Question

Designing products so they can be recycled helps with:

a) Completely eliminating the need for production facilities.
b) Improving worker conditions.
c) Decreasing environmental harm by reducing the amount of raw materials required for production.
d) Increasing environmental harm by reducing the amount of raw materials required for production.

Answer 1

Designing products for recyclability primarily decreases environmental harm by reducing the demand for raw materials and preventing waste. It aligns with waste management principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling and involves using renewable resources and creating less toxic products.

Step-by-step explanation:

Designing products so they can be recycled helps primarily with decreasing environmental harm by reducing the amount of raw materials required for production. This practice follows the principles of waste management hierarchy, which emphasizes the importance of the Three Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - in order to minimize the ecological footprint of our activities.

Create products without waste or with minimal waste to ensure they don't become a burden after their lifecycle. For instance, designing safer chemicals ensures reduced toxicity in products without compromising efficacy. Through designing less hazardous chemical syntheses, we can develop manufacturing processes that are not harmful to humans or the environment. Additionally, using renewable raw materials further decreases the dependence on non-renewable, depleting resources, contributing to more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The Benefits of Reducing and Reusing garner significant environmental advantages such as preventing pollution, saving energy, and ultimately supporting economic security through the conservation of natural resources. Recycling, although an essential component of waste management, is the third step following reduction and reuse, and involves reprocessing materials into new products, conserving resources, and reducing landfill use.

In conclusion, when considering the design for recyclability, one of the main objectives is to ensure that products have an extended life, through reusing and repairing, and that, once they reach the end of their usability, they can be efficiently turned into new products, thus reducing the need for additional raw material extraction and the environmental consequences associated with it.

Answer 2

Designing products with recyclability in mind is primarily intended to reduce environmental harm by lessening the demand for new raw materials. It contributes to sustainability and is in line with the three R's philosophy - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The correct answer is option (c), as this approach helps to mitigate the environmental impact of product manufacturing.

Step-by-step explanation:

Environmental Benefits of Product Design for Recycling

Designing products so they can be recycled has a profound impact on reducing environmental harm, primarily because it decreases the need for extracting and processing raw materials. The key to this process is incorporating principles of sustainability into product design. This means creating products without waste, designing less hazardous chemical syntheses, using renewable raw materials, and ensuring that chemicals used are not toxic to human health or the environment.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: The Three R's

The three R's of garbage—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle—are crucial for conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. By reducing waste in the first place, we minimize the extraction of new raw materials, which in turn preserves natural habitats and saves energy. Moreover, reducing and reusing can significantly cut costs and decrease the volume of waste ending up in landfills and incinerators.

Benefits of Recycling

Recycling affords multiple benefits, such as conservation of natural resources, increased energy efficiency, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and less waste being sent to landfills. It also ensures that products can be used to their fullest extent. However, the efficiency of recycling can be affected by economic cycles and market demands for recycled materials.

In conclusion, designing products for easier recycling contributes to decreasing environmental harm by reducing the demand for new raw materials. It does not completely eliminate the need for production facilities, increase environmental harm, or directly improve worker conditions, although sustainability practices can have positive secondary effects on these aspects. Therefore, the correct answer is option (c) Decreasing environmental harm by reducing the amount of raw materials required for production.