1 . Tiny trash factories

Not all waste has to go to waste. Most of the world’s 2.22 billion tons of annual trash ends up in landfills or open dump. Veena Sahajwalla, a materials scientist and engineer at the University of New South walks, has created a solution to our massive trash problem: waste microfactories. These little trash processors house a series of machines that recycle waste and transform it into new materials with thermal technology. The new all-in-one approach could leave our current recycling processes in the dust.

Sahajwalla launched the world’s first waste microfactory targeting electronic waste in 2018. A second one began recycling plastics in 2019. Now, her lab group is working with university and industry partners to commercialize their patented Microfactoric technology. She says the small scale of the machines will make it easier for them to one day operate on renewable energy, unlike most large manufacturing plants. The approach will also allow cities to recycle waste into new products on location. With a micro-factory, gone are the days of needing separate facilities to collect and store materials, extract elements and produce new products.

Traditionally, recycling plants break down materials for re us c in similar products. It is like melting down plastic to make more plastic things. Her invention evolved this idea by taking materials from an old product and creating something different. “The kids don’t look like the parents,” she says.

For example, the microfactories can break down old smart phoned and computer monitors and extract silica and carbon, and then combine them into silicon car bide nanowires. This generates a common ceramic material with many industrial uses. Sahajwalla refers to this process as “the fourth R,” adding “_________” to the common phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

In 2019, just 17.4 percent of e-waste was recycled, so the new ability offers a crucial new development in the challenge recycling complex electronic devices. “We can do so much more with materials,” says Sahajwala.” Traditional recycling has not worked for every recycling challenge.” She and her team are already working to install the next waste microfactory in the Australian town of Cootamundra by early 2021, with the goal of expanding around the country over the next few years.

1. Which of the following is the feature of the waste microfactory?

A．It can restore the waste to their original forms.

B．It is cleaner than the traditional recycling plant.

C．Waste can be recycled where they are dump at.

D．There is only one machine in the waste microfactory.

2. According to the passage, what are the scientists working on presently?

A．Establishing the first waste microfactory.

B．Expanding the variety of waste it can recycle.

C．Trying to make a profit from microfactory technology.

D．Developing renewable energy to operate microfactories.

3. Which of the following words is most suitable to fill in the blank in paragraph 4?

A．recall

B．reform

C．release

D．reverse

4. Which of the following statement is true, according to the message?

A．Traditional recycling is actually useful for only a small part of waste recycling.

B．Microfactories make it possible for scientists to create various things with wastes,

C．Microfactories can directly make waste electronic device into household utensils.

D．By now, Australia is the first country in the world that has realized the popularization of waste microfactofies.