glossary
Welcome to our glossary of useful terms and expressions related to sustainability in the m&e sector.
You can search for definitions and explanations using our alphabetical links below or simply by scrolling through.
We hope you find these helpful and you will see as you navigate other pages on the site that each time a glossary term occurs there is a live link to its definition here.
Please contact the site editor Ewen Rose if there are other subjects you think we should include.
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Techniques for recovering rainwater and diverting for use in systems such as toilet flushing, cooling and agriculture.
- Recovery
- The term encompassing the re-employment, reuse, recycling or regeneration of waste.
- Recycling
- The segregation, collection and reprocessing of waste into the same products or different ones.
- Renewable energy
- Renewable energy sources include solar power, geothermal energy, wind, wave and tide and hydro-electricity. They are so called because they do not depend on finite resources unlike fossil fuels.
- Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs)
Digital certificates that hold details of exactly how a unit of electricity was made, by whom and finally who bought and used it.
Energy companies are required to generate a minimum of 10% of their output from sustainable sources: if they have not managed to produce the required amount of green energy themselves they must buy ROCs on the open market to make up the shortfall.
- Renewables Obligation
- The obligation placed on licensed electricity suppliers to deliver a specified amount of their electricity from eligible renewable sources.
- RoHS
The Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment Directive came into force in July 2006.
It bans new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.