HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 05 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–35 Note Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING
By 2008, carbon dioxide emissions need to be 31 lower than in 1990.
Recycling saves energy and reduces emissions from landfill sites and 32.
People say that one problem is a lack of '33' sites for household waste.
- At the 'bring banks', household waste is sorted and unsuitable items removed.
Glass designed to be utilised for 34 cannot be recycled with other types of glass.
In the UK, 35 tons of glass is recycled each year.
Questions 36–40 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Companies working with recycled materials
| Material | Company | Product that the company manufactures |
|---|---|---|
| glass | CLF Aggregates | material used for making 36 |
| paper | Martin's | office stationery |
| Papersave | 37 for use on farms | |
| plastic | Pacrite | 38 for collecting waste |
| Waterford | 39 | |
| Johnson & Jones | 40 |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | 12.5 % / 12.5 percent | The agreed targets for the UK mean that by 2008 we must reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 12.5%, compared with 1990 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the rules the UK agreed to follow require the country to cut its carbon dioxide pollution by 12.5 percent by the year 2008, using the levels from 1990 as the starting point. Answer Explanation: The answer 12.5 % is the amount of carbon dioxide gas that the UK must cut down by the year 2008 compared to how much was produced in 1990. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 12.5 % because the speaker explicitly states that the UK's goals for 2008 involve cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by this specific percentage relative to the 1990 levels. The speaker uses the word 'reduce' as a synonym for 'lower' and mentions 'targets' as the goals that need to be met. |
| Q32 | incineration plants | and also recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites and incineration plants | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that recycling helps lower the amount of gas pollution that comes from trash dumps and from places where trash is burned. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to factories or facilities where waste is burned to get rid of it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified by looking at how recycling helps the environment. The speaker mentions that recycling helps the UK reach its targets in two ways. One of those ways is by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions (harmful gases) that come from two specific places: landfill sites (where trash is buried) and incineration plants (where trash is burned). These 'incineration plants' are the second source of emissions mentioned alongside landfills. |
| Q33 | drop-off | One problem is that there aren't enough 'drop-off' sites, that is, the places where the public are supposed to take their waste | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that one difficulty for people is the shortage of places where they can leave their recycling. It identifies these specific locations using the term "'drop-off' sites." Answer Explanation: The answer "drop-off" refers to the specific name for the locations where people are supposed to bring their household recycling items. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "drop-off" because the speaker mentions a survey where people said recycling is not easy. One major problem mentioned is that there are not enough places to leave trash. The speaker calls these locations "'drop-off' sites." In the sentence, the phrase "lack of" is a synonym for the phrase "aren't enough" used by the speaker. |
| Q34 | cooking | Another difficulty is that toughened glass used for cooking doesn't fully melt at the temperature required for other glass, and so that also has to be picked out by hand | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that strong glass used for making food in the kitchen is hard to recycle with other glass because it does not melt easily. Therefore, people have to remove it by hand. Answer Explanation: The answer 'cooking' refers to the activity of preparing food using heat. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'cooking' because the speaker mentions that toughened glass used for preparing food (cooking) is an issue for recycling. This specific type of glass does not melt at the same temperature as regular bottles or jars, so it cannot be mixed with them during the recycling process. |
| Q35 | 500 000 / 500,000 / 500000 | Two million tons of glass is thrown away each year, that is, seven billion bottles and jars; but only 500,000 tons of that is collected and recycled | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that although people in Britain throw out two million tons of glass annually, only 500,000 tons are saved and recycled. Answer Explanation: The answer is the number 500,000. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 500,000 because the speaker provides specific data regarding the glass recycling habits in the UK. While a total of two million tons of glass is thrown away every year, only a smaller portion—specifically 500,000 tons—is actually collected and put through the recycling process. |
| Q36 | roads | A company called CLF Aggregates makes a product for roads, and 30% of the material is crushed glass | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the company CLF Aggregates creates an item used for roads and that part of this item comes from recycled glass. Answer Explanation: The answer 'roads' means that CLF Aggregates uses recycled glass to create materials for building roads. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'roads' because the speaker mentions a business called CLF Aggregates. This company uses old glass that highlights its recycled nature ('crushed glass') to create a product. The speaker clearly states that this product is made for 'roads'. |
| Q37 | soil conditioner | One firm, Papersave, currently sells this to farmers as a soil conditioner | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that a company named Papersave sells material to farmers to be used as a soil conditioner on their land. Answer Explanation: The answer is a product used on farms to help improve the quality of the dirt (soil) for growing things. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "soil conditioner" because the text explains that the company Papersave takes the extra waste that cannot be turned into paper and sells it to farmers to use as a soil conditioner. |
