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Level: B2

Environmental problem. Garbage.

Nowadays people all over the country are producing more and more garbage. Landfills are filling up and overflowing. This creates a huge problem because the waste that is buried can contaminate water supplies. Of course this is a danger to our health. One of the causes of the huge amount of garbage produced is packaging. Manufacturers use a lot of packaging when wrapping their goods which is thrown away by the
consumer. Another cause is our consumer culture. People buy new things all the time whether they need them or not. Sometimes just to keep up with the fashion. People must change the way they think and keep things longer or give an unwanted item to someone who can use it. To improve the situation governments should make laws to force manufacturers to use biodegradable materials if possible. In this way there wouldn’t be a lot of waste. Factories could be taxed on the waste that they produce making them more careful when making and packaging their products. To solve the garbage problem will be very difficult but we can all help in our own way. This includes the government, businesses and each and every citizen. (195 words)

Level C2

Environmental problem. Garbage.

It is a well known fact that we are producing more and more garbage. Huge quantities of material including toxic waste are being disposed of daily to an alarming degree. Landfill sites are filling up and overflowing and to make things worse the garbage which is buried is in danger of contaminating water supplies. Obviously we cannot go on squandering limited resources and harming the environment in this way. One
important factor causing this is the amount of packaging manufacturers use when wrapping their goods which is thrown away shortly after purchase of the item. Another equally important factor is our consumer culture.  Purchases bought a relatively short while before are replaced by the same product of a different color or style just because it is thought to be obsolete or not fashionable enough. This state of affairs must change. To alleviate the situation the government should introduce legislation to force manufacturers to use biodegradable materials whenever possible. By doing this it would greatly reduce the waste dumped in landfills. Factories could be heavily taxed on every ton of waste they produce giving them the incentive to be less wasteful and more responsible for their actions. Besides these measures every effort must be made by individuals to change their life styles. They need to make things last, pass unwanted item on to someone who is in need of it and in the end recycle whatever is unusable. Last but not least, special attention must be paid to the disposal of items such as cell phones and batteries for the important reason that they contain toxic chemicals and should not end up in the local landfill. Solving this huge problem will not be an easy task. However, all parts of government and citizens alike must pull together to set things right. Only in this way will habits and irresponsible actions change for the better. (313 words)

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