Lesson 3 Small Things Matter
Wishful Recycling
Most people agree with the idea that recycling is an easy way to make a positive impact on the planet.
It makes you feel good about yourself, too.
But your efforts may sometimes be harming the environment instead.
How can this be? Well, it is because you might be a wishcycler.
What Is Wishcycling?
Imagine the following situation.
On your way home from school, someone hands you a piece of paper.
You glance at the shiny flyer advertising a new study café.
As you are about to throw it into the garbage, you decide to put it into the recycling bin instead.
You think flyers can be recycled because they’re made of paper.
What just happened is a case of wishcycling.
It is the act of trying to recycle something that should not be recycled.
Wishcycling is usually done with good intentions, but it often causes more harm than good.
Why Is It a Problem?
The biggest problem with wishcycling is that it creates more waste.
For example, if you wishcycle a greasy pizza box, it can soak clean paper products with oil.
Then everything in the recycling bin will become non-recyclable and end up in a landfill.
Creating more waste is not the only problem, however.
Wishcycling also leads to costly delays.
To process recyclable items, non-recyclable items must be sorted out first.
The more non-recyclable items are mixed with recyclable items, the longer it will take to pick them out.
Wishcycled items can also damage the sorting machines, causing them to be temporarily shut down for repairs.
How Can We Stop Wishcycling?
With a little effort, we can put an end to wishcycling.
First, make sure your recyclables are empty, clean, and dry.
Shake out any remaining liquid from bottles and jars.
After that, wash them out and wait for them to dry.
You also need to remove the labels.
Now they are ready to be tossed in the recycling bin.
This simple process will ensure that all the items in the recycling bin can be recycled.
Second, learn about the meanings of various recycling symbols.
They tell you about the material of the item and whether it can be recycled or not.
Have you ever seen a recycling symbol with the number “7” and the word “other” under it?
This symbol means the product is made of two different materials and will be difficult to recycle.
Checking the recycling symbols like this will help you stop wishcycling.
Third, check the recycling guidelines for your local area.
Different areas have different rules on what can be recycled.
You can easily learn about the guidelines for your area by visiting your local government website.
You can also look for recycling posters near recycling bins.
Lastly, don’t recycle an item when in doubt.
Even after you check the symbols and guidelines, you might still be unsure whether it is recyclable.
In that case, you should put it in the trash.
You might feel bad that you may be throwing away a recyclable item.
However, doing so may actually be better for the environment.
Take comfort in the fact that you are not wishcycling.
We all know that living without producing trash is impossible.
The good news is that about 75 percent of our waste can be recycled when it is done properly.
This is why we need to stop wishcycling and start recycling.
So hop on the #stopwishcycling movement and help keep our planet green!
3과 본문 pdf 파일 다운로드
3과 본문 전체 음원 듣기
