BAND 7.5 IELTS ESSAY SAMPLE: EXPLORING THE CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS FOR INCREASING WASTE PRODUCTION GLOBALLY

All General Writing Task 1 Samples / Band 7.5

In many countries, the amount of waste produced by households and industries is increasing at an alarming rate. What are the main causes of this situation, and what measures could be taken to tackle the problem? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Essay Sample

Today, the amount of household and industrial waste is rising substantially at an alarming rate, which is probably the greatest threat to the environment. This essay will shed some light on the main cause of the problem, and will also suggest a viable solution to tackle with this situation effectively.

To begin with, increasing use of non-biodegradable packaging materials, such as plastics, metals, and glass, are the main reason for the excessive amount of trash production. Food and beverage companies use plastics intensively as a main packaging material for final products in order to attract consumers’ attention. As a result, they not only pollute the environment, but also affect negatively to the public health. For example, the average UK household uses approximately 480 plastic bottles per year; however, only about 270 of them were recycled.

Obviously, there are not simple solutions to dispose of solid waste; thus, government needs to apply some strict regulation to reduce such waste. With the use of taxes, government could reduce the market demand for plastics. If tax authority raises taxes on such products, the equilibrium price will go up immediately; hence, the demand in the market might reduce in the short run. For instance, in 2012 the German government doubled the tax rate that is levied on plastic materials; therefore, the price has tripled since 2012. Despite the fact that some governments use same policy, the final result is not always successful.

In conclusion, government should imply high tax rate on the materials that is not easily decompose in order to encourage residents and local companies to use more environmentally friendly products; otherwise, such products will harm and pollute the environment, and it might be a world-wide problem in the near future.