VOA慢速英语2014 哥伦比亚、乌干达从塑料垃圾中获利

 

 AS IT IS 2014-12-15 Colombia, Uganda Find Alternative to Plastic Waste 哥伦比亚、乌干达从塑料垃圾中获利

People around the world use disposable plastic containers for water, food and other uses. They are lightweight and useful. If not thrown away correctly, however, these plastics can pollute water systems and damage the environment. Plastic waste is a real problem in many poor countries.  But one African and one South American country have turned what is a real problem into a real profit.

Hundreds of people in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, collect waste that blocks the city’s drainage² systems.

David Kibande is one of the people who helps collect plastic waste in the Ugandan capital. He supervises³ about 10 other collectors. He and the other workers gather up to 10 tons of plastic waste a week. They sell what they collect for about seven U.S. cents per kilogram. Mr. Kibande says the people he supervises would not have a job otherwise. They are able to make a living while helping⁴ to clean up the city.

More than half of the trash in Uganda's capital is left uncollected by city workers. Much of it ends up in drains⁵, natural waterways, streets and undeveloped land. Environment experts say that about 600 tons of plastic are thrown away in Kampala every day.

The Plastic Recycling Institute is a private company helping with Uganda’s plastic problems. The plant hires people like David Kibande to collect plastic waste for recycling. The Kampala plant recycles 650 kilograms of plastic per hour. More than 3 million kilograms of plastic are recycled each year.  

Jean-Baptiste Bitamazire is the manager of the Plastic Recycling Institute. He says that without the recycling plant, all the plastics collected would be in rivers and streets.

The plastics are separated by size and washed. Then they are prepared for the manufacturing⁶ of other plastic products, including floor and roof materials for homes.

In South America, one private organization in Colombia is teaching⁷ people about reusing plastic waste. The group is called Organizmo. The workers teach students how to mix plastic bottles with sand, clay and straw to build homes in central Colombia.

Ana Maria Gutierez is the founder⁸ of Organizmo. She says that people should understand what happens to plastic products after they are used. She adds that a better understanding can lead to better methods of recycling and reuse of materials.

Students from Colombia and other countries learn how to use waste and natural material to build "green," or environmentally friendly, farm houses. These farm houses include rain water treatment systems and toilets designed to reuse human waste.

Lucia Cano is an architect from Spain. She says she came to Colombia to learn how to include care of the environment in the buildings she designs. 

She says 40 percent of carbon-based air pollutants¹⁰ come from construction all over the world. Ms. Cano adds that architects should think about potential harm to future generations of people. She says they should work to prevent the destruction¹¹ of the Earth.

Some environmental experts say conservation does not need to cost a lot of money. They say it only takes hard work and dedication¹² to develop good habits.

Words in this Story

disposable – adj. made to be used once or only a few times; made to be thrown away after one use or several uses

drain¹ – n. something such as a pipe that is used for removing a liquid from a place or container

pollutant⁹ – n. substance that makes land, water, or air dirty and not safe or suitable to use; something that causes pollution

1 drain   

n.排水沟，阴沟；消耗，负担；v.排去，放干

参考例句：

• Drain off the rest of the wine from this barrel.把桶里剩余的酒排出去。
• First,you have to drain the container of all the old oil.首先，你得从油箱中把所有的陈油都抽去。

2 drainage   

n.排水系统，下水道，排水，放水

参考例句：

• This is a drainage area.这里是排水区。
• Bad drainage caused the land to be flooded.排水不利容易使土地淹水。

3 supervises   

v.监督，管理( supervise的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The group leader supervises a dozen workers. 组长管十二个工人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He makes the wines and supervises the vineyards. 他酿酒并管理葡萄园。 来自辞典例句

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 drains   

n.消耗( drain的名词复数 )；排水沟；下水道孔盖；流尽v.（使）流干， （使）逐渐流走( drain的第三人称单数 )；喝光，喝干；使（精力、金钱等）耗尽

参考例句：

• The whole island drains into one river. 整个岛上的水都流进了一条河。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The clearing of rubbish and drains is still incomplete. 垃圾与污水的清理工作还未完成。 来自辞典例句

6 manufacturing   

n.制造业，工业adj.制造业的，制造的v.（大规模）制造( manufacture的现在分词 )；捏造；加工；粗制滥造（文学作品）

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Manufacturing processes may be affected by the functionality of the product. 生产过程可能要受到产品设计目的的影响。

7 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

10 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

12 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。