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All big Australian cities have programs where the local governments collect rubbish to be used again, rather than just throwing it all away. It sounds like a good idea, and today on English Bites we're going to find out more. We’re also going to look at what 're-' before a word means and what saying '-able' after it does.

HEATHER STEWART: Every time you drop rubbish into your yellow recycling bins spare a thought for the plant workers who have to sift through it.

Vanessa Fisher has been working at Darwin's Recycling Centre for the last four years and is fed up with sorting through people's contaminated waste.

Some products people throw into the bins jam the processing machinery and many items place the health of the workers in jeopardy.

VANESSA FISHER: I seriously think that they don't realise that we sort through these bins we actually have our hands in there and we actually are sorting through the rubbish.

IAN MCCOLOUGH; Nothing surprises me any more. We get all sorts in the bins. We have had car engines, gearboxes, pushbikes, you name it.

HEATHER STEWART: Ian McColough won't pick up yellow bins containing plant matter because such rubbish either clogs the machinery or contaminates the rest of his load causing it to end up as landfill.

IAN MCCOLOUGH: The frustrations when people put the wrong things in the bin! If they are full of palm fronds from the garden and what not we tend to leave them behind, being unrecyclable.

HEATHER STEWART In the long-term, the NT Environment Centre would like to see all packaging made recyclable. This glass is contaminated with plastic bottle caps and paper.

KIRSTEN BLAIR: It's really time now, the Government can no longer ignore the fact that waste management is something the community wants to see addressed.

HEATHER STEWART In the short-term, Territorians can make a difference by avoiding waste in the first place, buying reusable, refillable, repairable and recyclable items and then putting them in the right bin.

recycling
Recycling is using something over and over again.

spare a thought
think about
Spare a thought for the homeless on cold winter nights.

plant workers
people who work at the plant, or factory Sometimes we call industrial buildings or factories plants.

sift
sort through carefully

fed up
annoyed; bored
I'm fed up with studying.

in jeopardy
in danger
Always arriving late puts you in jeopardy of losing your job.

you name it
We use this expression to mean that there are many more of the same sort of things that can be added to a list.
The house had all sorts of pests living in it - rats, spiders, ants - you name it.

pick up
collect
I'll pick up the children from school.

For more meanings of the phrasal verb pick up, follow the link.

more information: pick up

plant matter
leaves, branches, wood - any material from a plant

clogs
blocks; becomes stuck in

landfill
huge hole in which rubbish is buried

palm fronds
The branches of palm trees are called fronds.

unrecyclable
not able to be recycled

long-term
over a long period of time
Having children is a long-term commitment.

recyclable
The suffix -able is used to form adjectives. Something that can be recycled is recyclable.

The suffix -able is today's spotlight.

short-term
over a short period of time; serving immediate interests
In the short-term it's good to have a new house, but how are you going to pay for it in the long-term if you lose your job?

reusable
Something that is reusable can be used again.

We use the suffix re- to mean again.

To reuse something is to use it again.

refillable
A refillable container can be filled again.

We use the suffix re- to mean again.

To refill something is to fill it again.

repairable
Something that is repairable can be repaired.

The suffix -able is today's spotlight.

a-able & -ible

form adjectives that mean ability, tendency, worthiness or likelihood

Something that can be eaten is eatable.
Something that can be enjoyed is enjoyable.
Things that can be predicted are predictable.

-ible is a variant of -able

Something that causes horror is horrible.
Things that are permitted are permissible.


		spotlight a-able & -ible form adjectives that mean ability, tendency, worthiness or likelihood Something that can be eaten is eatable. Something that can be enjoyed is enjoyable. Things that can be predicted are predictable. *-ible* is a variant of *-able* Something that causes horror is horrible. Things that are permitted are permissible.			communicate with us Join our mailing list Chat in the Learn English forum Contact us