recyling studies

8/9/2019 Recyling Studies

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Table of Contents

Introduct ion ................................. 1

Glossary ......................................... 5

Activit ies

Out o f Sight, Ou t of Mind

Part 1 My Ton of Trash ............ 6

Part 2 Class Trash .................... 7

Part 3 Trash or Treasure? ......... 8

Part 4 Cutting Class Trash ..... 10

Right in My HometownPart 1 Natu ra l Resources:

Han dle with Care .................... 11

Part 2 Biograp hy of

a Product ................................. 12

Where Has All The Ga rbage Gone?

Part 1 Making a

Mini-La nd fill ........................... 13

Part 2 Follow tha t

Garba ge! .................................. 14

Comp osting: A Great, Rotten Idea

Part 1 Is It Rotten ? .................. 16

Part 2 Readin , Rottin an d

Rithm etic: Cla ssroom

Composting ............................. 18

Is It A Waste?Part 1 All Wra pped Up .......... 20

Part 2 Wha ts the Appeal? . .. .. 21

Part 3 How man y Ways

Can You Wrap a n Apple? ... .. .. 22

Part 4 Packa ging, Is It A

Wa ste? ..................................... 22

Part 5 What Ca n I Do to

Cha nge Packaging? ................. 24

How Times Have Cha nged

Part 1 Wha t, No Video

Gam es? .................................... 26

Part 2 The Ga rba ge Guzzler

Strikes Again ............................ 27

The Cost of the Toss

Part 1 Decisions, Decisions .... 28

Part 2 Paying the True

Price of Pop .............................. 30

Tim e for Action .............................. 31

More Activity Ideas ........................ 32

Resources ..................................... 34

Recycling

Study Guide

PUB-CE-020 2003

IntroductionTo Educators

Is it your turn to ta ke out th e trash ? Pile your tra sh with a ll the food

scra ps, pa per, old ch a irs, bottles a n d oth er solid wa ste gen erated in Wis-

consin every year, a nd you get 4.6 m illion ton s of stuff.

Fortun a tely, we sta rted recycling in th e 1990s, a n d on e third of the trashwe genera te is recycled. Un fortun a tely tho ugh , the a m oun t of waste were

genera ting is growing twice as fa st a s our popu lation , an d ou r recycling

rate is not keeping up with th e increa sed gen eration of trash. Tha ts why

we need to teach kids abou t recycling a nd introduce them to the concept of

waste reduction.

This study guide is intended to h elp you a nd your studen ts un derstan d

wha t solid waste is, where it comes from , why its a prob lem a nd wha t can

be don e a bou t it. Th e guide includes an overview of solid waste an d recy-

cling, a glossary, suggested activities and a list of resources.

Consider ta lkin g with you r studen ts a bou t solid wa ste, recycling a n d wa ste

reduction before beginnin g your lessons to learn wha t they a lready kn ow

an d think a bout i t . Where are their trash an d recyclables taken ? Ha ve they

ever visited a lan dfill? Wha t did peop le do before there were pla stic ba gs,

alum inum can s or tra sh removal services? Do people in other countries

m a ke as m uch trash or recycle as mu ch a s Am erican s do? By finding ou t

your students thou ghts an d opinions, you can help them connect new

concepts with wh a t they a lready kn ow.

The a ctivities in this guide h a ve been design ed for use in gra des 4-12. We

also ha ve the K-3 Supp lem ent to the Recycling Study Guide, Waste Re-

duction : Thinkin g More About Less, a n d The Fourth R: An Action

Booklet for Recycling in the Classroom and School. We encourage you

to ta ilor th e a ctivities to m eet your studen ts n eeds. You a re welcome to

revise a n d/or reprodu ce an y pa rt of this guide for distribution to studen ts

an d other educators.

Note:

Words tha t app ear in italics are defined in th e glossa ry.

Sect ions marked with a re based on m a teria ls from A-Way W ith Waste

curriculum guide, a progra m of the Wa shington State Depa rtmen t of Ecology

(see Resources).


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Where does it all end up?

About 60% of Wisconsins trash or m un icipa l solid wa ste end s up in the

states 39 or so licensed m un icipa l la n dfills (down from 1,000 la n dfills in

1988). A landfill is a p lace where trash is dum ped, com pa cted a n d covered

with dirt. Covering th e trash controls blowing pa per, odors, insects an d ro-

den ts an d keeps wa ter out of the la ndfill. All of the licensed lan dfills in Wis-

consin a re sa nita ry la nd fills designed, bu ilt a nd opera ted a ccording to

state-of-the-art stan da rds to prevent pollution problem s.

The oth er 40% of our tra sh gets recycled, com posted or com busted with energy

recovered. Its taken from your house or a drop -off site to on e of the 150 or so

m a teria l recovery fa cilities throu gho ut th e state. Here cardboa rd, newspap er,

m a ga zines, office pa per, bottles a nd ca n s a re sorted an d sold to ma n ufactur-

ers wh o m a ke n ew produ cts out of th em . Tires, vehicle ba tteries, m otor oil

a nd m ajor app lia nces a re also recycled, an d a bout h alf the ya rd waste ism an aged a t hom e by people who lea ve gra ss clippings on their lawn an d

compostleaves an d h erbaceous plan ts.

Unfortun a tely, som e waste is still dum ped a long roa dsides, on the ba ck

forty or in oth er no n-a pproved location s. Except for hou seh old wastes dis-

carded on the ho m eowners property, it is illegal to d iscard or in cin erate gar-

bage, trash, ind ustria l wa ste, fa rm chem ica ls a n d other waste in p laces tha t

a rent ap proved by the state. Disca rding waste in u nsa fe ways a n d in non -

a pproved places can en dan ger the environm ent upon which we depend.

Thu s, each of us becomes responsible for wha t we throw a way a nd the im -

pa ct tha t this waste ma y ha ve on ou r environm ent.

Sizing up solid waste

People in Wisconsin throw ou t everythin g from toothp a ste tubes to old TV

sets, food scrap s to plastic bags, com pu ter gam es to oil filters. If you a dded u p

a ll the wa ste from you r hou se, from th e store where you shop ped a nd from

the restau ran t where you a te, it would am oun t to 4.7 pou nds per person of

m un icipal solid waste thrown into the tra sh every da y. Multiply tha t by 365

da ys per year, then by 5.4 m illion Wisconsin citizens, a nd your results wouldshow tha t Wiscon sin gen erates more tha n 4.6 m illion ton s of trash ea ch year!

This is called municipal solid waste.

4.6 m illion tons of trash is enou gh to pile a typica l city street three feet deep,

curb to curb, for 500 m iles m ore tha n the d istan ce from Sup erior to Chi-

cago! Or if comp ressed, the way it is in lan dfills, tha t m uch waste would bu ry

a 200-acre fa rm u nd er 28 feet of trash ea ch year.

The p revious informa tion covers m un icipal solid wa ste the residential a nd

comm ercial waste we person a lly produ ce every day. Anoth er category of

waste is ca lled n on -m un icipal wa ste or indu strial waste. Th is is the waste

indu stries, power plan ts a n d pa per mills genera te as they produce the prod-

ucts we use. It represents a bout 9 .31 poun ds per person per da y. The good

n ews is we recycle 49% of th e indu stria l waste we genera te.

So whats theproblem?

Over the la st th ree deca des, pu blic

a wareness of environm enta l prob-

lems has increased; stricter federal

regulations regardin g the siting,

construction, da ily opera tion, clo-sure an d post-closure mon itoring of

lan dfills ha ve been developed; an d

the a m oun t of m un icipal solid

waste generated in th e United

Sta tes h a s in crea sed a t a ra te fa ster

tha n ou r population growth. This

combin a tion of fa ctors ha s cau sed

the cost to operate a lan dfill to

increase, the nu m ber of la n dfills to

decrease and a subsequent shortage

in lan dfill cap a city in m a ny pa rts

of th e country.

The pu blic believes tha t we a re

run nin g ou t of spa ce for lan dfills.

Techn ica lly, we ha ve ma n y sites to

loca te modern , sa nita ry la nd fills

tha t will m eet sta te an d federal

requiremen ts. Th ese n ew sanitary

landfills a re designed to be clean

a nd to conta in a nd collect leachate

a nd methane gas tha t result from

the decomp osition oforganic mate-

rials or the gra dua l breakdown of

inorga nic ma teria ls. However, the

econom ics of lan dfill opera tion a nd

th e politics of lan dfill siting m a ke it

difficult to get n ew landfills built.

Nobody wa n ts a lan dfill loca ted

nea r them (see sidebar on The

NIMBY Phen om enon ), an d every-

one h a tes to pa y more for trash

disposal.

The am ount ofnatural resources we

throw away is anoth er part of the

solid waste problem th a t is not so

a ppa rent. Wisconsin s tra sh con-

tains enough energy to hea t over350,000 hom es a year, and even

though were recycling tons of met-

a ls, gla ss, plastic an d pa per, we are

still throwing a way a lot of valu-

a ble na tura l resources. We n eed to

m ove beyond recycling an d do

m ore to reduce waste before it is

produced.


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The NIMBYphenomenon

Finding pla ces to pu t lan dfills is no t

ea sy. Few peop le are ea ger to live

nea r a la ndfill, an attitude some-

times called the NIMBY ph enom -

en on Not In My Ba ck Ya rd!

Man y people believe lan dfill con -

struction a n d opera tion result in

tra ffic, noise, dust, litter, aesthetic

loss, declining property values,

groundwater contam ination a nd

other h aza rdous waste pollution.

While fears m a y ha ve been justified

in th e pa st, m odern la nd fill design,

construction a nd ma na gement can

m inimize mo st of these problems.

