Waste Disposal, Recycling and Land Reclamation: Activity Brief

advanced applied science: GCE A2 UNITS
The Nuffield Foundation 2008
ACTIVITY BRIEF
Waste disposal, recycling and

land reclamation
The science at work
Human activity has led to the generation of increasing amounts of waste. All of this has to
be disposed of is some way. The traditional method for waste disposal was to bury it out of
sight in huge landfill waste disposal sites or to dump it at sea.
This has had major environmental impacts. For example, huge areas of the ocean floor have
been rendered devoid of life by the disposal of rubbish and sewage from New York. The city
does not have land available for waste disposal and has used the sea for many years.
Waste buried in a landfill site is only hidden, it is not contained but causes environmental
problems through emissions. Gases from decay including methane, a major greenhouse gas,
enter the atmosphere. Leachate, the runoff containing cocktails of hazardous chemicals, and
contaminated surface water enter streams and rivers and find their way into groundwater
reservoirs. These emissions can continue for hundreds of years.
Our treatment of waste has also been extremely wasteful. Diminishing finite resources have
been thrown away. While scientists work to find better methods of waste disposal, our best
strategy is to improve recycling, which conserves valuable resources; it also has the potential
to hugely reduce the amount of waste that remains. Scientists are involved throughout
industry in finding ways to create less waste and make recycling easier and more efficient. In
the UK, local authorities are striving to reduce waste by increasing recycling.
In the meantime, we have to remedy the environmental damage that has already been
done. Land used for waste disposal can be reclaimed and made safe. It can be converted
from causing harm to the environment to enhancing it. Scientists at waste disposal sites are
investigating the best ways to restore the land to conserve species and increase biodiversity.
Your brief
Your task is to research some of the activities of the local authorities in Somerset and relate
them to national issues associated with waste disposal, environmental damage, recycling and
conservation.
Use Study sheet: Waste disposal, land reclamation and recycling in Somerset
Waste disposal, recycling and land reclamation: page 1 of 7

STUDY SHEET
Waste disposal, land reclamation and recycling in

Somerset
Introduction
Recycling has become a major local, national and international issue. The best way to reduce
the problems caused by waste disposal is to reduce the amount of waste that we produce.
The UK government has been introducing legislation which requires local authorities to
increase recycling to meet nationally set standards.
While the dependency on landfill sites for the disposal of rubbish is being reduced, many of
the problems created by old sites and the associated environmental damage still remain.
Scientists can help in land reclamation that aids conservation and increases biodiversity.
Work being done in Somerset illustrates how some of the problems can be tackled. This
study sheet helps you to research what is happening in Somerset, so that you can get ideas
to find out about the work being done in your own area (or you could continue with
Somerset, especially if you live there!). You will be able to consider aspects of the unit
specification sections on Environmental change and damage, Managing conservation and
Recycling materials.
Managing waste in Somerset: a case study
Work with one or two other students to:
research the websites provided
extract relevant information (see Instructions which follow)
report your findings to your class.
Websites
Note: You will not have time to read through all of the websites. Skim through and select
those which seem most useful.
http://www.recyclesomerset.info/pages/recycling.asp
http://www.somerset.gov.uk/council/board11/2003%20Sep
http://www.recyclesomerset.info/pages/index02.asp
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020305/ai_n12604990
http://www.carymoor.org.uk/research/ButterflyConservation.htm
http://www.carymoor.org.uk/research/research.htm
http://www.carymoor.org.uk/research/Yeovil%20College.htm
http://www.carymoor.org.uk/resource/resource.htm#orgsinvolved
http://www.entrust.org.uk/
http://www.viridor-waste.co.uk/?menu=news&category&id=164
http://www.viridor-waste.co.uk/

http://www.viridor-waste.co.uk/index.php?id=155&menu=recycling
http://www.landfill-site.com/html/landfills__environmental_probl.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/waste/resource/media.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/further_recycling_targets_01082005.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/eu_needs_waste_prevention_14022008.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/analysis_of_english_waste_24052007.html
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/consultation_responses/packaging_response.pdf
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/european_waste_vote_conser_09022007.html
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/perform-manage/targets.htm
Instructions
1
For each section, review the websites. Extract and make short notes to record any of the
relevant information that you can find. Concentrate on those aspects for which you can
find useful information.
Recycling
The specification requires you to write a report which describes the recycling of a chosen
material by a local authority including:
one material to be recycled
current government targets in relation to this material
government policies and strategies which have been developed to allow the local
authority to meet this target
whether or not the local authority meets the targets set by the government for the
recycling of the chosen material and the penalties imposed for not meeting the target
how the material is collected by your chosen local authority
how the collected material is processed. Does the local authority processes the
material or is it passed to a processing centre?
how the local authority encourages participation in the scheme to ensure it meets the
government target for the chosen material
the local and global environmental and economic significance of recycling the
material.
Environmental change and damage / Managing conservation
The specification requires you to write a report which could include an urban
development, the immediate impact of a new development and the longer term impact
of the development. In Somerset this could be related to major new housing
developments in the area served by the Carymoor/Dimmer landfill site, which (amongst
other effects) would increase the amount of household waste. The report should
describe:
the identification of the reason for one cause of actual or potential damage to the
environment by humans
the explanation of the effects of this actual or potential damage

how this actual or potential damage can be/has been reduced
the identification of any conservation measures that would be put in place to address
this damage
any conservation measures put in place to reduce damage to a habitat as a result of

the activity you have chosen, which could include:
o
conservation of species
conservation of habitats, land reclamation and the recycling of urban land and
protected areas such as green belts and national parks.
Make summarising notes to report back to your class:
list each bullet point for which you have found useful information
summarise the important information.
In class:
take each bullet point in turn
each group that has useful information should report their findings
at each stage: critically assess the information that has been found.
And now
Decide which local authority, environmentally damaging activity and recycled
material you will investigate and report on.

