EDEXCEL GCSE Geography Unit 2

1. Wasteful WorldWasteful World
Thursday 22nd
May

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

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 especially single use drinks cans
and disposable nappies
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. 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

9. 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

10. Energy MixEnergy Mix
Countries rely on lots of different ways to get their energy, it
is never just from one source. The different types of energy
a country uses is called its ENERGY MIX.
For example, this pie chart shows India’s
energy mix. You can see that they mostly
use coal and oil with a smaller amount of
gas and renewables and a tiny amount of nuclear.
A countries energy mix depends on what resources they
have available, how big their population is, how rich and
country is (HIC or LIC)

11. India or Iceland?
Why such different energy mixes
India
• Relies heavily on non-renewable
energy sources such as coal and oil
• Incomes are very low and government
has very little money too. Needs to use
the cheapest forms of energy.
• There are about 5.6 billion barrels of
oil reserves. This is therefore the
cheapest source of energy for India
• Also rely on wood and animal manure
in poor rural areas
• Has a population of 1.2 billion which
means the government has to use
whatever energy sources are available
to supply its people.
Iceland
• Has a population of 320,000. Less
people means Iceland can use
sources of energy that they have less
of.
• Mostly uses renewable sources such
as hydro-electricity and geothermal
energy.
• Fast flowing rivers in steep deep
valleys create hydro-electric power.
• There are no fossil fuels available. All
oil is imported from other countries
• Tectonically active geothermal energy
is used.
• Incomes are high. This means the
people and government can afford the
high costs of producing renewable
energy.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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 – saves £37 on
electricity bill
• Energy saving light bulbs – cost £3, saves £50 on
electricity bill
• Loft insulation – costs £750, saves £110 on fuel bills
• Cavity wall insulation – costs £500, saves £90 on fuel
bills
• Double or triple glazing – costs £5,000, saves £90 on fuel
bills
THIS OFTEN COMES UP AS A 6 MARK QUESTION!
Make sure you learn these numbers by heart!

15. 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.

16. 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.