We're just taking out the trash.

我們在把垃圾拿出去。

You probably don't spend much time thinking about trash, at least, not until it starts to smell, and it's time to take it out.

你可能不常想到垃圾，至少，在它開始發臭、需要倒垃圾之前不會。

But we all make trash every day.

但是我們每天都會製造垃圾。

Like the eggshells left over from breakfast, or the plastic bag from your lunch, or metal cans that your mom or dad might open up at dinner time.

像是早餐裡蛋的蛋殼，或是午餐的塑膠包裝、你爸媽晚餐打開的金屬罐頭。

Plus, we bring a lot of papers home from school, and they don't all fit on the refrigerator.

更何況，我們常常從學校帶一大堆紙回家，而且冰箱門上根本不夠貼。

We usually throw a lot of this trash or waste into the garbage can.

我們通常把很多這些垃圾或廢棄物直接丟到垃圾桶。

But did you ever wonder what happens to all this waste?

但你有想過所有這些垃圾會怎麼被處理嗎？

Well, it doesn't just magically disappear.

這個，它並不會憑空消失。

And what happens to it depends on what it's made of.

它們的命運端看它們是什麼材質做成的。

For example, some waste decomposes.

例如，某些垃圾其實會自己分解。

When something decomposes, it breaks down, or rots.

一個東西分解的意思是它會從大分子變小分子，或是腐爛。

If you've ever taken a walk in the woods, then you've probably noticed things decomposing.

如果你有到森林裡散過步的話，你可能看過東西正在分解。

Like the leaves that fell last autumn.

像是去年秋天掉下來的葉子。

Or an old log.

或是一根老樹幹。

You can tell that those things are decomposing because they're very slowly getting brown and mushy.

你可以知道這些東西在分解，因為它們非常緩慢的變成咖啡色而且糊糊的。

They decompose because those things came form something that was once alive.

這些東西會自己分解是因為這些東西曾經是有生命的。

The leaves and the log were once parts of a tree.

樹葉跟樹幹都曾經是一棵樹的一部份。

And we make waste that decomposes too.

而我們丟的垃圾之中也有會自己分解的。

Usually, this waste is also made of things that were once alive.

這些垃圾通常也是曾經有生命的東西所組成的。

Like apple cores, eggshells, banana peels, and pretty much all of the leftover food from your table.

像是蘋果核、蛋殼、香蕉皮，還有幾乎所有你吃剩的廚餘。

This kind of waste can be put to good use.

這些垃圾可以被好好利用。

As food for your garden called "compost".

可以被做成給花園的食物，叫作「堆肥」。

We're gonna talk about how you can make compost in another episode.

我們在另外一集會告訴大家怎麼作堆肥廚餘。

But what about the waste that doesn't rot or break down?

至於其他那些不會腐爛或自己分解的垃圾呢？

Some of this waste goes into a dump, also known as a landfill.

這些垃圾有的會被丟到垃圾場，也叫做垃圾掩埋場。

And it basically just sits there, making a big, smelly mess.

然後它們基本上就待在那裡，堆成一坨很臭的垃圾山。

And it'll keep sitting there for a long, long time.

然後它們就會繼續待在那裡很長的一段時間。

Luckily, there's a way that you can get rid of your waste without adding to that mess.

幸運的是，其實你是有辦法既處理這堆垃圾又不讓它們在垃圾場腐爛。

By recycling!

那就是透過回收！

Recycling means taking waste and making it into something else.

回收的意思就是把垃圾做成其他東西。

Maybe you have a recycling bin like this in your school or even in your own house.

在你的學校或甚至是家裡可能會有這種回收桶。

Things that we can recycle include metal, plastic, and paper.

我們可以回收的東西包括金屬、塑膠還有紙類。

So let's check out what happens to the waste that you put in the recycling bin.

那我們來看看那些回收桶裡的東西最後會變成怎樣吧！

First, all of the recycling is collected and sorted into different kinds of waste.

首先，所有回收的東西會被收集起來然後被分類到不同的垃圾。

All the plastic goes into one pile. All the metal in another.

所有塑膠類是一類，金屬是另外一類。

And the paper gets its own pile.

紙類自己一類。

The metal is taken to a special factory, where it's crushed and then squished together with the metal from other recycling bins.

金屬類則會被運到一個特殊工廠，它們會被壓扁然後跟其他回收桶收集來的金屬壓在一起。

This big lump of metal is then chopped into little tiny pieces.

這一大堆金屬會接著被切成一小片一小片。

Next, those pieces are melted in a big oven, and then poured into molds shaped like blocks.

再來，這些金屬片會在一個大爐子裡面被熔掉，然後被倒進模具裡面被塑形成金屬塊。

These new blocks of metal are then sent to other factories, where they can be used to make other things made of metal.

這些金屬塊會接著被運到其他工廠，然後做成其他金屬製的東西。

So the metal cans that you throw into the recycling bin don't go to the dump.

所以你丟到回收桶裡面的金屬罐頭不會去到垃圾場。

They get a whole new life as a new can, or a piece of foil, or even part of a bike or a car.

它們會有個全新的生命，可能是罐頭、鋁箔紙，或甚至是腳踏車或汽車的部分零件。

And your old milk jug made of plastic can be turned into something new too.

你喝剩的塑膠牛奶瓶也可以做成新的東西。

It's also taken to a special factory, where the plastic is shredded into tiny bits and then melted in a really hot oven and made into little pellets.

它也會被帶到一個特別的工廠，在那裡塑膠會被切成小碎片然後在一個非常熱的爐子裡熔成塑膠顆粒。

Factories can take these pellets and make them into new things, like water bottles and food containers, and even bigger things, like park benches, carpet, and even some kinds of clothing.

工廠可以將這些塑膠顆粒做成新的東西，像是水瓶或是食物容器，甚至是更大的東西，像是公園板凳、地毯，或是某些衣服。

So what about all those papers that you've brought home?

那麼，那些你從學校帶回家的紙張呢？

Paper is recycled in a way that's a little different from metal and plastic.

紙類回收的方式跟金屬還有塑膠類有點不太一樣。

It's taken to a recycling center, where it's mixed with other paper, and a whole bunch of water, until it gets all goopy.

紙類會被帶到一個回收中心，跟其他紙張混在一起，還有一大堆水，直到它變成一整坨糊糊的東西。

This goop is then smashed between two rollers which squish it into big flat sheets.

這坨紙漿會接著被兩個滾筒壓成大張的「紙張」。

These sheets are left to dry, then they're cut into pieces of new paper, which we could use for art projects.

這些紙張會被晾乾然後切成新的紙，可以拿來畫畫！

If you think about it, when we recycle, we're breaking down waste that doesn't decompose on its own.

如果你仔細想想，回收其實就是人為分解那些無法自己分解的東西。

And that makes less waste for all of us!

然後我們就可以有越來越少的垃圾了！

So, keep recycling!

所以，繼續回收吧！

Thanks for joining us on Scishow kids.

謝謝觀賞 Scishow kids 的影片。

Do you have a question that you'd like to ask us?

對我們有任何的問題嗎？

Let us know in the comments below or send us an email at kids@thescishow.com.

歡迎在底下留言或是寄 email 到 [email protected]. 告訴我們。

I'll see you next time.

下次見囉！