广东省高三英语复习40分钟限时训练8_高考复习指南

广东省高三英语复习40分钟限时训练8

　　What the rising use of bottled water leaves us with, however, is a huge recycling problem. Of the mountain of individual plastic water bottles created by Americans each year — enough to hold more than seven billion gallons of water — less than one-fourth are sent to the recycling industry for a second round. That makes absolutely no sense for the environment or for the economy.

　　The recycling industry sees plastic water bottles as a major commodity because they can be turned into anything from fleece jackets to a very durable set of luggage. One reason so few water bottles are recycled is that except in a very few states, they cannot be redeemed at the local grocery store.

　　But recycling rates are significantly higher in the 11 states that pay customers a nickel (and in some cases a dime) if they return their bottle. But only three of these states — California, Hawaii and Maine — include water bottles. Passing new bottle laws or expanding old laws to include plastic bottles should be an easy call for most Legislatures. But the grocery and drink industry have been able to use their clout, and campaign funds, to keep that from happening. That needs to change.

　　There are other ways to encourage recycling. At many public places — ballgames or city parks, for example — it is often much easier to buy a bottle of water than to find a recycling bin to throw it away. And in some areas, like parts of Philadelphia, officials are experimenting with ways to pay homeowners by the pound for recycled trash, a trend definitely worth watching.