AQA · GCSE · Combined Science
Course version: 8464 · Version from Sept 2018
Ways of reducing the use of resources: Some products, such as glass bottles, can be reused. Glass bottles can be crushed and melted to make different glass products. Other products cannot be reused and so are recycled for a different use.
Reuse means using a product again for the same purpose without reprocessing it, such as refilling a glass bottle.
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Reuse means using a product again for the same purpose without reprocessing it, such as refilling a glass bottle. Recycling means processing a material so it can be used again, often for a different product. Glass bottles can be reused directly, or crushed and melted to make new glass items, which saves raw materials such as sand and energy compared with starting from scratch. Some products, such as broken glass or mixed plastics, cannot be reused, so they are recycled into different items. Both approaches reduce demand for finite resources and cut the environmental impact of extraction and manufacture.
What earns the marks
- Defines reuse as using a product again for the same purpose without changing it.
- Defines recycling as processing a material so it can be used again, often for a different product.
- Uses glass bottles as an example of reuse and of crushing and melting to make new glass products.
- Explains that some products cannot be reused and are instead recycled for a different use.
- Links reuse and recycling to reduced demand for raw materials and energy.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating reuse and recycling as the same thing.
Put it right: Reuse keeps the item, recycling reprocesses the material.
Saying glass cannot be recycled.
Put it right: Glass is crushed and melted to make new glass products.
Assuming every product can be reused.
Put it right: Many products, such as broken or mixed materials, cannot be reused and are recycled instead.
Exam tips
- Define reuse and recycling clearly before giving examples, so the difference is obvious.
- Use glass bottles as a concrete example for both reuse and recycling.
- State the benefit, such as saving raw materials or energy, when describing each method.
Try the lesson
The start of the Ways of reducing the use of resources: Some products, such as glass bottles, can be reused. Glass bottles can be crushed and melted to make different glass products. Other products cannot be reused and so are recycled for a different use. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which statement describes what happens to a glass bottle when it is reused rather than recycled?
Listen
Reuse means using a product again for the same purpose without reprocessing it, such as refilling a glass bottle. Recycling means processing a material so it can be used again, often for a different product. Glass bottles can be reused directly, or crushed and melted to make new glass items, which saves raw materials such as sand and energy compared with starting from scratch. Some products, such as broken glass or mixed plastics, cannot be reused, so they are recycled into different items. Both approaches reduce demand for finite resources and cut the environmental impact of extraction and manufacture. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Defines reuse as using a product again for the same purpose without changing it. Defines recycling as processing a material so it can be used again, often for a different product. Uses glass bottles as an example of reuse and of crushing and melting to make new glass products. Explains that some products cannot be reused and are instead recycled for a different use. A common slip: Treating reuse and recycling as the same thing. Instead, reuse keeps the item, recycling reprocesses the material. Exam tip: Define reuse and recycling clearly before giving examples, so the difference is obvious.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Reuse versus recycling
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Conservation of raw materials
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Energy saving
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See every definition
- Reuse versus recycling
- Reuse keeps the item for the same purpose without changing it, while recycling reprocesses the material so it can be used again, often for a different product.
- Conservation of raw materials
- Both approaches reduce demand for raw materials, which saves materials such as sand compared with starting from scratch.
- Energy saving
- Recycling glass by crushing and melting it saves energy compared with starting from scratch.
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