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TITLE' 'Let's Recycle! Dessoy Plans for Grades K-61and'7.m12.'

INST,ITUT7ON ,EnvIronmental P?Otection Agenct, Washington., b C. \.

- Offrce of Watdr Programs.'; Envirdnmental Prot tlonAoenty, ,Washi gton, D.C. Solid. Waste Manageme t

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DEPORT NO EPA-SW-801 I..

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NOTE 49p.; Pages 33-36 remOved due tacoPyright1 restrictions..

EDPS PPICE MFO1/PCO2 Plus Posta.ge.DESCRIFTOPS *Class Activit es; *Curriculum Development; -

. Elementary Seccndary Education; *Environm64;.*Environmental Education; Interdisciplinary Aypoich:*Natural Pesourcest Pollution; Recypling; Sdiencetducation; Social ci.oncei; Waste Disposal

ABSTRACT.,The purpose Of ehis gude is to infacm students of

solid-waste frtbleRs and disposal optiong. Lesson !Jahns deal ,specificallr with waste Wnd.recycling ard

sapproaches to.thesersrobfqms. The man.ual is divided.in two sections -K-6 and 7-12. Activities are designedllow the teacher maximum'-frekibility, and plans may be mod/ified easily: A state-by-st4te listcrsolid waSte agencies ij.s prcvldedl. (Author/RE)

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iLes§on Plansfor Grades K-6 and 7-

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FACTS AND.FIGURE

MUNICIPAL* SOLID WASTE IN TIIIckINITF,D STATE 1970

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Volume: methe tons.

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Fersonnel volved:

Disposal sites: , 18,500 covering.500,000 acrest

Collection and disposal costs:

* Do e s not include industrial, wastewater treatment, ,Igrieultural, and mining wastes,which itiP the totarl volume of solid waste to about 6 billidri tons each year.

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Le't's Recsyc

Lesson Plansfor Grades \K-6 and 7-12

This booklet (SW-801) was prepared for the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency under demon-stration grant 580368-01-Somerville. The editingand design is by the Office of Solid Waste.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1980

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Foreword

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Ih December 1975, the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency gave financial and technicgrassis-tance to a demonstration ptoject in the city ofSomerville, Massachusetts, to determine thefeasibility of separating out recyctable householdwaste from other waste prior to pick up. Thefunds were granted on the premise that informaL.tion on' this approach to resource recovery wouldbe of value to other municipalities throughout thenation. This program was the first of its kind andrepresented an opportunity to establish munici-pal-scale, low-technology recycling as a viablealternative to disposal.

A major factor in the success of the Somervilleprogram was an aggressive public educatiOn cam-paign to inform residents of the program and theimportance of iheir participation. The schoolsystem was used to help spread information to

. children and, through them, to their,parents.

These lesson plans are based upon those whichemetied as part of that educational effort (pre-pared by John Madama, StePpingstones, Inc.).Many of the ideas and activities,, were originallydeyeloped by the Environmental. Action Coalitionof New York City in a seriles of teaching packetscalled "Don't Waste Waste.". EPA acknowledges.(iptirmission 'for their use and permission by theAtlanta Clean City Commission to reprint the skit"Throwaway Three."

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, ContentsLet's RecycleIntroductionHoW to Use These Lesson PlansDevelop a Fact Sheet

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Grades K-6

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Topic One--What is Waste? 2

Topic Two--Where Does Waste GO? 3

Topic Three--How Do 6s Waste AffectOur Resources? 6

Topic Four--Why Is There So Much Waste? 9

Topic Five--What Can We Do About Waste? 11

Activity Puzzles 14

Grades 7-12Topic One--What is Waste? 18Topic Two--How Do We Dispose of Our Waste? 19

Topic Three--How Doos Waste AffectOur Resources? 23

Topic Four--Why Is There So Much Waste? 26Topic Five--What Can We Do About Waste? t. 27"Throwaway Three"--A Short Skit 33

