WASTE AND LITTERPLANET EATER

SUSTAINABILITY UNITPRESENTATION 4

WHAT IS THE WASTE?Waste is anything we throw away.Examples of waste: drink cans, newspapers, plastic bottles, bags, cardboard boxes, uneaten food.Another word for waste is rubbish.Waste is collected by the rubbish collectors.

WHO CREATES WASTE?All people on Earth creates waste.Every time we throw away things we create waste and we waste precious materials.Waste is bad for the environment because it can harm and kill plants, animals and humans.

WASTE ACTIVITY

WHAT IS LITTER?Litter is rubbish that has been dropped carelessly or waste disposed of improperly.Paper, plastics glass, metal cans or scraps of food can become litter if they are not put in the right place for collection.Litter makes our streets or beaches to look messy.

WHO CREATES THE LITTER?People who happily drop their rubbish in public places or people who forget or do not care that someone else will have to clear up.Business create a lot of litter, mostly in the industrial areas.People drop most of the litter in the town, around fast-food outlets, restaurants or shops.

A LIST OF COMMON WASTEHousehold wasteCommercial wasteDemolition wasteIndustrial wasteClinical wasteRadioactive wasteExplosives wasteElectronic waste, etc.

DOMESTIC WASTEMost of our daily activities produce some sort of waste. Around the home, in our rubbish bin and recycle bin we can find:

• Paper• Food• Garden waste• Glass• Metal• Wood• Rubber and leather• Textiles• Plastic • Nappies and sanitary

FOOD WASTEFood waste comes from those parts of plants and animals that we cannot eat. Food is also wasted when it get too old to eat. Recycling food cut downs pollution and reduces waste. Many Aucklanders are great recyclers, but on average about 800 kg per capita of industrial, commercial and domestic waste is sent to landfill each year. That’s a total of about 1.2 million tonnes per year. Two thirds of this can be recycled or composted, saving it from landfill.

ACTIVITYGive some examples of food waste from your home (banana skins, egg shells, meat and fish bones, bread):

1. ________________________________________2. ________________________________________3. ________________________________________4. ________________________________________5. ________________________________________6. ________________________________________7. ________________________________________8. ________________________________________9. ________________________________________10. _______________________________________

Source: Auckland City Council, (2012), Getting Auckland’s Waste Sorted.

HOW FOOD WASTE IS RECYCLED?ACTIVITYFood and garden waste is recycled through a five-stage process. This process begins when we recycle used food and garden waste and it ends with plant food.