Keep calm and… RECYCLE [1.1 RECYCLE]

DOCUMENTARY OBJECTIVE

WRITTEN NARRATIVE PROPOSAL

In this day and age, it’s vital we know what should and shouldn’t be recycled. Keep on reading to learn which materials are recyclable.

Almost all metals are recyclable. Aluminium, tin, brass, bronze, copper, steel…There’s a pretty good chance that most of the metal items we own are made from these materials. The most used metal objects in each household are probably aluminium foil and cans; recycling cans have to be cleaned beforehand or else an entire batch of recyclables could get contaminated. Which metals shouldn’t go in the recycling bin? Products containing lead or mercury, like old thermometers, are a hazard so avoid recycling those and radioactive metal.

It is very important to recycle glass. For each tonne of glass that is recycled 580 kg of CO2 are saved throughout the supply chain. So by recycling glass we reduce CO2 emissions and we also reduce fossil fuel usage in general. After the glass is collected all the contaminants are removed and it is sometimes mechanically colour sorted. Then it is crushed and at that point, some raw materials can be added to improve the quality and change the colour of the glass. Then it melted in a furnace at around 1500 degrees celsius and molded or blown into different shapes.

Paper and plastic are common materials that are being recycled all around the world, but not all paper and plastic items can be recycled.
Nowadays most items that are used by humans are made of plastic because it is cheap and easy to replace. Recyclable plastics are divided into two categories: commonly recycled plastics (e.g., plastic bottles; recycled at regular recycling stations) and somewhat recyclable plastics (e.g., PVC pipes; recycled at special facilities). There are also plastics that are non-recyclable and they usually contain chemicals that form irreversible bonds and cannot be recycled (e.g. plastic bags). Today, paper is one of the most recycled materials, but unfortunately, not all types of paper can be recycled due to lack of fibre or other problems. In everyday life, we use a lot of recyclable paper in different forms (e.g. pizza boxes) and paper that cannot be recycled (e.g. tissues).

How can we raise awareness about sustainability among children and teenagers? The countries that recycle the most are Germany and Austria, while some other European countries turn to landfills as alternatives, such as Greece and Cyprus. It’s important that teenagers that have a certain influence use it for the greater good and educate their peers on sustainability. For example, Greta Thunberg used her platform and raised awareness by starting the movement “Fridays for Future” and demanded that the Swedish government respect the Paris agreement. She managed to involve hundreds of schools and inspired children and teenagers to take action.

You are required to upload 3 video clips that describe the object of your research and therefore of your project: these videos will be merged and edited by the LOOP team, so that they can appear as a single production when your microsite is published.

INTERVIEWS CATALOG

PAPER EDITING WITH ORIGINAL IMAGES

Let’s not ruin the Earth, it’s hard to find a good planet: you are invited to the event against the plastic pollution

Only together will we make a difference: recycling is important

The nation that destroys its own soil destroys itself: let’s be more sustainable

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Gela’s team:

Di Dio Alice Maria, Tandurella Alice, Testa Giuseppe, Longo Matteo,
Castellana Stefano, Marino Luigi

Limassol’s team:

Dimitris Psarros, Emilios Tzizis, Alexandros Christou

Zagreb’s team:

Klara Malojcic, Antea Radic, Dorotea Rengel