Edexcel GCSE Geography A revision PowerPoint for Unit 2 Wasteful World

1. Wasteful WorldWasteful World

2. Types of WasteTypes of Waste
• Biodegradable - will rot away like a banana skin
• Non-biodegradable - sits in the ground for years
without breaking down, like plastic
• Domestic – waste produced in peoples houses
• Industrial – waste produced by factories
• Hazardous and non-hazardous
• Toxic – poisonous to humans and the environment
• Recyclable and non-recyclable
• Electrical or e-waste

3. Difference in Waste ProductionDifference in Waste Production
between LICs and HICsbetween LICs and HICs
HICs produce more waste because:
• We are a consumer society – more money to spend on
things so more things to throw away.
• We are a throw away society – we don’t reuse or repair
we just buy something new.
LICs produce less waste because:
They do not have the money to buy as many things
Less packaging is used
A lower literacy rate means that they do not use as much
paper because people cant read.

4. Types of Domestic WasteTypes of Domestic Waste
• E Waste – that’s mobile phones, computers and other
electronic equipment
• White goods – fridges, freezers and cookers
• Packaging – primary, secondary, transit packaging.

5. Packaging
• Paper and cardboard – used widely but
not as much as plastic because it is
heavier. Can be recycled.
• Plastic packaging – used more than
paper because is lighter, stronger and
lasts better. Very difficult to dispose of.

6. Local Recycling in SomersetLocal Recycling in Somerset
• Somerset Waste Partnership
• Weekly food and recycling collection
• Fortnightly refuse and garden waste collection.
• Amount of waste going into landfill now less than 40%
• 27% of all recycling now food waste
• Waste then goes to Viridors in Castle Cary
– Refuse goes into landfill
– Recycling is separated into different categories and remade into
new products
– Food and garden waste mixed 50/50 and composed for 6-10
weeks
– Compost then sold back to local farmers.

7. Example of Waste Disposal in anExample of Waste Disposal in an
HIC - GermanyHIC - Germany
• Landfill – has 160 landfill sites, waste is processed before landfill to reduce
its impact.
• Incineration – has 68 incinerators, plans to build more, some are mini
power plants producing electricity.
• Recycling – strict laws on recycling, companies can display the Green Dot
emblem to show the packaging is recyclable, exports waste be recycled,
recycles 60% of its waste.
• Nuclear waste – Germany does not have a deep mine or reprocessing
plant, has to sent waste to UK or France for reprocessing – expensive,
sends waste to Siberia to be buried in deep mines, they are planning to
build a reprocessing plant and convert a deep mine in the future.
• Toxic waste – they export much of this as it is expensive to deal with in
Germany, 6000 litres of toxic waste was sent to Albania disguised as
humanitarian aid where it leaked into a lake killing all aquatic life.

8. Advantages and disadvantages of
different methods of waste disposal
Advantages Disadvantages
Landfill
Cheap and easy
Old mines and quarries can be
filled
Suitable sites are running out
Methane is released
Groundwater is contaminated
Government apply tax on landfill
Recycling
Environmentally friendly
Resources can be reused
Increases public awareness of
environmental issues
Not all waste is suitable for
recycling
Expensive
Recycling uses energy
Incineration
Energy is generated which can
be used to power homes
Doesn’t require much space
Air pollution from the gases it
releases
Resources that could be recycled
are wasted
Exporting
Producing country does not have
to deal with its own waste
No risk to the local environment
Very expensive
Carbon footprint is increased by
transporting the waste over long
distances
Causes environmental damage to
the country it ends up in.

9. Non-Renewable EnergyNon-Renewable Energy
Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, Nuclear
Advantages:
• Much cheaper way of producing electricity
• Coal is easy to transport and there is still lots left
Disadvantages:
• Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide and
contributes to global warming
• Non-renewable fuels will eventually run out

10. Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy
Biofuels e.g. wood and straw, biogas (methane) from
manure, bioethanol (from processing plants ad
waste vegetable oil.
Advantages:
• Biofuels reduce the amount of greenhouse gases
• Biofuels will never run out
Disadvantages:
• Farming and processing the crops uses energy so the
benefits are cancelled out
• Asian countries may replace rainforest with biofuel
plantations in an attempt to make money

11. Renewable - Solar EnergyRenewable - Solar Energy
Advantages
•There is an unlimited supply of energy
•Once solar panels have been constructed there are no carbon
emissions so it is environmentally friendly
•New technologies are meaning that solar panels are extremely
efficient even when the sun isn’t shining
•Solar panels produce no noise pollution
•Any extra energy they make can be added to the national grid to
power people’s homes.
Disadvantages
•Buying and fitting the solar panels is expensive
•You cannot store the energy
•It needs large areas such as rooves or fields to produce useful
amounts of energy
•They do not work at night
•They cannot replace oil as a source of energy for transport.

