The milk carton, made from layers of paperboard and plastic first, appeared in 1952 and soon replaced glass bottles. They were far lighter, could be piled and distributed more easily, and more significantly, they were found to have 78 percent less of an impact on the climate than glass bottles. The Tetra Pak cartons, with a layer of aluminum foil(铝箔) that allowed heat –treated milk to remain fresh, followed in 1961.
However, every technology has drawbacks and those of plastics are becoming painfully obvious. Landfills are stuffed with bottles and cartons, and trillions of pieces of plastic float in the world's oceans.
Carton makers are far from the only contributions to the ballooning volumes of packaging waste. In some ways, they're encouraging recycling. However, it is not universal even in Europe, only 47 percent of materials from the 37 billion cartons, made for European countries in 2016 were recycled.
Cartons are also stuck in a broader paradox(悖论): as economy advances, people tend not only to recycle more but also to consume more. Croatia’s overall recycling rate for packaging in 2016 was 55 percent, compared with Germany’s 71 percent, but the average German produced four times as much packaging waste as the average Croatian.
In theory, cartons are fairly recyclable. When pulped (打成浆) in liquid, their various layers are separated into paper, plastic and metal. All of them can then be turned to other uses. In practice, recycling is currently unfeasible for cartoons, because a cotton is carefully bonded and constructed often with a plastic lid and a straw fixed to the side.
This means carton makers need to do more to make their products not only useful but also sustainable. This involves stronger links with recycling factories and waste companies to ensure that containers they pump into the world are returned and reused. In the long term, they face a huge technological challenge to get to what Tetra Pak says is its ultimate aim -- to construct cartons entirely out of renewable materials.
8. What's the purpose of Paragraph 1?
A.To provide examples. | B.To introduce the topic. |
C.To make comparisons. | D.To present the argument. |
9. Why have numerous cartons ended up as waste?
A.Their materials are not recyclable. |
B.Carton makers lack environmental awareness. |
C.There are no recycling regulations in the world. |
D.Consumption increases as recycling rate rises. |
10. What does the underlying word
unfeasible mean?
A.Urgent. | B.Expensive. |
C.Impracticable. | D.Unimaginable |
11. What is the top priority for carton makers?
A.To come up with new ways to reuse plastic |
B.To make their products, the market leader. |
C.To set up a new standard for the materials |
D.To seek cooperation with recycling and waste companies. |