Teacher notes
AQA Unit 16 Ecology, Conservation and Recycling
The parts of the specification that are related to this activity are:
In this unit you will learn about
the environmental damage caused by an activity and how this damage may be reduced;
the recycling, by a local authority, of one chosen material.
You need to produce a portfolio of evidence which considers the ecology of an ecosystem
and the impact mankind has had on the environment.
Your portfolio of evidence should comprise
B. a report which describes how humans may have caused, or may cause, damage to a
habitat. How this actual or potential damage can be/has been reduced, and the relevance of
any conservation measures, including:
the identification of the reason for one cause of actual or potential damage to the
environment
the explanation of the effects of this actual or potential damage
how this actual or potential damage can be/has been reduced
the identification of any conservation measures that would be put in place to address this
damage
C. a report which describes the recycling of a chosen material by a local authority including:
identification of one material to be recycled and current government targets in relation to

this
how the material is collected by your chosen local authority and how to encourage
participation in the collection scheme
the significance, economic and environmental, of recycling this material by a local

authority
25.3 You need to know, understand and be able to demonstrate
In order to complete the requirements of this unit you will need to know, understand and be
able to demonstrate relevant knowledge of the following:
environmental change and damage
managing conservation
recycling materials

Environmental change and damage

All human activities have an impact on our environment. The land, water and air may be
affected by these activities. We cannot avoid this but we can make sure we understand the
impact of the activity and minimise it. We can use science and technology to develop
efficient controls to reduce those impacts we cannot eliminate.
You should consider the environmental damage caused by human activity and be able to
explain how this damage is controlled or reduced in a habitat related to, one of the following
activities
an urban development the immediate impact of a new development and the longer term
impact of the development
Managing conservation
You should consider any conservation measures put in place to reduce damage to a habitat
as a result of the activity you have chosen. This could include:
conservation of species
conservation of habitats, land reclamation and the recycling of urban land and protected
areas such as green belts and national parks
Recycling materials
All local authorities are under pressure from central government to ensure that they recycle
a certain proportion of the waste generated in their area. You should identify a particular
material for example paper, glass, metal, oil or fabric. You should be able to detail the issues
relating to the recycling of your chosen material, including:
the current government target in relation to the recycling of the chosen material. You will
need to consider government policies and strategies which have been developed to allow
the local authority to meet this target
whether or not the local authority meets the targets set by the government for the
recycling of the chosen material and the penalties imposed for not meeting the target
how the chosen material is collected by the local authority from those who participate in
the recycling scheme
how the local authority encourages participation in the scheme to ensure it meets the
government target in relation to the recycling of the chosen material
how the collected material is processed. Does the local authority processes the material
or is it passed to a processing centre?
the local and global environmental and economic significance of recycling the material

Aims and teaching strategies

The section of the specification that covers recycling requires students to have knowledge of
the work of a local authority. Students are given URLs for websites associated with the
activities of the local authorities in Somerset and asked to research these and associated
websites for relevant information related to the requirements of the specification. The listed
websites introduce The Friends of the Earth news releases as useful sources of information
of national events, including government legislation.
The activity is intended to be undertaken in small groups which then report back to each
other for a class discussion. Individual students may then select their own local authority to
investigate, looking for similar sources of information. If this is not successful, they can
return to the Somerset example and use this for their research and reporting.
Groups can be asked to tackle all the issues or they can be divided up between the groups,
depending on the number of students and the time available. A double session could be
used to introduce this part of the specification followed by the student research using the
Study sheet with a single session used for the follow up and discussion.
Requirements
Each group of students will need a computer with access to the internet and a printer.
Work will be facilitated if they have the Study sheet available on the computer so that they
can click on the links rather than have to type in the URLs.
In Somerset, part of the education process to encourage recycling focuses on Carymoor
Environmental Trust. Students are introduced to this and to the wider issues engaged in by
the Trust. The work of the Trust includes reclamation of a landfill waste disposal site, with a
focus on wildlife conservation. There are a number of university funded research projects
taking place on site, which still includes active landfill waste disposal.
In addition to recycling, the requirements of the specification require one human activity
(taken from a list) which damages the environment to be investigated. This includes an
urban development, the immediate impact of a new development and the longer term
impact of the development. One of the local area impacts is increased pressure on waste
disposal services due to a rapidly rising local population with many nearby housing
developments.
This Somerset example, therefore also provides examples of responses to the specification
sections on Environmental change and damage and Managing conservation.
Managing student activity
Local authorities are keen to publicise their work in recycling, conservation and other
environmental areas. They frequently have free access to individuals through e-mail
addresses and telephone numbers. Although credit needs to be given for individual work for
this unit, it is likely that students will need to make contact with the same local
organisations and individuals. To ensure their long term co-operation it is better to avoid
each student approaching them separately. Students should be advised that all contact with
centres or individuals outside their school or college must first be vetted by a teacher. Such
contact can then be co-ordinated and the minimum pressure placed on those who may have
most to contribute to this unit.

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advanced applied science: GCE A2 UNITS

The Nuffield Foundation 2008