Unfortun a tely, the NIMBY ph enom -

enon a lso a pp lies to the siting of

recycling centers a n d m un icipa l

com posting facilities.

Wisconsins Trash Tally for 2000

Mater ia l

Ca teg o ry Gen era ted Recyc led 1 Trash

Residential & Com m ercial wa ste2

Newspa per 261,710 177,780 83,930

Corruga ted con ta iners 661,580 484,370 177,210

Ma ga zin es 74,850 23,760 51,090

High gra de office pa per 159,710 47,490 112,220

Mixed wa ste pa per 577,880 183,820 394,060

Alum inum bevera ge ca n s 32,950 18,400 14,550

Steel ca ns 55,310 30,380 24,930

Pla stic con ta iners 70,730 30,370 40,360

Gla ss con ta iners 191,270 112,280 78,990

Ya rd trim m in gs 538,380 476,040 62,340

Food wa ste 663,860 6,500 657,360

Disposa ble dia pers 57,450 1,530 55,920Veh icle ba tteries 38,530 37,370 1,160

Tires 97,260 92,4003 4,8604

Ma jor a pplia n ces 71,310 67,750 3,5604

Other wa ste 1,096,470 87,730 1,008,740

To ta l 4 ,649 ,250 1 ,877 ,970 2 ,771 ,280

Industrial Waste 2 9 ,115 ,100 4 ,468 ,230 4 ,6 46 ,870 5

Total Sol id Waste 2 13 ,7 64 ,350 6 ,3 46 ,200 7 ,418 ,150

1 Includes materials recycled and materials combusted with energy recovery.2 Estimate in tons. Source: Franklin Associates, LTD.3 Includes 41,110 tons in temporary storage or shipped out of state4 Estim a te a t


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Wiscon sin a lready reuses, recycles,

com posts or recovers en ergy from

a lmost 40% (by weigh t) of its resi-

dential an d comm ercial waste each

year a nd 49% of its in dustria l waste

(tha t figure wou ld increase to 62%if you a dd th e 1,167,300 tons of

municipal waste water sewage

sludge tha t is land spread a nn u-

a lly). Th is redu ces the n eed for

lan dfill spa ce, sa ves the cost of

disposal an d reuses valua ble na tu-

ra l resources. The Recycling La w

reaffirms the sta tes com m itmen t to

reduce the volum e of disca rded

item s by providing th e followin g list

of option s for m a na ging solid

waste. Th e options a re in order

from m ost to least desirab le.

1. Reduce the q ua ntity of wa ste

produ ced. For exa m ple, some prod-

ucts a nd pa ckaging a re designed to

use less m a terial, to be recyclab le or

to contain fewer ha zardous chem i-

cals. We can produce less waste

throu gh selective shopp ing. Also,

we can encourage reduction by

expressing ou r views abou t prod-

ucts a nd p a ckaging to reta ilers,

industry an d governm ent.

2. Reuse items. Soda bottles, old

furniture, clothes, tires, appliances

a nd a utom obiles or their parts,

industrial shipping containers (bar-

rels, pa llets, cardboa rd boxes) an d

m an y more items ca n be reused.

3. Recycle. For instance, recycled

newspa per ca n be m ade into news-

print, pa per ba gs, cellulose insula-

tion, egg cartons, a nim al bedding

or cardboa rd. Glass and a luminu m

from beverage conta iners can be

m ad e into new conta iners. Cookingoils and m eat fats can be m a de into

chem ica ls a nd cosm etics, coal a sh

into shingles and concrete and

plastic bottles into artificial lumber,

carpeting a n d winter ja ckets.

4. Compost organ ic wastes. Ga rden-

ers know both the ease an d the

value of comp osting food a nd yard

wastes to create rich h um us tha t

improves soil fertility and texture.

What else can we do with waste?

Som e bu sinesses also can comp ost

their organ ic wa stes. For exa m ple,

cheese whey, organic sludge from

pa per mills an d sewage trea tmen t

plan ts an d rema ins from processing

or clean ing fish can be comp osted.

5. Incinera tion of waste with energy

recovery. Ea ch ton of solid waste

ha s the en ergy equiva lent of 70

ga llons of gasolin e enou gh

energy to drive a sm a ll car from

coast to coast.

6. La n dfill non recoverable items.

We ma y always need lan dfills, bu t

Wiscon sin is working to redu ce this

n eed. Using th e techn iques de-

scribed a bove, Wisconsin a ims to

cut th e n eed for la nd fills.

7. In cinera tion of waste withou t

energy recovery. Th ough this ma y

be the lowest ran king option for

disposal of waste, it is som etimes

the only option for safe disposal of

m edical an d ha zardous wastes.

Non e of these options is the sole

solution to our wa ste disposa l prob-

lem. Each option has side effects

tha t m ust be considered when were

selecting the best solution to each

solid wa ste problem .

What ca n you do?

You can sta rt by lookin g at wha t you throw awa y at h om e. Ea ch persons

drop in th e bucket adds up to create the tra sh problem. If ea ch drop be-

comes sma ller, the problem will be reduced.

Everyon e produ ces some wa ste, but you don t h a ve to be a

sup ercon sum er. Th ink a bou t the goods, services a nd a ctivities you bu y or

support. In wha t ways do they contribute to the solid wa ste problem? How

could you pu rcha se a nd d ispose of item s in wa ys tha t genera te less trash ?

Wha t can you do to voice your opin ion a bou t solid waste issues in your

community?

For exa m ple, consider:

buying long-lasting products rather tha n item s tha t ha ve a shorter life

span an d end up a s waste sooner.

buying goods in returna ble an d recyclable containers.

learn ing where you can ta ke items to be recycled an d showing your

suppo rt by recycling a n d bu ying item s ma de with recycled conten t.

composting food wastes, leaves and grass clippings.

finding the people in your town who a re interested in reducing waste,

prom oting recycling, inventing n ew uses for old ma teria ls a nd fightin g

litter. Work together with these people to prom ote waste reduction a n d

recycling.

taking a n active interest in how your solid waste ma na gement dollarsa re spen t. Com pa re your com m un itys ha uling a nd d isposal costs with

those of neighb oring towns. Investigate th e qu a lity of your local la nd fill

a nd m easures being taken to m a ke it as safe and long-lasting a s pos-

sible.

learn ing how na ture recycles m aterials. Is m uch wasted?

Wisconsin s solid wa ste ma n a gem ent goa l is to find the best politica l, eco-

nom ic, socia l an d persona l ways to ma na ge our waste while keeping th e

environm ent h ea lthy. Ea ch of us contributes to the solid waste problem .

Ea ch of us can h elp solve it.


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Glossary

biodegradable: the p roperty of a

substan ce tha t permits it to be bro-

ken down by m icroorgan ism s into

simple, stable compounds such as

carbon dioxide an d wa ter. (See

decompose.)

bottle bi l l : a la w requirin g depos-

its on beverage con tain ers, like

a luminu m cans a nd plastic bottles.

May discoura ge littering an d

landfilling. More accurately called

a b everage conta iner deposit la w.

com post ing: a waste man age-

m ent process tha t creates an

optima l environm ent for decom po-

sition by layering orga nic wastes

like food scrap s an d gra ss clippingsso theyll decay into fertile humus.

conserve: to p rotect from loss or

depletion . Conservation is the wise

use of n a tura l resources to m ini-

m ize loss an d wa ste.

decom pose: to break down into

component parts or basic elements;

to rot. Decom position is a n orga nic

process necessary for the continu a -

tion o f life sin ce it ma kes essentia l

n utrients ava ila ble for use by plan ts

an d an ima ls.dum p: open u nsan ita ry disposa l

site u sed before existence of li-

censed, con trolled burial san itary

lan dfills. Now illega l in Wiscon sin .

energy recovery: the generation

of energy by bu rnin g solid waste.

g a r b a g e : spoiled or wa ste food

tha t is thrown a way. Generally

defined a s wet food wa ste a n d ex-

cludes dry m a teria l (trash). The

term is often used intercha ngea bly

with th e word trash.

groun dw ate r: water beneath th e

earths surface that fills the spaces

a nd flows between soil pa rticles an d

rock. Sup plies wells an d springs.

