prüfzwe ken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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