12. Non-Renewable - Oil
• Advantages
• The technology to extract oil already exists so you don’t have
to invent anything new
• It is thought that oil still exists in places such as under
Antarctica
• Oil is very versatile – lots of produces can be produced from it
such as petrol and plastic
• As a liquid it is easily transported through pipelines
• It can be stored until it is needed
• Disadvantages
• Burning oil releases carbon dioxide which contributes to
climate change
• It takes a very long time to form so will eventually run out
• Oil extraction causes water pollution

13. Energy Surplus and DeficitEnergy Surplus and Deficit
• Energy surplus – when a country creates
more energy than it needs
• Energy deficit – when a country uses
more energy than it creates
• HICs generally have an energy deficit
• LICs generally have an energy surplus

14. Case Study of Non-Renewable
Energy Source – Alberta, Canada
• Has an oil resource in the form of tar sands.
• An estimated 180 billion barrels
• Can be refined into petrol.
• The rising cost of oil and the development of new technologies
mean it’s now worth exploiting
Local Effects
• Extraction is carried out by surface mining so vegetation has to
be cleared meaning a loss of local habitats.
• The energy required to separate the oil from the sand is
provided by natural gas – enough to heat 3 million Canadian
homes!
• Large volumes of water are needed to extract the oil from the
sands - 6 barrels of water for every barrel of oil.
• The water can become contaminated with arsenic so causes
deformity in fish.
Globally
• Refining the tar sands oil releases 5-15% more carbon dioxide
than the refining of crude oil from under the sea, increasing the
amount of greenhouse gases being produced.
• The increased removal of surface vegetation, mostly evergreen
forest will affect the amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere.

15. Case Study of Renewable
Energy – The UK
• So far Britain has made slow progress towards the goal set by the European Union of generating
15% of our energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, and towards the target set by the
Climate Change Act of 2008 of cutting carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. However, the
government believes that our reserves of wind, wave and tidal power will enable us to meet the
targets. It estimates that offshore wind alone could meet Britain’s current demand for electricity
ten times over and environmental campaigners are using the government to make the most of
this potential.
• The London Array, off the coast of Ramsgate in Kent is planned to be ‘the world’s largest
offshore wind farm’. When the first phase in complete (by the end of 2012) 175 wind turbines will
generate 630 megawatts of electricity – enough power for more than 470,000 homes, or two
thirds of the homes in Kent.
• Although renewable energy sources are generally regarded as being very environmentally
friendly they also have some negative impacts.
Locally
• Turbine blades cause an average of four bird deaths per turbine per year. However, this is far
fewer than the number killed by other energy sources.
• The turbulence created by turbines can lead to temperature changes in the air around them –
warmer at night and cooling during the day.
• Turbines produce noise; older designs typically produce 40-50 decibels. However, the modern
designs produce less than this, about the same as a 15km/hour wind.
Globally
• Although the electricity generated by wind turbines does not produce any carbon dioxide, the
construction of the blades and pillars does.
• In January 2009, a government study of coastal waters in the UK concluded that there is scope
for between 5,000 and 7,000 offshore wind turbines to be installed without a huge impact on the
marine environment.

16. How energy is wasted
• Leaving lights on when they are not
needed
• Leaving phone chargers plugged in
• Leaving TV or Xbox on standby
• Not having double glazing
• Not having loft or cavity wall insulation

17. Carbon footprintsCarbon footprints
• Carbon footprint is a measure of all the
greenhouse gases we are individually
responsible for producing.
• LICs tend to have smaller carbon footprints
than HICs.

18. Management of energy waste on aManagement of energy waste on a
domestic scale (in the home)domestic scale (in the home)
• Turning lights off when not in use.
• Unplug chargers after use.
• Turn the heating down in summer.
• Keep doors and windows closed.
• Replace inefficient electrical products.
• Loft insulation
• Cavity wall insulation
• Double or triple glazing.
• Solar panels/solar water heating panels.
• Wind turbines
• Recycling bins

19. Management of energy waste on aManagement of energy waste on a
local scale (in your area)local scale (in your area)
• British Gas is working with local councils to improve
efficiency. If houses implement changes to save energy
they get money off their council tax bill.
• Aberdeen Council have installed a communal boiler in a
block of flats. This is much more efficient.
• Wind turbines can be built at schools and businesses to
power them. Any excess energy can be sold to the
National Grid.

20. Management of energy waste on aManagement of energy waste on a
national scale (in your country)national scale (in your country)
• A grant of £2500 per household is available to install
things like wind turbines and solar panels.
• No planning permission is needed for solar panels and
wind turbines.
• Up to £1 million available for public buildings to install
green technologies.
• UK e-day – when people are asked to think about their
energy usage and to turn things off.