Two ou t of every three Wisconsin

citizens drink grou n dwater.

ha zardous w aste : waste tha t can

cause special problems for living

organisms or the en vironm ent be-

recover energy: see energy

recovery.

recycle: the collection a nd repro-

cessing of manufactured materials

for rema nu facture either in th esam e form or a s part of a different

product.

reduce: to lessen in exten t,

am ount, num ber or other qua ntity.

renew able resource: a na tura l

resource derived from a n end less or

cyclical source (e.g., sun , wind,

wa ter, fish, trees, cotton ). With

proper m a na gement a nd wise use,

replacemen t of these resources by

na tural or h um a n-assisted systems

can equa l or exceed their consum p-tion.

reuse: to exten d th e life of an item

by using it a ga in, repairing it,

m odifying it or creating n ew uses

for it.

sani tary la ndf i l l: a specially

en gineered site for disposing of solid

waste on lan d. Con structed in a

way tha t reduces hazards to hea lth

a nd safety.

sol id w aste: a ll solid, sem i-solid,

liqu id an d ga seous wastes, includ-

ing trash, garba ge, yard waste,

ashes, industrial waste, swill, demo-

lition and construction waste and

h ousehold discards such a s a ppli-

a nces, furniture an d equipm ent.

sol id w aste m an ag em ent: th e

controlling, ha ndling a nd disposal

of all solid wa ste. On e goa l of solid

waste m a na gement is to reduce

waste to a m inimu m.

source reduction: a reduction in

the a m oun t an d/or toxicity of waste

entering th e waste stream a lso

called waste preven tion.

trash: m a teria l con sidered worth-

less, un necessary or offensive tha t is

usua lly thrown a way. Trash is gen-

erally defin ed as dry m a teria l an d

excludes food wa ste (garba ge) a n d

a shes. However, th e term is often

used interchangeably with the word

garbage.

cau se it is poison ous, exp losive,

bu rns or dissolves flesh or m eta l,

ignites easily with or without a

flam e or ca rries disease. Som e h a z-

a rdous wastes h a ve one cha racteris-

tic, others have several.

hu m us: organ ic m a teria l con sist-

ing of decayed vegetable ma tter

tha t provides nu trients for plan ts

a n d increases the a bility of the soil

to reta in water.

landfi l l : a site for the controlled

bu rial of solid waste.

l e a c h a te : liquid tha t ha s perco-

lated through solid wa ste an d/or

been gen erated by solid wa ste de-

com position a nd contains ex-tracted, dissolved or suspended

ma terials. Ma y conta m inate

groun d or surfa ce wa ter.

l i tter: waste m a teria ls discarded in

a n in a pprop ria te place. Litterin g is

illega l in Wiscon sin .

m ethan e: a colorless, odorless,

flam ma ble, potentially dan gerous

ga seous h ydroca rbon (CH4) present

in na tural gas an d formed by the

decomp osition of organ ic m a tter.

Can be used as a fuel.

na tural resource: valuable, na tu-

rally occurring m a teria l such a s

soil, wood, a ir, wa ter, oil or m iner-

als.

no nrenew ab le resource: a natu-

ral m a teria l tha t, beca use of its

sca rcity, the grea t length of tim e

requ ired for its forma tion or its

rapid depletion, is considered finite

in a m oun t (e.g., coa l, copper, petro-

leum).

o r g a n i c : derived from living

organisms.

pol lut ion: ha rmful substan ces

deposited in the environment, lead-

ing to a state of dirtiness, impu rity

or un hea lthiness.

raw m a teria l: un processed n atu -

ral resource or produ ct used in

manufacturing.


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Activities

Part 1 My Ton of Trash

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Note: Read the definition s for solid wa ste, tra sh a n d ga rba ge in th e Glossary . For th ese a ctivities, in itially consider

recycla bles a s pa rt of the trash . On ce items a re identified an d recycled, they will no longer be tra sh. See Going Beyond

in Part 1.

Procedure:

1. Describe tra sh a n d list some ex -

a m ples. Discuss:

Wha t qualit ies does an i tem ha ve

tha t m a kes you decide it is trash?

Wha t different kinds of trash are

there?

2. Dum p the 14 poun d ba g of trash

(and recyclables) on the floor.

Discuss: Does this seem like a lot of trash?

Th is m uch tra sh is thrown ou t each

da y for every person in Wisconsin .

How do you think the number

14 pou n ds was ca lcula ted? Will

the nu m ber ever cha nge? Why?

How do you feel about the fact

tha t you a re respon sible for 14

poun ds of trash tha t is thrown ou t

each day?

Goal: To help students visualize

h ow mu ch solid waste is gen erated

for each p erson in Wisconsin an d

un derstand how the num ber of

people living in our state a nd coun -

try affects this am oun t.

Subjects: Math em a tics, social

studies, science, environm enta l

education, hea lth.

Grades: 6-12

Materials:

14 pound bag of miscellan eous

trash a nd recycla bles. Wash

conta iners, avoid items with

sharp edges.

gloves

3. Calculate:

If you generate 14 pounds of

trash each day, how man y pounds

do you m a ke every week, mon th

an d year?

Conver t the annu al num ber from

poun ds into tons. How ma ny tons

of trash do you ma ke each yea r?

To help you visua lize how much

a ton weighs, a dd the weights ofstudents in th e cla ss un til you rea ch

on e ton. How m a ny studen ts does it

take to ma ke a ton? How man y

studen ts-worth of trash do you

ma ke each year?

How man y people are in your

fa m ily? If 14 poun ds of trash a re

genera ted each da y for every

person, how ma ny poun ds or tons

of trash does your fa m ily ma ke

every week, mon th a nd yea r?


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Part 2 Class Trash

How ma ny people live in

Wiscon sin ? If 14 po un ds of tra sh

a re genera ted each da y for every

person, how ma ny poun ds or tons

of trash a re generated ea ch da y in

Wisconsin?

Discuss:

What happens to al l the trash

you throw a way?

Where is awa y? Is there such aplace?

What do you think happens to

wa ste at th e lan dfill? (See a ctivity:

Wh ere Ha s All the Ga rba ge Gone?)

Wha t are possible problems with

piling waste in landfills?

What would you do with your

familys trash if there was no truck

tha t cam e to take it awa y? How

m ight th is a ffect the a m oun t of

trash your fam ily m akes?

4. Research the rate of hum anpop ula tion growth in Wisconsin

a nd th e U.S. since 1650. Discuss:

What relationship might there be

between a n increasing h um an

population an d the amoun t of

trash generated?

How might the am ount of t rash

generated be influen ced by cha nges

in lifestyles sin ce 1650? (See

a ctivity: How Tim es Have

Changed.)

How might the am ount of t rash

genera ted be influenced by fa m ily

income?

How ha ve increases in n um bers

of people an d a m oun ts of trashaffected the environment?

Wha t are the predictions for

future human population growth?

Wha t predictions might you

m a ke for the a m oun ts of trash well

produ ce in the future?

What impacts might an

increasing popu lation h ave on our

use of na tura l resources?

5. Calculate:

If every person in Wisconsin

threw awa y one less poun d of trashper da y, how mu ch less trash wou ld

end up in ou r states lan dfills?

Discuss:

What could you do to reduce th e

am oun t of waste you ma ke?

Pre- a nd P ost-Activity Ques-

t ions:

How man y pounds of t rash do

you think are thrown out each day

for every person in Wiscon sin?

Wha t relationship, if an y, is there

between the n um ber of people an d

the am ount of trash?

Going Beyond:The 14 p oun ds of solid wa ste repre-

sent the am ount you generate at

hom e each da y (4.7 lbs.) an d your

share of the am oun t genera ted by

m an ufacturers and industry (9.3

lbs.) when they m a ke products for

you . Since 1990 , the p eople of Wis-

consin h a ve been recycling m ore to

reduce the a m oun t of trash going

to la n dfills. Ea ch person recycles 1.9

pou n ds of hou sehold solid waste a

day, an d m an ufacturers an d indus-

try recycle 4.6 pou nd s a da y for you(for a total of 6.5 lbs./person/d a y).

Do som e of the ca lcula tions above

using 12 p oun ds for tra sh an d 2

pou n ds for recyclables (equiva lent

to the 199 0 recycling ra te). Wha t

impa ct ha s recycling h a d on lan d-

fill space?

C l as

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2006 Class

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2007

Goal: To ha ve studen ts calculatethe a m oun t an d types of trash

thrown out by th eir cla ss a t sch ool

a nd in vestigate where it is taken .

Subjects: Math em a tics, social

studies, science, environm enta l

education, hea lth.

Grades: 7-12

Materials:

trash generated by your class on

a typica l da y (sa ve for use with

Part 3)Note to teacher:

Studen ts will need to be fa m iliar

with the con cepts of weight, volum e

a nd n um ber in order to do the fol-

lowing a ctivity a nd un derstan d

their im plica tions. Consider u sin g

this activity as part of a m ath ema t-

ics lesson that addresses these con-

cepts.

Procedure:1. List th e items you th row in th e

classroom a nd lunchroom waste-

ba skets on a typica l day. Now ca t-

egorize them a ccording to wh a t

m a teria l theyre m a de of (e.g., food,

paper, plastic, aluminum, glass).

Predict wha t four types of m a teria ls

m ake u p th e greatest portion of the

waste by: weight, volum e an d

nu m ber of items. Record you r

predictions.

2. Collect a nd save the tra shyour class gen erates (in th e

cla ssroom, a rt room , sh op,

lun chroom , etc.) on a typica l

day (wash jars an d can s, place

food trash in a sea led con-

tain er). You ca n save trash

for more than one da y if

you wish. This will ena ble

you to ca lcula te the aver-

age am ount generated by

your cla ss ea ch da y.


8/368

Part 3 Trash or Treasure?

3. Dum p th e trash on the floor. Sort

items into piles according to th e

type of m a teria l of which th e item s

are made.

4. Coun t the n um ber of different

item s of ea ch typ e (e.g., 47 pieces of

pap er, 3 aluminum soda can s, 8

juice boxes, 11 pla stic ba gs, 1 bro-

ken p encil). Wha t types of item scomprise m ost of the trash by nu m -

ber? Draw a b a r graph to illustrate

this. Pla ce the trash by type in sepa -

rate ba gs.

5. Select the four typ es of item s you

estim ate m a ke up m ost of the trash

by weigh t. Use one o f the following

m ethods to determ ine the exa ct or

a pproxima te weight of each type:

a ) If you h a ve a grocery scale in

your classroom, weigh th e items.

b) If you h ave a ba throom scale:

example

Stan d on the scale.

Wha t is your weight? ...... 100 lbs.

Pick up a ba g.

Now wha t is your

weight? .............................. 102 lbs.

How mu ch does the

ba g weigh? ............................ 2 lbs.

c. If you d on t ha ve a sca le, find

objects in the classroom th a t are of

a kn own weight. Comp are the

weights of your object an d th e trash

(use a bala nce if you h ave on e).

Estim a te the weight of the tra sh.

