1.4.Waste separation: Example packaging waste After a garbage truck has unloaded its contents at a specific landfill

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Year 9 Chemistry – Worksheet 5

1.4.Waste separation: Example packaging waste

After a garbage truck has unloaded its contents at a specific landfill¹ the separation process proper starts:

Using excavators² the delivered waste is shoveled onto conveyor belts³. These transport the waste into a so- called rotary sieve in a large hall. The inside of this gigantic, closed container is covered with loose knit⁴ metal grids⁵ that separate the waste by size. Smaller pieces fall through the grid, larger pieces drop on another conveyor belt and move on.

Magnets hovering over the conveyor belt now sort out bottle caps, cans and all other metallic objects. All that remains are plastics and beverage packaging.

A large vacuum cleaner removed foils and other light objects before the waste moves onto the next conveyor belt – they are simply sucked up as the waste falls down.

The remaining materials on the conveyor belt move on to the high-tech heart of the facility. Using light the different plastics are recognized automatically. Depending on how the plastic reflects light the machine recognizes PET-bottles, PE-plastics or for example yoghurt cups. As soon as the facility recognizes a certain plastic a strong, targeted gust of wind⁶ pushed the object onto the correct conveyor belt containing similar materials.

Tasks

1. Read through the text carefully and mark important parts.

2. Sketch the design of the waste separation plant described in the text.

3. List the properties that were used to separate the different materials.

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1 Mülldeponie 2 Bagger 3 Förderband 4 Grobmaschig 5 Metallgitter 6 Luftstoß

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Year 9 Chemistry – Worksheet 5

Example glass waste

Tasks

1. Look at the graphic. Name properties that are used to separate the materials.

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2. You have seen that quite a bit of waste can be recycled. Still a large part has to be

permanently deposited on landfills or incinerated and thus harms the environment. Come up with ways in which you can reduce the amount of waste that is produced.

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Final

products, e.g.

bottles or jars

Melt

Sieve glass shards Separate metal

and paper Separate by

color

Grind Glass waste