Make Your Own Paper 38

State Solid Waste Agenc /es 39

Other Publications 42

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Let s Recycle!In the United States today wtoo 'often discard items which nearlier times would have berepaired or saved fi r other uses.In fact, many mosern productsare designed for a relativelyshort life follow:a by a speedytrip to the re use pile. Therefuse from the aterials we usedaily adds abo t 14.0 millionmetric tons p r yea'r to ourmunicipal waste s does notinclude the waste gene ted bythe industri s produci thesematerials). This qu tity ofsolid wa e may be vi alized byimagining the New 0 rleans Su-perdome being f ea from floorto ceiling, twic each,tlay, everyday of the year.

How we dispose.of all this Wastein an environmentally soundmanner is a complex and oftencontroversial isSue. Water pollu-tion not only results from directdumping into the seas, but alsofrom r.un-off and leadhing fromdumps and burial sites. Air pol-lution not only results from openburning, but also from faultyincineration and from gases(caused by decomposition) sur-facing in landfills. Fires, explo-

,- sions, noxious odors,irodents, 'anddisease must be guarded againstin all cases. And direct contact

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with refuse jt often hazardous tothe public/as well 'as to thewaste collectors and processors

Awho, incidentally, have thehighest on-pte-job injury rate ofany ocdupgion in the nation).

Our disposal options are steadilybe,ing reduced. Locating sitesfor new landfills is getting Toredifficult due to econoinic con-straints, public concern. 'overhealth and neighborhood, andpew ,State and Federal require-ments imposed to protect healthand the environment. Similarly,Federal ,and State regulationsimpose strict requirements onincinerator operation and design.

Land disposal will continue to bethe major method of solid wastedisposal for the pear future. Itis .likely that there will alwaysbe some residual portion requir-ing land disposal no matter howefficient our recovery,' treat-ment, and recycling processesbecome.

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Much of the opposition to land-fills has been based on pollution,health, and safety problems.Hdwever, these problems can beavoided or dontrolled by improv-ed piting, design, and operationof disposal facilities. The U.S.Environmental P,rotection Age'rk-cy (EPA) has published criteria,under the Resource Conservdtionand Recovery A& of 1976, forwdetermining if a particular dis-posal site is environmentallyacceptable. Sites which do notsatisfy the criteria will beclassed as "open dumps." Allopen dumps must either beclosed, or upgraded to accept-able standards, by September

,1985,

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By the same date, municipalsolid waste collection and dis-posal costs will increase toaround $50 per_ ton, or $7.5 bil-lion annually. Longeri haulingdis,tagas from metropolitanareas-4:16 landfill sites and morestringent environmental regula-tions push this cost upwards, as,do general Increases in laborcosts ancj rising land values.

One of the chief ways to lessenour waste disposal problems-is toreuse many of the things wehave habitually thrown out. Ifwe catefully consider all pur-,chases, we. can reduce the num-,ber of Reins eventually thiownaway and 'also conserve Ourdwindling resource's.

Some of our trash has economicvalue. It can be sold or repro-cessed to be used again to makenew products. Or it can beburned to produce useful electri-cal and other forms of energy.This will also reduce our relianceon foreign oil supplies for fuel.Moreover, the recovery of ma-terials reduces waste and pollu-tion and also cOnserves ,ourlimited natural resources andenergy.

It is becoming increasingly Im-portant\ to make the publicaware )of, the hidden "garbage,crisis," which threatens p-engulfour cities, -an& ourThaVral re-source base as well. The schoolsystem is an invaluable tool forincreasing public- awareness ofthis problem. Teachers are in anexcellent position to enlightenour younger .eitizens concerninghow Solid waste problems relateto them, and how ey can con-tribute'to a solution.