6. Ca lcula te the volum e of the tra sh

in each ba g by mea suring the

width, length a nd depth of items init. How m ight volu m e differ if the

glass, can s or boxes are crushed?

Does weight ch a n ge if volum e

changes?

7. How do your calculation s com -

pa re with the predictions you m ade

in step 1?

8. How m uch trash d oes your class

throw out in a day, week, month

a n d school year by weight, volum e

an d num ber? Calculate the average

am oun t each student th rows out inone day.

9. How mu ch spa ce will on e scho ol

yea rs-worth of your cla sss ga rba ge

fill if the ga rba ge is not com-

pressed? Calcula te the volum e of

your cla ssroom . If you didn t re-

move any of your classs trash from

the cla ssroom, h ow mu ch of the

room would be filled with tra sh by

the end of the year? How much

room would be left for you?

10. If the n um ber of studen ts in

your class is average for your

sch ool, calculate how m uch tra sh

your sch ool generates each school

year. Discuss:

Do you think your class ma kes alot of trash? Not so m uch ? Exp lain

reasons for your respon se.

When the trash from each class

in th e schoo l is added together, do

you end u p with a lot of trash?

Expla in rea sons for your respon se.

11. Investigate where your schools

tra sh is taken . (See activity: Where

Has All the Garba ge Gone?)


t ions:

How much trash do you thinkyour cla ss throws a way ea ch da y?

Wha t types of trash do you think

your cla ss throws awa y on a typica l

day?

Wha t hap pens to your schools

trash?

Goal: To ha ve studen ts find ou t

why, how an d where they shou ld

recycle or reuse what they typically

throw a way.

Subjects: Science, social studies,

lan gua ge arts, environm enta l edu-

cation, consumer education, familyliving, ma rketing.

Grades: 4-12

Procedure:

1. Is there a n ything else you can do

with wha t you th row awa y? List

your idea s. Most of them will fit

into one of the following five cat-

egories: redu ce, reuse, recycle, com -

post, recover energy. Write these

five ca tegories on the bo a rd. Wha t

trash item s might fit best into ea ch

category? List them un der the

proper category h eading.

2. Do a) a nd/ or b), then a nswer the

discussion questions:

a ) To the tea cher: Give each studen t

a copy of the following checklist to

fill out, or pu t the list on the b oa rd

a nd work through it as a group. For

younger students, you m a y want to

use p ictures of the item s listed be-

low. Feel free to a dd your own

items.


9/369

Discuss:

Wha t items did you circle?

How could you ha ve reduced

items?

How could you have reused

items?

Did you wonder whether the

na pkin was paper or cloth? What

difference migh t it ma ke?

What could you ha ve done with

the recyclable items?

What could you ha ve done with

a pple cores a nd p otato peels?

Which items are difficult to

redu ce, reuse or recycle? Why?

Why do we ma ke products that

arent reusable or recyclable?

Did an y of your classma tes

reduce, reuse or recycle any of theitem s you circled?

How did they reduce, reuse or

recycle the item s?

Was reducing, reusing or

recycling th em easy to do? Why or

why not?


th e items you d idn t circle?

Directions:

Put an X n ext to item s you th rew in the wa steba sket this week.

____Pa per ba g ____Ora n ge peel

____Na pkin ____Gra ss clippings

____Newspa per ____Old clothes

____Book ____Pla stic ba g

____Ma ga zin e ____Pla stic m ilk ca rton

____Pa per m ilk ca rton ____Broken toy

____Other pa per ____Tin ca n

____Gum wra pper ____Gla ss ja r

____Alum inum ca n ____Other

____App le core

Now circle a ll the item s you thin k could ha ve been redu ced (used lessof), reused or recycled.

m enta l protection a gencies, gla ss

m a n ufacturers, recycling

bu sinesses, mu nicipal p ublic works

departm ents, used furniture a nd

clothing stores an d environmen tal

organizations.)

Make a list with the following

information about the businesses or

organizations that recycle: name,

a ddress, telephon e n um ber,m a teria ls recycled, h ours of

operation, wh ether the

organ iza tion will pay you for

m ateria ls an d an y other useful

informa tion. This informa tion is

a vailable in: Wiscons in Markets

Directory (see Resources).

4. Investigate and discuss:

What are some advantages of

recycling? (Conserves n a tura l

resources, saves energy, protects the

environm ent, can ma ke money,creates jobs for peop le involved in

recycling a nd reduces our

dependence on im ported

materials.)

Wha t are some disadvan tages of

recycling? (May cost money, takes

time, ta kes spa ce for stora ge, takes

a way jobs from p eople who m ake

produ cts from non recycled

materials and depends on recycling

m a rkets.) (See a ctivity: Th e Cost of

the Toss.)

What are the pros an d cons of energy recovery an d la nd fillin g?

5. Brain storm the steps your class

m ight ta ke to design an d imple-

m ent a recycling p roject for your

classroom or school. (See a ctivity:

Tim e for Action .) Select a p roject

th a t is feasible. For exa m ple, collect

a nd recycle pa per from the schools

copy ma chine a nd cla ssrooms.

Who can you contact to help you

with your project?

6. Consider doing your project!


t ions:

Wha t is recycling? What a re

reuse, en ergy recovery an d

landfilling?

Wha t types of solid waste can be

recycled, reused, recovered or

landfilled?

What can you do in your school

to recycle solid waste?

b) Sort the item s tha t your class

threw out in on e da y (Part 2) into

the following categories: reusable,

recyclable and other. Discuss:

Why did you place each item in

the ca tegory you ch ose?

Does your cla ss recycle a ny of the

items?

Shou ld your class recycle them ?

Why?

Are there som e items your class

could recycle bu t doesnt? Wh y

doesn t your cla ss recycle them ?

Are there pla ces in school aside

from the classroom where you

discard trash du ring the da y? Thin k

about how mu ch food and h ow

m an y food wra ppers, ca ns an d

bottles you disca rd at lun ch, howm an y pa per towels you u se to dry

your hands, etc.

What happens to the items tha t

arent reusable or recyclable?

3. Investiga te where in you r com-

m un ity you can ta ke items to be

reused o r recycled.

How can you find out about local

recycling programs? (Contact: local

na tural resources an d en viron-


10/3610

Part 4 Cutting Class Trash

Goal: To ha ve studen ts realize tha t

reuse an d recycling of ma teria ls a re

not th e only or ma in solutions to

th e solid waste prob lem. A key step

is to cut down on the u se of ma teri-

a ls tha t become solid waste.Subjects: Consumer education,

fam ily living, social studies, science,

environm enta l education.

Grades: 5-12

Procedure:

1. In wha t ways ca n you reduce the

a mou nt of trash you throw out at

sch ool? Dont forget to con sider

waste from th e art room, shop,

lun chroom , etc. Write your ideas on

the blackboard an d request tha t it

n ot be erased for one week.

2. For one week, cut down on your

use of pa per, food pa ckaging a nd

other materials. Refer to the sugges-

tions on th e blackboa rd. Note: It

isn t fair to cut down by th rowing

things out in other trash ca ns in the

school.

3. At the end of each d a y, ca lcula te

the am oun t of trash an d list what

individual item s ma ke up m ost of

th e trash . (See Part 2 for instruc-tions.)

4. Com pa re your findings with th e

a mou nts ca lculated in Part 2.

Calculate:

Did you throw out less trash

when you tried to cut down ? How

m uch less?

If your class cut down on use of

m a teria ls for the schoo l yea r, how

m uch less trash (in pou n ds) would

you send to th e lan dfill?

Discuss:

How easy is it to cut down on

how mu ch you use?

Do you feel tha t it is worth doing?

Why?

Will you continue to cut down on

your use of ma terials, or is this class

a ctivity a on e-shot dea l?


t ions:

How can you reduce the am ount

of trash you genera te in your cla ss/

school each day?

Going Beyond:

1. Ta ke a copy of the ch ecklist an d

questions from Pa rt 3 hom e an d fill

it out. Note to teach er: Include a

cover letter to pa rents explain ing

that the class is studying solid wastea n d recycling, an d you would like

them to help their children see

wha t kind of solid wa ste is gener-

a ted a t hom e. Discuss:

What did you find out about

wha t your fa mily throws awa y?

How do you feel about your

findings?

Wha t ideas do you ha ve for what

you could do with th e trash

generated at h ome?

2. Trace the a fterlife of one o f the

item s on th e checklist from Part 3.

For exa m ple, wha t ha ppen s to the

plastic ba g or pap er milk carton

a fter its taken to th e lan dfill? Does

it decomp ose? Does its decomp osi-

tion crea te ha rmful by-produ cts?

Wha t im pa cts m ight its decomp osi-

tion ha ve on a ir, soil, water an d

health?

3. Create a reusable item from

someth ing youre going to throw

away.

CHOCH

OBAR

4. Investigate what types of used

m a teria ls organ iza tions like the

Sa lvation Army a n d Goodwill In-

dustries need an d wha t they do

with the m a teria ls they receive.

Look for stores in your com m un itytha t sell used products (a pp lia nces,

furn iture, sports equipm ent, etc.)

Look for businesses in your com m u-

n ity tha t repa ir items.

5. Discuss the role of ya rd sa les or

ga rage sa les in recycling a n d reus-

ing m aterials.

6. Investigate h ow the am oun ts

a nd types of wastes genera ted by a

ba nk, office building, grocery store,

clothin g store an d h ospita l differ.

How does each business dispose ofits waste? Do any recycle materials?

7. Ou r cha n ging lifestyles over the

last 20 yea rs ha ve affected wha t

an d how mu ch we throw away.