| Q38 | containers | Pacrite recycles all sorts of things, from bottles to car bumpers, and one of its most successful activities is recycling plastic bottles to make containers which are used all over the country to collect waste | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Pacrite uses recycled plastic bottles to create containers. It also says these containers are used to pick up and hold trash (waste). Answer Explanation: The answer 'containers' means the hollow objects that hold things inside them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'containers' because the speaker explains that the company Pacrite recycles plastic items to create these products. Specifically, they turn old plastic bottles into containers that people use across the country to gather or store trash (waste). |
| Q39 | pencils | At the moment 500 million polycups are collected, processed and sold on to other businesses, such as Waterford, which turns the cups into pencils | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that many used plastic cups are gathered and sold to different companies. It uses Waterford as an example of a company that buys these cups and uses the material to make pencils. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the specific writing tools that the company Waterford makes from recycled plastic. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at the section discussing the Save-a-Cup scheme, which recycles polystyrene cups. The transcript mentions that the cups are collected and sold to other businesses. It specifically names Waterford as one of the companies that takes these cups and turns them into pencils. Therefore, pencils are the product manufactured by Waterford. |
| Q40 | business cards | Johnson & Jones, a Welsh-based firm, which has developed a wide variety of items, including business cards | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that a company called Johnson & Jones makes many different things from recycled cups, and one example given is business cards. Answer Explanation: The answer is business cards, which is one of the many products made by the company Johnson & Jones. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified by looking for the name of the company 'Johnson & Jones' in the part of the transcript discussing plastic recycling. The speaker mentions that this company uses recycled polystyrene cups to create various items, specifically highlighting business cards as one example. |
Transcript
STUDENT: Well, my group has been doing a project on how household waste is recycled in Britain.
We were quite shocked to discover that only 9% of people here in the UK make an effort to recycle their household waste. This is a lower figure than in most other European countries, and needs to increase dramatically in the next few years if the government is going to meet its recycling targets.
The agreed targets for the UK mean that by 2008 we must reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 12.5%, compared with 1990. And recycling can help to achieve that goal, in two main ways: the production of recycled glass and paper uses much less energy than producing them from virgin materials, and also recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites and incineration plants.
As part of our project, we carried out a survey of people in the street, and the thing that came up over and over again is that people don't think it's easy enough to recycle their waste. One problem is that there aren't enough 'drop-off' sites, that is, the places where the public are supposed to take their waste.
We also discovered that waste that's collected from householders is taken to places called 'bring banks', for sorting and baling into loads. One problem here is taking out everything that shouldn't have been placed in the recycling containers: people put all sorts of things into bottle banks, like plastic bags and even broken umbrellas. All this has to be removed by hand. Another difficulty is that toughened glass used for cooking doesn't fully melt at the temperature required for other glass, and so that also has to be picked out by hand.
Glass is easy to recycle because it can be reused over and over again without becoming weaker. Two million tons of glass is thrown away each year, that is, seven billion bottles and jars; but only 500,000 tons of that is collected and recycled.
Oddly enough, half the glass that's collected is green, and a lot of that is imported, so more green glass is recycled than the UK needs. As a result, new uses are being developed for recycled glass, particularly green glass, for example in fibreglass manufacture and water filtration. A company called CLF Aggregates makes a product for roads, and 30% of the material is crushed glass.
For recycling paper, Britain comes second in Europe with 40%, behind Germany's amazing 70%.
When recycling started, there were quality problems, so it was difficult to use recycled paper in office printers. But these problems have now been solved, and Martin's, based in South London, produces a range of office stationery which is 100% recycled, costs the same as normal paper and is of equally high quality.
But this high quality comes at a cost in terms of the waste produced during the process. Over a third of the waste paper that comes in can't be used in the recycled paper, leaving the question of what to do with it. One firm, Papersave, currently sells this to farmers as a soil conditioner, though this practice will soon be banned because of transport costs and the smell, and the company is looking into the possibility of alternative uses.
Plastic causes problems, because there are so many different types of plastic in use today, and each one has to be dealt with differently. Pacrite recycles all sorts of things, from bottles to car bumpers, and one of its most successful activities is recycling plastic bottles to make containers which are used all over the country to collect waste.
The Save-a-Cup scheme was set up by the vending and plastics industries to recycle as many as possible of the three-and-a-half billion polystyrene cups used each year. At the moment 500 million polycups are collected, processed and sold on to other businesses, such as Waterford, which turns the cups into pencils, and Johnson & Jones, a Welsh-based firm, which has developed a wide variety of items, including business cards.
Well, to sum up, there seems to be plenty of research going on into how to re-use materials, but the biggest problem is getting people to think about recycling instead of throwing things away. At least doing the research made us much more careful.