英語学習

英語ニュース教材：Can the plastic recycling industry be saved?（Intermediate レベル）

 

Contents

🎧 Audio

📖 Script

In Europe, many plastic recycling plants are facing closure because they can’t find a profitable business model. This situation is becoming a major problem as the demand for recycling grows due to environmental concerns. Recycling plants are essential for reducing waste and pollution, but they struggle with high costs and low profit margins. The main issue is that it is often cheaper to produce new plastic than to recycle old materials. This is because the process of recycling involves collecting, sorting, cleaning, and processing plastic, which requires significant energy and labor. Additionally, the price of oil, which affects the cost of new plastic, has a significant impact on the recycling industry’s profitability.

Governments and environmental groups are expressing concern over the closures. They argue that recycling is crucial for a sustainable future and advocate for more support for the industry. Some suggest that subsidies or financial incentives could help recycling plants stay in business. Others propose stricter regulations on the production of new plastic to encourage more recycling.

The situation is further complicated by the global nature of the plastic industry. Many countries export their plastic waste to be recycled elsewhere, which can lead to ethical and environmental issues. Some of this waste ends up in countries with less strict environmental regulations, causing pollution and harm to local communities.

Despite these challenges, there are solutions in sight. Technological advancements could make recycling more efficient and cost-effective. Innovations in sorting and processing could reduce costs and improve the quality of recycled materials. Moreover, increasing public awareness about the importance of recycling and responsible consumption can drive demand for recycled products.

Overall, the future of the plastic recycling industry depends on a combination of policy support, technological innovation, and public engagement. If these areas are addressed, recycling can become a more viable and sustainable industry.

📝 Vocabulary

  • profitable: making money（利益を生む）
    例文: “The company needs to find a profitable business model to survive.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • profitable business
    • profitable venture
    • highly profitable
  • margin: the difference between costs and revenue（利益率）
    例文: “The profit margin is too low to cover the costs.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • profit margin
    • narrow margin
    • gross margin
  • subsidy: financial assistance from the government（補助金）
    例文: “The government provided a subsidy to support the industry.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • government subsidy
    • agricultural subsidy
    • receive a subsidy
  • regulation: rules or laws governing conduct（規制）
    例文: “New regulations were introduced to control pollution.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • strict regulation
    • safety regulation
    • comply with regulations
  • innovation: new methods or ideas（革新）
    例文: “Innovation in technology can lead to better recycling processes.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • technological innovation
    • encourage innovation
    • innovation in

✏️ Grammar Point

Conditional Sentences – “If these areas are addressed, recycling can become a more viable and sustainable industry.”

文法の日本語補足を見る
条件節を用いた文

💡 使用場面

条件が満たされると特定の結果が生じる状況を説明する際に使用します。

📝 使用例文

“例: In a business meeting, you might say: ‘If we cut costs now, we can increase our profit margin next quarter.’”

❓ Listening Questions

  1. True/False: Many plastic recycling plants in Europe are closing due to high profitability.
  2. MCQ:
    a) What is one reason recycling plastic is challenging?
    b) The process of recycling plastic does not require much energy.
    c) New plastic is often cheaper to produce than recycled plastic.
    d) Environmental concerns are minimal in plastic recycling.
  3. MCQ:
    a) What do some suggest could help the recycling industry?
    b) Reducing public awareness about recycling.
    c) Increasing the production of new plastic.
    d) Providing subsidies or financial incentives.
    e) Closing more recycling plants.
🔑 Listening Answersを見る
  1. False
  2. c) New plastic is often cheaper to produce than recycled plastic.
  3. d) Providing subsidies or financial incentives.

📚 Reading Questions

  1. What is one major issue facing the plastic recycling industry in Europe?
  2. Why do governments and environmental groups express concern about recycling plant closures?
  3. What does the word “subsidy” mean as used in the script?
🔑 Reading Answersを見る
  1. High costs and low profit margins.
  2. Because recycling is crucial for a sustainable future.
  3. Financial assistance from the government.

🇯🇵 日本語での経済ニュース解説

ヨーロッパのプラスチックリサイクル工場が閉鎖の危機に瀕しています。主な理由は、新しいプラスチックの生産がリサイクルよりも安価であるためです。これは、リサイクルが多くの労力とエネルギーを必要とする一方で、新しいプラスチックの価格が石油価格に依存しているためです。この状況は、環境への負荷を減らすためにリサイクルの需要が高まっている中での問題です。政府や環境団体は、この状況を打開するために補助金や新しい技術革新の導入、消費者意識の向上が必要だと訴えています。これらの要素がうまく機能すれば、リサイクル業界はより持続可能な産業へと発展する可能性があります。

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv8e0prg9o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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