Wha t lifestyle cha n ges ha ve af-

fected ou r disposa l ha bits?

8. Resea rch a n d report on wa ste

disposal h a bits of other coun tries.

How do th ey dea l with solid waste?

Do they ma ke as mu ch garbage as

America ns do? Why or why not?

How do you feel a bout this?


11/3611

Part 1 Natura l Resources: Handle With Care

How longbeforeits gas?

Right in My Hometown

for ma intaining your present

lifestyle or is a luxury?

Which, if an y, items listed in th e

essential category a re really not

essential for survival? Explain your

response.

Do you think your parents or

grand pa rents would pla ce the

products in differen t catego ries?How would their list differ from

yours?

5. After discussing the lists, suggest

alternatives for each item, making

a n effort to repla ce items you th ink

a re inefficient or wa steful with

items th a t a re less wasteful. Discuss:

Would using alterna tives increase

or decrea se your use of renewable

resources?

Would using alterna tives increase

or decrea se your use of

non renewa ble resources?

How might cha nges in the

production an d consum ption of

these produ cts influen ce the

economy a nd the environment?

Why do we use nonrenewable

resources to ma ke produ cts?

6. Look a t the list of lux ury item s.

Which items could you give up

without a m ajor cha nge in your

lifestyle?

Goal: To ha ve students exam ine

their own u se ofrenewable a nd non-renewable natural resources, deter-

m ine which a re essen tial for their

survival a n d suggest ways they

m ight ch a n ge th eir lifestyles to

m ake m ore ca reful use of na tural

resources.

Subjects: La ngu a ge a rts, science,

social stud ies, environm enta l edu-

cation, technology education.

Grades: 6-12.

Procedure:

1. Wha t is a na tural

resource? List several

examples.

2. Define th e terms renewa ble

a nd non renewable resource.

Som e ren ewable resources are: solar

energy, water, food a nd wood.

Som e non renewa ble resources are:

petroleum , tin, ba ux ite, coal, cop-

per and lead.

3. Do a , b or c below:

a ) List th e produ cts you u sed orconsum ed during a specific time

period, e.g., between the tim e you

got hom e from school yesterday

a nd th e tim e you went to bed; be-

tween th e tim e you got up this

m orning a nd the time you left for

school.

b) Describe a scena rio or event, a nd

a s a group , list wha t products were

used.

c) Have th e teach er select an d read

a story in wh ich p eople use a vari-

ety of produ cts. As a class, list wh a t

products were used. Discuss:

Which products are made of

renewa ble resources, non renew-

able resources?

4. Cla ssify each p rodu ct as: essen-

tial to surviva l, necessary for ma in-

taining my present lifestyle, a

lux ury. Discuss:

What criteria did you use to

define wha t is essen tial, is n ecessary

7. Make a list, begin nin g with th e

easiest item to give up an d end ing

with th e m ost difficult. Could you

give up the top th ree items on th is

list for a da y? a week? a m on th?

Try it. How do you feel?

8. Th ink of severa l ways to reuse or

recycle item s you decide you ca n t

give up .

9. Identify some of the econom ic,

cultural an d environm enta l im-

pa cts of an y cha nges you m ake or

recommend. Consider the implica-

tions if you r entire fam ily, schoo l,

comm un ity and country m ade such

changes.


t ions:

Define and give exa mples of:

natural resource, renewable

resource, non renewa ble resource.

List four items you use that a rent

essentia l for your survival. Wh a t

imp a ct does their production or

disposal ha ve on our environm ent,

econom y, culture?

Would you be willing to give

them up or use alterna tives if you

discovered tha t the imp a ct is

significantly adverse?


12/3612

Part 2 Biography of a Product

Wha t will you do with i t?

Can the product or its parts be

reused or recycled in some wa y?

How?

Will the product or its pa rts

decomp ose if buried in a lan dfill? Wha t effects does disposing of

this product ha ve on the

environment?

Can it be safely burned to

produ ce en ergy? Does bu rning it

release ha rmful ch emicals?

Who pa ys for disposing of the

product?

W ho i s r e spon s ib l e fo r

disposin g of it?

Going Beyond:

Investigate a n swers to the fol-lowing questions by checking

books , a r t icles a n d m a ga zines ,

or writ ing to a gencies or organ i-

zat ions for inform a t ion.

Wha t natural resources used by

the U.S. come from other countries?

How mu ch of each resource is

imp orted? foun d in the U.S.?

How does importing raw

materials influence: U.S. and world

economics, politics and security; the

loca l an d global environm ent;

socia l systems a n d jobs in th e U.S.a nd other countries?

Wha t used, recyclable m aterials

(e.g., newspa per, scrap m etal) does

the U.S. export to other countries?

Wh y does the U.S. export these

m ateria ls? Why do th e other

coun tries im port these ma teria ls?

How long will known reserves of

coa l, wood, oil, iron , copp er,

petroleum , wa ter, bau xite, na tural

ga s an d zinc last if we con tinue to

use them a t present ra tes? Are a ny

of th em renewa ble resources? Wha tm ight h a ppen a s we begin to use

up these resources? (Investigate:

offsh ore oil developmen t; minera l

exploration in Antarctica a nd

world political implications; the

coal econom y of Kentu cky a nd

West Virginia ; U.S. oil in terests in

th e Middle Ea st; timb er controversy

in the Pacific northwest.)

Goal: To h a ve studen ts investiga te

the n a tura l resources required to

ma ke a product that is ma nu fac-

tured in their com m un ity, deter-

m ine wheth er the resources a re

renewable or nonrenewable an dconsider the impacts that produc-

tion h as on the environm ent an d

econom y (locally an d elsewhere).

Subjects: Social studies, science,

hea lth, lan gua ge arts, environm en-

tal education.

Grades: 6-12

Procedure:

1. Select one produ ct th a t is m a de

in your comm un ity. For exam ple,

bicycles are m a de in Wa terloo,ba tteries a nd bologna in Madison,

pen s in Jan esville, soy sa uce in

Walworth, shoes in LaCrosse, ships

in Sturgeon Ba y, beer in Milwau -

kee, gla ss in Burlington a n d cheese,

pa per an d plastics in m a ny towns.

2. List or draw on the b lackboa rd

the production steps and all the raw

materials required to ma ke the prod-

uct. Con tact or visit the m a n ufac-

turer if you n eed more informa tion

a bout the process an d m a terialsused to ma ke the product.

Discuss:

Are m ore raw ma terials required

to ma ke your product tha n you

expected?

Where did the raw ma terials

come from? Is th e source in your

town, state or coun try?

What am ounts of these raw

m aterials are a vailable?

What happens to theenvironment when the raw

materials are extracted from the

earth or ha rvested? Does this

process produce polluta nts or

destroy lan d or ecosystem s? How

m ight it a ffect people living in the

area?

Were the raw materials chan ged

(refined ) before they got to your

town?

Were there an y by-products ma de

from refin ing the ra w ma teria ls?

What happened to these by-

products?

Wha t imp acts does each step in

the m an ufacturing p rocess ha ve on

the environm ent? the econom y?

3. Categorize th e produ ct as: essen-

tial to survival, n ecessa ry for m a in-

tain ing m y present lifestyle or a

luxury. Discuss:

Wha t criteria did you use to

m a ke your decision?

Wha t imp acts does use of the

product ha ve on th e environm ent?

4. Describe wha t ha ppen s to the

product a fter you use it. Discuss:

Can it be used up or will it wear

out?


13/3613

Where Has All The Garbage Gone?

Part 1 Ma king a Mini-Landfill

Goal: To ha ve students exam ine

the m aterials that com prise theprodu cts they u se, describe wh ether

these ma teria ls a re renewa ble or

n onren ewable resources, observe

wha t ha ppen s to ma terials when

placed in an old fashion du mp an d

a n ewer san itary la nd fill a nd decide

wheth er they should be disposed of

in a different wa y.

Subjects: Science, social studies,

environm enta l education.

Grades: 4-6.

Materials:

eight large clear glass jars

four tight-fitting lids for jars

dry soil

miscellan eous solid waste

cra yon s

m a skin g ta p e

Procedure:

A) 1. Choose one item you threw

a way toda y. Wha t is your item

m a de of? In to which of th e follow-

ing fou r catego ries of solid waste

does your item fit?

a ) organic (e.g., potato peels)

b) renewa ble resource/recycla ble

(e.g., n ewspa per)c) non renewable resource/recy-

clab le (e.g., aluminu m can s)

d) non renewable resource/h a rd to

recycle (e.g., tooth b rush )

2. Wha t ha ppen s to the item you

threw away? Discuss:

Where is away?

W ha t is a dum p?

What is a lan dfill?

Wha t is the difference between a

dum p a nd a landfil l?

3. List ways you can a void dispos-ing of your item in a lan dfill.

B) 1. With crayons a n d m a sking

ta pe, label two sets of gla ss jars

with th e four category hea dings

a bove. La bel on e set of jars Set 1;

the other Set 2.

2. Fill ea ch ja r in Set 1 an d Set

2 a bou t h a lf full with soil.

3. Sort ea ch solid waste item in to its

proper category (a -d). Put a sma ll

sam ple of ea ch into the Set 1 an dSet 2 jars with the corresponding

labels an d cover with soil. Do the

following:

Set 1, leave the lids off and

keep soil dam p with water. Set 2, put the lids on tight; do

not a dd water.

Place both se ts of ja r s on a

shel f awa y from p eople a nd out

of direct sun .

4. Predict wha t you th ink will ha p-

pen to the solid waste in ea ch jar.

Record your predictions.

