2
general::
verb ADV. (not) entirely, (not) totally In the end her efforts were not entirely wasted. | just, simply You're just wasting your breath. She never listens. | largely VERB + WASTE can't afford to, not want to He didn't want to waste valuable time in idle gossip. | be/seem a shame to It seems a shame to waste this good food. | not be going to I'm not going to waste any more time on the problem. PREP. on Don't waste your money on a hotel room. PHRASES no time to waste Hurry up?there's no time to waste!
4
general::
waste verbs recycle waste • How much of our household waste is recycled? dispose of waste • environmentally friendly ways to dispose of waste dump waste • They were fined for illegally dumping waste. incinerate waste (= burn it ) • For many years, solid waste was incinerated. reprocess waste (= treat radioactive waste so that it can be used again ) • The plant reprocesses nuclear waste. adjectives household/domestic waste • Newspapers and magazines make up 10% of household waste. industrial/chemical waste • pollution caused by industrial waste hazardous/toxic waste • the illegal dumping of hazardous waste radioactive/nuclear waste • plans for the safe transportation of radioactive waste organic waste (= waste from plants, fruits, and vegetables ) • Organic waste can be composted to make garden fertilizer. human waste (= from people going to the toilet ) • The prison was full of the smell of human waste. waste + NOUN a waste pipe • a washing machine waste pipe
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
6
general::
noun missing an opportunity to do/use sth ADJ. absolute, complete, total, utter The whole thing has been a complete waste of time. | colossal, great, tremendous | awful, criminal, senseless, shocking, terrible a criminal waste of public money | needless, unnecessary, useless | tragic a tragic waste of human life | expensive | conspicuous VERB + WASTE go to If nobody comes all this food will go to waste. | cause | avoid Try to avoid unnecessary waste. | cut down on, reduce | minimize PREP. ~ of a waste of energy/resources unwanted substances/things ADJ. dangerous, harmful, hazardous, poisonous, toxic a dump containing hazardous waste | non-toxic | high-level, intermediate-level, low-level | recyclable | agricultural, commercial, industrial | domestic, household, kitchen All household waste should be disposed of in strong garbage bags. | clinical, hospital, medical | nuclear, radioactive | chemical | plastic | organic | animal, human | garden, plant | municipal | liquid, solid | food, energy VERB + WASTE produce Tonnes of waste are produced every year. | dispose of, dump, get rid of More people are dumping waste illegally. | clean up the highly expensive task of cleaning up toxic waste | burn, incinerate an incinerator for burning hospital waste | bury, store | process, treat facilities for processing radioactive waste | recycle, reprocess | deal with, handle, manage the best solutions for managing waste | cut down on, reduce | eliminate | export, import Industrialized countries continue to export their waste. WASTE + VERB contaminate sth, pollute sth areas contaminated by industrial waste WASTE + NOUN collection | burial, disposal, incineration | storage | processing, recycling, reprocessing, treatment a waste reprocessing plant | management | minimization, reduction | bin | dump, site, tip The river was used for years as an industrial waste dump. | outlet, pipe | imports a ban on waste imports wastes: areas of ground not lived in or cultivated ADJ. frozen, icy the frozen wastes of Antarctica