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Uganda, Colombia Find Alternative to Plastic Waste

People around the world use disposable plastic containers for water, food and other content because of their practicality and light weight. But if not discarded properly, these plastics can litter populated areas, pollute water systems and create environmental damage. Plastic waste is a real problem in many poor countries. An African and a South American country have turned the menace into an advantage.

The water drainage system in Uganda's capital, Kampala, is providing a livelihood for hundreds of people who collect carelessly thrown away trash.

David Kibande manages about 10 workers who collect up to 10 tons of plastic waste a week, and sell it for the equivalent of about seven U.S. cents per kilogram. Kibande said the people he supervises would otherwise be jobless. Now, they make a living while helping to clean up the city.

More than half of the trash in Uganda's capital is left uncollected by understaffed and underfunded municipal services. Much of it ends up in drainage channels, natural water courses, streets and undeveloped plots. Environment authorities say that about 600 tons of plastic are discarded in Kampala every day.

Private companies, such as the Plastic Recycling Institute (PRI), run by South African beverage company SABMiller, have stepped in to help reduce the waste by employing people to collect plastic waste for recycling. The Kampala plant recycles 650 kilograms of plastic per hour and more than 3 million kilograms annually, which means that much less ends up in Uganda's environment.

"I would say it's working. If… there were no recycling plants that means all the plastics we are collecting right now would be in the rivers and streets,” said Jean-Baptiste Bitamazire, a PRI plant manager.

The plastics are sorted, washed and processed for the manufacturing of other plastic products, including floor tiles and roof slates.

A continent away, a private initiative called "Organizmo" is teaching students how to mix plastic bottles with sand, clay and straw to build sustainable homes in central Colombia.

"If we can understand how we discard and consume and incorporate that into the cycles that surround us, that can lead to certain practices of recycling, reuse, of knowledge of the land," said Ana Maria Gutierrez, director and founder of Organizmo.

Students from Colombia and other countries learn how to use waste and natural material to build "green" farm houses, which include rain water treatment systems and composting toilets.

Lucia Cano, an architect from Spain, said she came to learn how to include care of the environment in her profession.

"Forty percent of carbon emissions come from construction, of construction all over the world. So if we architects want to build, we must consider potential harm to our generations, and that we could destroy Mother Nature," said Cano.

Environmentalists often point out that conserving Nature and its resources need not be expensive. Mostly, it just takes initiative and persistence to develop good habits.

 

詞匯解析

episode

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.一段情節(jié)；片段；軼事；插曲

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

One of the funniest episodes in the book occurs in chapter 6.

書中最有趣的情節(jié)是在第6章。

The episode of this film sounds good.

這部電影的插曲很好聽。

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terrific

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

adj.可怕的；極好的；非常的；危險的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

The ceiling came down with a terrific crash.

隨著一聲可怕的巨響，天花板塌了下來。

He is driving at a terrific speed.

他以極快的速度駕駛。

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funeral

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

adj.葬禮(的)

n.葬禮

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

Their cars headed the funeral procession.

他們的車隊(duì)在葬禮隊(duì)伍的最前面。

用作名詞 (n.)

They held a state funeral in honour of the statesman.

他們?yōu)檫@位政治家舉行了國葬。

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resident

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.居民；住客；住院醫(yī)生

adj.居住的

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The residents of the town are proud of its new library.

該鎮(zhèn)的居民都為鎮(zhèn)上新建的圖書館感到自豪。

用作形容詞 (adj.)

This dove was resident with us all the year round.

這只鴿子一年到頭居住在這里和我們?yōu)榘椤?/span>

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ministry

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.(政府的)部；內(nèi)閣；(全體)牧師

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The army, navy and airforce are all controlled by the Ministry of Defense.

陸?？哲娊杂蓢啦靠刂?。

He felt no vocation for the ministry.

他不以為做牧師是自己的天職。

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faith

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.信仰；信念；信任

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

Christians profess their faith when they say the Creed.

基督教徒在念信經(jīng)時就表明了他們的宗教信仰。

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volunteer

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.志愿者；(自行生長的)植物

v.(自愿)做

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

He enlisted as a volunteer in the army.

他以志愿兵從軍。

用作動詞 (v.)

Many people volunteer to work on the farms.

許多人自動到農(nóng)場勞動。

 

 

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