5. Observe an d record wha t

cha n ges occur du ring a 4-6 week

period, if an y. Discuss:

What happened to the itemsm ade of organic and renewable

resources in Set 1? Set 2?

What happened to the items

m a de of non renewa ble resources in

Set 1? Set 2?

How did wha t happened

comp a re with you r predictions?

What compar isons can you ma ke

between Set 1 a n d Set 2.

6. Set 1 represents the old fa sh-

ioned du m p; Set 2 represents the

n ewer san itary la n dfill. Wha t com -pa risons can you m ake between

your mini-dum ps a nd m ini-land -

fills an d a real dum p a nd a real

landfill?

RECYCLABLERENEWABLE

HARD TO RECYCLE

NONRENEWABLEORGANIC RECYCLABLE

NONRENEWABLE


14/3614

C) 1. Keep a record of your fa m ilys

pu rcha ses from two trips to the

grocery store. Divide th e items in to

th e four solid waste ca tegories listed

a bove. Discuss:

What does your fam ily do with

the waste from its store pu rcha ses?

Is there anything your fam ily

could do with th e waste from its

store purchases besides landfilling?

Could you substitute items from

d with item s from a -c? Is this a

worthy goal? Why?

If your goa l is to reduce solid

waste, wha t else could you do with

item s from d to keep them out of

landfills?


t ions:

Define and give exa mples of:

organic m ateria l, renewable

resource, non renewa ble resource.

What do you think will happen

to item s m a de of renewa ble or

n onren ewable resources when

theyre put in m odern la nd fill?

List four item s you use everyda ytha t you could recycle.

Part 2 Follow That Ga rba ge!

of loca l waste disposal sites ca n b e

obtained by contacting your DNR

district solid waste m a na gemen t

specialist. Be sure to follow all

safety precau tions while visit ing

th e site.

b) If you a re un a ble to take a field

trip, a sk a guest spea ker to com e

a n d discuss loca l solid wa ste m a n -

a gem ent with your class. Resource

people you m ight conta ct are:

waste disposa l site opera tors, pri-

vate waste h a ulers, Exten sion

agen ts, environm enta l health

officers, governm en t officials, envi-

ronm enta l organ ization representa -

tives, DNR a nd loca l solid waste

m an agers an d public works

personnel.

2. Before visiting the municipal

lan dfill or ha ving a gu est spea ker,develop a list of questions you

would like a n swered. Investigate

possible answers to your questions.

Then sen d the qu estions to the

guide or guest spea ker in a dva n ce

so he/ she ca n p repa re responses.

Questions to con sider include:

Where is the trash from your

school or hom e taken?

How does it get there?

Why was the lan dfill located on

this site? Wh a t factors m ust be

considered wh en a site is selected?

Wha t tests were done a t the site

before it was open ed? Wha t were

the results?

Wha t laws govern solid waste

disposal in your comm un ity?

Goal: To h a ve studen ts see where

their garbage goes and investigate

their communitys solid waste dis-

posa l issues.

Subjects: Social studies, science,hea lth, environm enta l education.

Grades: 4-12

Procedure:

1. a) Conta ct your m un icipal land-

fill an d obta in p ermission for your

class to visit it. Arran ge for th e site

manager, owner or other resource

person to gu ide your trip a nd be

a vailable to a nswer questions. A list


15/3615

Is the lan dfill an engineered or

unengineered site?

Who owns the landfil l? When did

it open? Wha t was the cost of

constructing it?

Who does the site serve? Who can

bring wa stes to the la n dfill?

Wha t is the fee for using the

landfill?

How much does your fam ily payfor tra sh collection?

How mu ch does it cost to take

care of trash once its in the

landfill?

How much solid waste is disposed

of at this site daily, weekly and

yearly?

Who works a t the site? Do they

m onitor wha t is dum ped?

What happens to the t rash once

it is dum ped in th e lan dfill?

Are an y of the materials

h a zardou s? Are there regulations or

procedures for dealing with

ha zardous wastes?

What is the land adjacent to the

lan dfill used for? Is the lan dfill a

problem for nea rby la nd owners? If

so, in wha t ways? Wha t ha s been

don e to alleviate the problem s?

How is the site man aged for

control of blowing trash, odors,

n oise, an ima ls, erosion, surfa ce

runoff, leacha te an d metha ne gas?

Are tests performed regularly atthe site (groundwater, soil,

metha ne gas)? Wha t are

the results?

Is there a resource recovery

program a t the site? If so, wha t is

recovered? How?

Wha t imp acts does resource

recovery ha ve on the economy a nd

environment?

How ma ny years is the lan dfil l

expected to last? How mu ch time

does com m un ity ha ve to find a new

site? How will the lan dfill be

m onitored a nd cared for a fter it is

closed? Wh o is respon sible? Who

pa ys for this? Wha t will be don e

with th e lan d a t the site?

Wha t alternatives for waste

disposal is your comm un ity

pra cticin g or considering for the

future?

How ha ve or will these

alterna tives impa ct the am oun t of

trash goin g to the la nd fill?

How can you participate in

m a king the decisions tha t develop

future waste ma na gement plan s in

your comm un ity?

3. Now tha t you know more about

landfills:

How do you feel about them?

Will we a lways need them ?

Are they the best way to dispose

of trash ? Wha t a re possible

alternatives?

What can you do to help reduce

solid wa ste?


t ions:

Where is the trash you throw

away taken?

What eventual ly happens to your

trash th ere?

Wha t is the difference between a

dump and a sanitary landfill?

Going Beyond: For olderstudents. . .

If your commu nity has a solid

waste incinerator, visit it. Wha t a re

the pros an d cons of incineration?

Investigate waste disposal

techn iques, problems a n d laws in

other p a rts of Wisconsin , other

states in the U.S. a nd the world.

Consult ind ividua ls, books,

newspa pers, ma gazines an d sta te

agencies.

Conduct a hearing to decide

where to loca te a la n dfill in yourcomm un ity. Ta ke the roles of the

people involved with th e decision:

loca l lan downers, politicia ns,

indu stry representa tives,

environm enta lists, waste m an a gers

a nd others.

La ndfills often ha ve been

developed in wetlands, although

th is is now illega l in W isconsin .

Consider the following questions:

Why were lan dfills often located

in wetlands?

Wha t problems might exist withpla cing lan dfills in wetla n ds?

Are wet lands an impor tan t

ecosystem? Why?


16/3616

Composting: A Great, Rotten Idea

Procedure:

1. Define: recyclab le, biodegrad -

a ble. List m a teria ls tha t a re recy-

clable a nd/ or biodegrada ble.

Are there recyclable ma terialstha t aren t biodegra da ble? Are

there biodegrada ble ma terials tha t

arent recyclable?

2. Feel, smell an d look a t the rottin g

log, gra ss clipp ings, leaves or food

scrap s. Wha t words would you use

to describe these m a terials? List

these words. Do the words ha ve

positive an d/or n egative conn ota-

tions? Why?

3. Explain wha t is ha ppen ing to the

rotting material. Discuss:

Wha t is the natural process that

breaks b iodegra dable m ater ia l

into pa r t icles tha t can be used

aga in by p l an t s an d an i m a l s?

(decomposi t ion)

Wha t organisms assist in th is

decomposition process? (fungi,

ba cteria, ea rthworm s, springta ils,

m ites, etc.)

Wha t will your rotting m aterial

fina lly becom e? (hum us)

4. Im agine a world where decomp o-

sition doesn t ta ke pla ce. Discuss:

Part 1 Is It Rotten?

B a c k g r o u n d : When we men tion

recycling, we often th ink of recy-

cling glass bottles, aluminum cansa nd newspapers. Anoth er 22% of

the h ousehold garba ge we throw

out can also be recycled. These

recyclab les a re food scrap s, lea ves,

grass clipp ings an d other biodegrad-

able organ ic wa stes. Orga nic wastes

can be recycled by composting. Sim -

ply stated, comp ostin g involves

crea ting conditions to prom ote

decomp osition. Decomp osition is

the bioch em ica l process by which

ba cteria , fun gi an d oth er micro-

scopic orga nisms break orga n icwastes into nutrients that can be

used by plan ts an d an ima ls. De-

composition occurs in nature when-

ever a leaf fa lls to th e groun d or a n

animal dies. It is essential for the

continu a tion of life on ea rth. The

result of decom position in a com-

post pile is a n utrient-rich m ulch

tha t is excellent for improving soil

qua lity an d plan t growth.

Goal: To h a ve studen ts investiga te

the p ros a nd cons of comp osting.

Subjects: Science, h ealth , environ-

m enta l educa tion, vocationa l agri-

culture, consumer education,family living.

Grades: 4-12

Materials:

rotting log, grass clippings,

leaves or food scrap s


17/3617

What would happen to organic

materials like dead animals, leaves

or sewage?

Could plan ts an d an imals survive

if decomp osition did not occur?

Why or why not?

Is decomposition imp ortant?

Why?

5. Now th ink o f words to describerot or decomposition. List them. Do

the words h a ve positive an d/or

nega tive connota tions? Why?

6. List item s you th row awa y tha t

a re biodegrad a ble. Discuss:

How might you an d your fam ily

recycle these materials?

What is composting?

Why do you think people

comp ost ho usehold organ ic wastes?

7. Wha t a re som e benefits of

composting h ousehold food an dyard wastes? For exa m ple:

Doesnt require the purcha se of

plastic bags often used for disposing

of household and yard wastes.

Saves the cost of transporting

wastes to a nd h an dling wa stes at

the landfill. Wisconsin discards 3/4

m illion tons of com postable

m un icipal yard waste and food

scra ps every yea r. It costs $80-93

per ton to collect wastes in urba n

a reas an d $25-$32 per ton to

dispose of them . How much m oneydo Wisconsin citizens spend each

year d isposing of their composta ble

wastes?

