Hi there, welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
Recycling cellphones, and wooden satellites.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…!
We think of snowflakes as tiny crystals of ice, but how big can they actually get? Find out at the end of today’s episode!
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台灣提升手機回收率
Taiwan Boosts Cellphone Recycling Rates
Do you know how many cellphones are sold in Taiwan every year?
The number is 6 million.
That means around a quarter of the population in Taiwan buy new cellphones every year.
That's a lot of cellphones!
But did you know that only 12-percent of old cellphones are recycled?
台灣每年銷售600萬支手機，但回收率只有大約12%。
The rest of the phones go into the incinerator (焚化爐) and landfills (掩埋場).
Or owners just leave them somewhere at home.
All these old cellphones are "e-waste".
E-waste is unwanted electronic products.
They include cellphones, laptops, tablets and a lot more.
Experts believe that in 2021, the world made more than 57.4 million metric tons of e-waste.
Altogether, that e-waste weighs more than the Great Wall of China!
And that number is growing every year.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment announced a new set of rules.
Starting April 1st, 2024, companies that make or sell cell phones must set up recycling facilities.
They must also give incentives (獎勵) for users who recycle their old cell phones.
And they must help users delete personal data from their old cell phones.
Experts say there are many reasons why people do not recycle their cellphones.
Some people think there aren't enough rewards.
Some can't find places to recycle their phones.
And others are afraid that their personal data will be leaked.
But recycling old cell phones can help the environment.
There are valuable metals that can be recycled from cellphones, including gold, copper and cobalt (鈷).
If they are properly recycled, we can cut down the need to mine these elements from the Earth.
There are also mercury, lead and other poisonous elements in these devices.
If they’re not properly processed, they could damage the environment.
The government hopes this new rule can help encourage everyone to recycle their cellphones.
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日本科學家計畫發射木製衛星
A Wooden Satellite in Space
Humans have been using wood for thousands of years.
We use wood to make tools, furniture, and even houses.
Wood can give off a retro (復古) feeling.
So it's not something that we think of right away when we think about technology.
Many might not connect wood with futuristic designs.
But Koji Murata doesn’t feel that way.
For years, he has been exploring how natural materials could be used in space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US completed a new study.
They found metallic particles (金屬微粒) in the stratosphere (平流層).
These particles came from spacecrafts and satellites.
Scientists are worried that these tiny pieces of metal could damage the Earth’s fragile ozone layer (臭氧層).
This is the reason why Murata came up with the idea of a wooden satellite.
Murata says when satellites re-enter the atmosphere, they break into tiny pieces of metal.
But wood just burns up, and becomes gas.
That sounds like a good thing.
But what about rot (腐爛)?
Murata says on Earth, wood would burn, rot, or change shape.
But this would not happen in space.
That's because there is no oxygen or living creatures in space.
Murata's team has already done some tests at the International Space Station.
They found that wood is very resilient (適應性強的) in space.
In fact, out in space, wood is about as strong as aluminum (鋁).
Murata is now working with Japan's space agency and NASA.
They are making a prototype (原型) wooden satellite called LingoSat.
The satellite is expected to be launched in the summer of 2024.
If all goes well, Murata thinks wood could be widely used in space development.
誰會想到太空科技竟然能使用木材?
It might even be possible to build wooden structures on the moon in the future.
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So, in today's News Bites:
The Ministry of Environment says starting April 1st, 2024, companies that make or sell cell phones must set up recycling facilities.
They must also give incentives for users who recycle their old cell phones.
The government hopes this new rule can help encourage everyone to recycle their cellphones.
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And,
Japanese scientist Koji Murata came up with the idea of a wooden satellite.
He is now working with Japan's space agency and NASA, to make a prototype wooden satellite called LingoSat.
The satellite is expected to be launched in the summer of 2024.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Snowflakes fall “softly” and “quietly” from the sky right? Maybe not this snowflake. The world’s largest snowflake was found in Montana in 1887. The snowflake was 38 centimeters wide. That’s wider than two pencils held end-to-end! I wouldn’t want that snowflake to fall on my head.
Do you like snow? What’s your favorite type of weather?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!