TASK 1 (185 words)
The bar chart compares the amount of waste disposed of through three different methods – landfill, burning and dumping at sea – in a European country between 2005 and 2008.
Overall, landfill consistently accounted for the largest proportion of waste disposal throughout the period, although it experienced a steady decline. In contrast, the figures for burning and dumping at sea remained considerably lower but generally followed an upward trend.
In 2005, landfill disposal stood at roughly 1,800 million tonnes, far exceeding the amounts for burning and sea dumping, which were both slightly above 600 million tonnes. By 2006, the volume of waste sent to landfill had fallen to around 1,200 million tonnes, while burning rose marginally to about 700 million tonnes, overtaking dumping at sea by a narrow margin.
The downward trajectory of landfill continued in 2007 and 2008, decreasing to approximately 1,000 million and 900 million tonnes respectively. Meanwhile, burning increased gradually from 700 to nearly 1,000 million tonnes by the end of the period. Dumping at sea also saw a moderate rise, reaching around 800 million tonnes in 2007 before peaking at roughly 1,100 million tonnes in 2008.