Saves spa ce in the lan dfill.

La ndfills a re filling u p fa st. At the

end of 1990, Wisconsin ha d 38

m illion tons of m un icipal lan dfill

cap a city left a nd was filling u p

lan dfills at the rate of 4.6 m illion

tons per year. Within 8 yea rs, most

will be filled to ca pa city. Th us,

Wisconsin a lrea dy ha s a serious

problem where will we put a ll

our wa ste?

Reduces pollution from landfills.

Creates nu trient-rich mu lch you

can use to fertilize an d imp rove the

texture of your yard a nd garden

soil; saves mon ey you m ight spend

on mulch or fertilizer.

8. Wha t are some possible problem s

with comp ostin g? Are th ey really

problems? Here are som e potentia l

problems a nd a nswers:

Its too mu ch work. Once you

have established your composting

site, comp osting ta kes very little

time a nd effort. If you m a ke it into

a routine, comp ostin g is easy. If

you wa n t to do less work, leaveyour gra ss clippings on the la wn

an d plan t low-ma intena nce lawn

covers. Follow the gu idelines in

Yard Ca re: Do You r Sha re (see

Resources).

Youd ha ve to run ou tside every

tim e you eat an a pple or peel a

pota to. Just pla ce scraps into a

plastic container with a lid. Keep

the container in or un der the

kitchen sink, then take th e waste to

the com post pile when ever the

container is full.

Yard wastes a nd food scra ps ca n

be thrown a way because they are

not ha rmful to the environm ent.

La nd filled yard wa stes an d food

scrap s take up space a nd m a y

release ha rmful metha ne gas. Food

scrap s put down the ga rbage

disposal end u p in the sewage

system , where treating them can

tax the system a nd cost m oney. If

you can a fford a garba ge disposal,

perha ps you can afford a no

work com poster. Ea sy-to-use,

compa ct and a ttractive comp osting

bins are available commercially.

Contact your garden center or the

DNR Burea u of Solid an d

Hazardous Waste Man agem ent for

details. It might smell an d a ttract rats. If

you m ainta in your comp ost pile

according to basic guidelines in

pu blica tions like Ho m e Com -

post ing: Reap a Heap of

Benefi ts a nd Ho m e Com -

po sting : The Com plete Com -

poster (see Resources), your pile

should n ot sm ell or attra ct rats.

The n eighbors m ight n ot like it. If

you loca te, build a nd m a intain

your pile properly, it shou ld not be

offensive. Ta ke th e op portun ity to

explain wha t you are doing to your

neighbors and why you feel

composting is important.


18/3618

Part 2 Readin, Rottin and Rithmetic: Classroom Composting

Goal: To ha ve students learn ab out

recycling in na ture an d a ctua lly

recycle organ ic ma tter by

composting.

Subjects: Science, h ealth , environ-m enta l education, consum er educa-

tion, fa m ily living, voca tiona l

agriculture.

Grades: 4-12.

Materials:

fish a q u a riu m

organ ic waste ma terials (be sure

to add a variety of m a teria ls, not

a ll one kind , i.e., use sa wdust,

ha ir, wood a sh an d leaves in

a ddition to food scraps; avoid

m ea t scrap s, fa ts an d oils, which

inhibit decomposition and in

outdoor com post piles ca n

a ttract dogs, ra ts, raccoons a nd

other a nim als)

lawn fertil izer that contains

nitrogen (bu t not h erbicides or

insecticides) or m a n ure a nd

green gra ss clippings tha t a lso

conta in large am oun ts of

n itrogen. Be ca reful, dont use

too much n itrogen, a carbon :

nitrogen ratio of 25-30:1 is ideal.(Grass clippin gs already h a ve a

carbon :nitrogen ratio of 19:1

while lea ves ha ve a 60:1 ratio.)

soil

1-2 dozen red ear thworms

(obtain from ya rd, garden,

school grou n ds, or local ba it

shop)

th erm om eter

trowel or large kitchen spoon (for

turn ing, or a erating, the pile)

Note: Air circulation is im porta n t to

decomp osition, thu s th e best com-

post bin is on e with wire or screen

sides. Mass also is im porta n t, since

a pproxima tely one cubic ya rd of

comp ost is needed to genera te good

decomp osition temp eratu res (104-

170 F). Th us, an a qua rium , with its

sma ll size an d gla ss sides, is not th e

best com post conta iner. Consider

constructing an outdoor compost

pile with wire sides on th e sch ool

groun ds. For instructions on out-

door comp osting, conta ct: DNR

Burea u of Solid a n d Haza rdous

Waste Man agement.Procedure:

1. Wha t ingredients do you th ink

a re needed to con struct a comp ost

pile? Why? List ingredients. For

example:

soi l : conta ins m icroorgan ism s

tha t h elp decomp osition.

orga nic w astes: such a s leaves,

food scra ps, gra ss clipp ings. Wa stes

should be va ried, includin g

m aterials with both carbon a nd

nitrogen. By a lterna ting layers of

high-carbon a nd high-nitrogen

m a teria ls, you can crea te good

environmental conditions for

decomp osition to occur.

ni trogen: ma ny of the

organisms responsible for

decomposition need nitrogen, thus

nitrogen is necessary for rap id an d

thorou gh d ecomposition . Nitrogen

is foun d na tura lly in orga nic wastes

(higher in green m a teria ls like

grass clippings tha n in brown m a teria ls like dry leaves), a nd in

m a ny comm ercial fertilizers.

w orm s: they eat th e waste,

helping to break it down; m a ke

droppin gs, which en rich the soil;

tunn el through an d aerate the

waste, facilitating decomp osition;

an d eventua lly die an d become

pa rt of the comp ost.

w a ter: n ecessa ry for norm a l

fun ction ing of life. Too m uch water

in a com post pile ma y ma ke it

soggy a nd slow decomp osition by

reducing n eeded ox ygen.

air: the biological activity of

fun gi, bacteria , sm a ll in sects a n d

other orga n ism s results in

decomposition. Most biological

processes require adequ a te

am oun ts of oxygen.

tim e: decomp osition ta kes time.

To speed up decomp osition, aera te

(by turning it over) your pile everyfew days; otherwise, just leave it

an d wait.

h e a t : h eat is produ ced by

chem ica l reactions resulting from

increased biological a ctivity th a t

occurs during decomp osition. Heat

helps sanitize compost by killing

certain organisms (e.g., weed seeds,

pa thogens, ha rmful insect larvae).

m ass: in order to genera te

enough h eat for optim al

decomp osition, the pile mu st

conta in a t least one cubic m eter of

organic material. Thus, the

temperatures generated in a n

a qua rium compost pile ma y be

different from those gen erated in

on e tha t is la rger.

2. Design a plan for ma king a

m ini-comp ost pile in th e cla ssroom.

Decide which in gredients studen ts


19/3619

will provide a n d wh ich will be sup-

plied by the tea cher. Set a da te for

constructing your pile.

3. Suggestion s for creating a m ini-

comp ost pile:

a ) Chop th e organ ic wastes into

sma ll pieces. You can leave some

large pieces of the sa m e m a teria ls

to comp a re rates of decomp ositionbetween large and small items.

Wh y migh t there be a difference?

b) Altern a te layers of the m a teria ls

a s follows (am oun ts a re app roxi-

m a te): inch of soil, two inch es of

orga n ic waste, sprinkle of fertilizer,

sprin kle of water, repeat.

c) Cover with a n inch of soil. Wa ter

the pile enou gh to ma ke it m oist

bu t not soggy. It shou ld feel like a

da m p spon ge (it feels m oist, but

you cant squeeze water out of it).

d) Add the ea rthworm s a n d observetheir behavior.

e) Place you r comp ost pile where it

will be at room tem pera ture (not in

direct sun).

4. Place the thermom eter in th e

m iddle of the pile. Wa it a n h our or

so, then record the temp eratu re.

5. Record the tem pera ture from the

sam e location a nd depth, and a t

the sam e tim e each day. Why is it a

good idea to be consistent with

loca tion, depth a nd tim e of record-ing? Does the tem perature cha nge?

Why or why not? Make a gra ph to

show your tem pera ture results.

6. Gently m ix the com post once a

week to aera te it. A good time to

turn the com post is after the tem-

perature pea ks and begins to drop.

Wh y? Be sure to record th e tem -

perature before you turn the com-

post tha t day.

7. Be pa tient. Occa siona lly check

the m oisture an d a dd water if

needed.

8. Make a chart to help you keep a

da ily record of temp eratu re an d

other observations during the next

m on th or two. Observe:

Which m aterials break down the

fastest? Slowest? Why?

Are there any odors? Why do you

think decomposition h as a n odor?

Does the texture of the com post

chan ge? In wh at wa ys?

9 . O nce t he m a t e ri a l s i n your

com pos t p i le h a ve decom pos ed

i n t o h u m u s , c on d u c t t h e s a m e

feel , smel l an d look t est tha t

you d i d i n Pa r t 1 , #2 .

10. Now decide wh a t your class

should do with this rich soil. Whenyou clean out the aqua rium ,

should you dum p the hum us in the

trash; take it outside a n d dig it into

the soil; or use it for growing pla n ts

in th e cla ssroom?

11. Discuss:

How does com posting reduce the

am oun t of waste you would have

thrown out?


organic wastes tha t end up in the

landfill? Is the landfill a gigan tic natural

comp ost pile, or are th ere problems

with pla cing large am oun ts of

organ ic m a teria l in lan dfills? (no

air, limited moisture, etc.)

12. Now tha t you ha ve con structed

an d m aintained a mini-compost

pile in the classroom , how wou ld

you go abou t constructing a nd

ma intaining one at hom e?

Pre- a nd Post-Activity Ques-

t ions:

What is compost ing?

Wha t are the necessary in-

gredients for a good com post pile?

How is composting related to the

concep t of recycling?

How can composting reduce

waste?

Going Beyond:

Create a compost pile as in Part

2, but also add m an ufactured items

like a soda can , pa per clip, bottle

cap, alum inum foil, iron n ail, pen-cil, crayon , pa per, plastic ba g, rub-

ber band, etc. Predict rates of

decomp osition or lack of decom po-

sition an d observe actua l chan ges,

if a ny.

Take a field trip to a loca l woods

or pa rk. Exa m ine a rotting log or

leaf litter. Place a sample of rotting

hum us in a white enam el pan an d

sort th rough it carefully, looking

closely for decom posers. Wha t

decom posers (insects, m ites, fungi,

etc.) ca n you fin d? Wha t do you

think they a re doing? Read a bout

their life histories.

Make a Berlese fun nel to help

you cap ture tiny soil a nim a ls.

Exa m ine them using a m agn ifying

glass or binocula r m icroscope.Make drawings of them an d try to

figure out wha t kind of a nim al they

are. Read about their life histories.

Make a worm composter. (see

Worm s Ea t My Garba ge in

Resources.)

Visit someone who ma intains a

comp ost pile. Why do th ey

compost? Wha t do they do with the

compost? Have they had a ny

problems? Would they recom men d

composting?

Investigate what ha ppens to the

leaves your comm un ity discards

each au tumn . Wha t do you think

should be done with th em?

If your commu nity has a

municipal composting center, take

a field trip to it. Be sure to p repa re

questions to ask the guide.

Have students design

experimen tal com post piles. For

exa m ple, ma ke a pile tha t: is low in

nitrogen; lacks moisture; has little

a ir circula tion; or is m a de of asin gle ingredien t (e.g., just grass

clipp ings). Also create a good

comp ost pile for comp a rison .

Compa re ra tes a nd tem peratures of

decomp osition between piles.

Fill flower pots with d ifferent soil

types, including on e type that h as

your hu m us mixed in. Plan t seeds

or grow seedlings in the pots. Ma ke

4-5 pots with ea ch soil type so tha t

youre comp aring m ore tha n on e

pla nt grown in ea ch type (i.e., so

that you h ave a large enoughsam ple size to m a ke a va lid

judgem ent). Do th e plan ts in

differen t soil types grow a t differen t

ra tes, with differen t vigor, color,

etc? What are possible explanations

for an y differences?


20/3620

Is It A Waste?

B a c k g r o u n d : Why do we buy on e product instea d of a n other? Often its beca use of the pa ckaging. Packaging

a ccoun ts for over 30% of all consum er wastes. While pa ckaging is designed to protect mercha n dise, it also is designed

to sell produ cts. Excess an d n on -recycla ble pa ckaging a dd to our en ergy an d waste problems. Th e pa ckaging ind ustry

h a s been respon ding to th e solid wa ste problem. On e of their solutions is light-weighting or reducin g the a m oun t of

m ateria l used to ma ke a pa ckage. Consum ers can help too.

Goal: To h a ve studen ts in vestigate

the purpose of pa ckaging a nd iden-

tify ways to reduce the a m oun t of

pa cka ging they throw away.

Subjects: Fa m ily living, consum er

educa tion, socia l studies, lan gua ge

arts, health, science, environmental

education.

Grades: 4-12

Procedure:

1. Bring in a n ex a m ple of food

packaging. Discuss:

Why is the product pa ckaged?

(To p rotect th e produ ct, hold

product during shipping, prevent

spoila ge, protect hea lth, preventtheft, provide con venience, ma ke

the product look more a ppea ling,

etc.)

Is the p ackaging essential?

wasteful? Why or why not? Wha t

criteria a re you u sin g to ma ke your

decision?

Wha t influence do you think

pa cka ging h as on th e sala bility of

the p roduct?

Does the pa ckaging benefit your

lifestyle?

How does the pa ckaging a ffect

the qu a lity of the produ ct?

2. Design a way to ca tegorize the

pa ckaging. For exa m ple, sort it

according to na tural pa cka ging

(ba na na s, a pples, pea nu ts); older

pa cka ging (pa per bags, returna ble

glass bottles); a n d m odern pa ck-

a ging (pla stic wra p, polystyrene,

plastic milk bottles). Discuss:

Part 1 All Wrapped Up

What happens to the packaging

on ce the produ ct is used?

Which packaging is/isnt

recyclable?

Which pa ckaging is/isnt ma de

from recycled m a teria ls? renewa ble

resources?

What are the environm ental pros

a nd cons of m aking a nd disposing

of each type of packa ging?

Which packaging would you

label most wasteful? least

wasteful? Why?

If this pa cka ging didnt exist,

h ow would you r lifestyle be

affected?

3. Brain storm ways tha t you couldreduce the am oun t of pa ckaging

you pu rcha se. For exa m ple, could

you purchase products in bulk?

How would this h elp reduce pack-

a ging? (A 3 oun ce tube of tooth-

paste requires 50% more packaging

per ounce tha n a 7 ounce tube.)

Wha t problems could develop as a

result of your choice? (Som e food

bou ght in b ulk migh t spoil before

you ea t a ll of it.)

Pre- a nd P ost-Activity Ques-t ions:

List three exam ples each of

recycla ble an d n on -recycla ble

packaging.

Wha t criteria might you consider

when deciding whether pa ckaging

is necessa ry? wasteful?

What ha ppens to most of the

pa ckaging you purcha se? Wha t

can you do to cha nge this?

8.63oz.

$


21/3621

Part 2 Whats the Appeal?

Television

Radio

Print(magazines,n

ewspapers)

Other

Status

NewandImproved

Convenien

ce

Sex A

ppeal

Symbols

Self-Image

FamousPeople

FlashyPackaging

Band

Wagon

VaguePronouns

Keepingup with th

eJoneses

Other

Nam e of Product

Goal: To have students quantify

the n um ber of times television a n d

ra dio a ds try to sell products for

reasons not related to product qua l-

ity a nd list some of the techn iquesa dvertisers use to prom ote produ cts.

Subjects: Socia l studies, la ngu a ge

a rts, con sum er edu cation, fa m ily

living, environm enta l education.

Grades: 7-12

Procedure:

1. Find sa m ples of differen t adver-

tisem ents for the sa m e type of prod-

uct (soda, a thletic shoes, detergent,

pota to ch ips). Select ads for differ-

ent na me-bra nds an d types of

pa ckaging. Discuss:

Which product would you buy?

Why?

Wha t is a dvertising? Wha t is the

pu rpose of ad vertisin g?

Does advertising influence wha t

you bu y? How?

Which advertisement do you like

best? Why?

Do your reasons have anything

to do with the qu a lity or fun ction of

the product?

Do you purchase na me-bran ditems instead of generic items?

Why?

2. Discuss ways in which products

a re promoted on television, radio

a nd in print. Ana lyze at least 25

ads. Note the following:

Wha t strategy does the

a dvertiser u se to sell the

product?

Wha t is the advertisementreally selling: convenience?

hea lth? sex a ppea l? status?

fun ? qua lity?

Does the advertisement

mention the packaging?

Is the packaging reusable

or recycla ble?

Does the ad suggest wha t

you should do with the

packaging?

3. Design a cha rt to help

a n a lyze cha racteristics of

these ads. A sample follows

(feel free to a dd o ther catego ries):

4. Ma ke a composite cha rt tha t

shows the results of a ll th e surveys

done by students. Discuss:

Which ma rketing strategies are

used mo st often to prom ote

packaged products?

Wha t strategies were used that

were n ot listed on the sam ple form?

What usual ly happens to the

packaging?

Who should be responsible forwhat h app ens to the packaging

once th e produ ct is used:

m an ufacturer? governm ent?

citizens? consum ers?


t ions:

Nam e three reasons you buy one

type of pa ckaged produ ct instead of

another.

How often are your rea sons based

on th e qua lity or function of the

product?

Discuss ways in which

a dvertisemen ts ma y influen ce what

you choose to pu rcha se.


22/3622

Part 3 How Many Ways Can You Wrap An Apple?

Goal: To h a ve studen ts design

pa ckaging an d a dvertising strate-

gies to sell a produ ct, a na lyze why

they decided on th eir strategies a n d

consider why they bu y one produ ct

instead of an other.

Subjects: Socia l studies, la ngu a ge

a rts, art, dram a, environm enta l

education.

Grades: 6-12.

Materials: An a pple or other ob-

ject (ha m m er, ch ilds toy, ba tteries)

for each student or group of stu-

den ts. Ea ch studen t or group shou ld

ha ve the sam e item.

Procedure:1. You h a ve just gotten a job as a n

a dvertising a gent for an ap ple com-

pa n y (you can work either in di-

vidua lly or with a group of other

studen ts). Your first assignm en t is to

develop an ad cam paign an d pack-

a ging design to sell ap ples. Keep

track of the rea sons you chose your

pa rticular design a nd sa les pitch .

Your campaign can consist of skits,

poem s, songs, posters or wha tever

you believe will sell the p rodu ct.

2. Present your ad cam pa ign to the

class.

3. Display the produ cts (num -

bered in some wa y). Vote for the

a pp le you would buy (each class

m ember shou ld vote an onym ously

on slips of scrap paper). Tally the

results. Discuss:

Why did you choose the product

you did?

How much packagi

recyling studies

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