How to use theselesson plansThe purpose Of this guide is toinform students of solid wasteproblems and the options to dis-posal. The activities were de-

/ signed to help students better

understand the world aroundthem, a *rid that faces manyhealth ahd environmental prob-lems caused by lack of adequatepollution controls to protect theair, water, and land. We hopethat these- activities will stimu-late the students to reassesssome of our present values andhabitS in light of their impactsupon our environment.

The lesson plans deal specificallywith waste and recycling, but inso cipkg encompass such broadareas as social and economicissues, natural resources, and avariety of pollution problems.The manual is divided into twospctions: One for grades kinder-garten through 6, and one forgrades 7 through 12. The activi-ties have been designed to givethe teacher maximum flexibil-ity--activities may easily beeliminated, or modified, as classneeds' predict. The teacher'smost important role"- is to gen-erate enthusiasm, which ,is bestaccomplished with student acti-.vities. Projeths for all studentsshould be encouraged, and theteacher's role as a lecturerminimized. Projects should bedesigned so that the student'spersonal involvement will catryover into a continuing conscious-ness for conservation in thehome.

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Develop a Fact SheetYou or your class may want tofind the answers to the followingquestions in order to make theselessons relate directly ti*, yourcommunity.

1. What is-the population.ofyour community.? How many

,familids?

. 2. How many tons of gar-. bage does your community dis-

pose Of each day? (This infop-matilqn may be obtaines1 frdmthe Department of Public Worksor the Deptirtment of, Sanita-tion.)

3. How many pounds are dis-posed of per person per day?'";.-Per year? (The national averag)e-is 3.5 pounds per day, or 1,300pounds peryear per person, but

4. How much does it cost todispose of the waste pee ton?(The average cost to' landfill in-1976 was $30- per ton.) Howmuch does this cost your coin-Munity every dity? Every yeaf?

5. How is garbage disposedof in your community? Is itburned, buried, dumped? Is anyof iubject to resource reCov-ery-ocesses, foLexample, sep-arate collection oT newspapers,cans, and bottles?

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6. Is there a recycling pro-gram, in your town? Is it run bythe-city or by private citizens?

article describing, the resultsthis survey might be prepared

for publication in the school orlocal newspaper.

s each community is different.)

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One-I-What Is Waste?

Waste is material that isilo onger used qr needed

Vocabulary: wttste, dump, burn,garbage, wastebasket.

To lead into this activity:Q- Who knows what waste or

garbage is?Q- What are some other names

we have for waste?Q- Where do we put our

room waste?class-

To follow up:Q- What happens to our waste

when it leaves the school?Q- What happens to our waste

when it leaves our home?Q- What kinds of Waste do we

throw away at home?(Write them on the black-board.)Whe5e does it go?Has anyone ever seen a bigdump or a place where gar-bage.is burned?

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An activity to follow, the .abovewould be to have the childrendrr their impressions of adump. Another possibility wouldbe to make a montage of pic-tures of products from a maga-zine jumbled together like in a-dump. The students could go ona field trip to a sanitary landfill,and draw or write their reactionsto the site.

There ire many d.ifferent typ4s of waste

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Vocabulary: metal, glass, plas-tic.

The teactkr of students shouldbring, in emkny clean and dif-ferent examples of waste -aspossible. Include plastic, news-paper, cardboard, stationery,-different types of cans and glass.

Have the ehildren sort the wasteinto categories such as all paperwaste, metal, glass, -plastic.They should manipulate it asmuch as possible to feeithe dif-ferent textures and shapes.

Have the chil4ren See which ob-jects are attracted to a maret.

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Play a game whereby objects areplaced in a paper bag and thechildren use only their kense oftouch to determine if it Is glop,

' metal, plastic, or paper.

Have the children trace outlinesof the objects and make pictures \of them to eolor. What are theirshapes? ,

ToPio Twol .Wh;iye Does Wapte Go?

Clean air, water, arid land are necessary for ourhappiness and survival c.

Vocabulary: air, water, soil.

To illustrate these media andtheir importance' to us you willneed: a balloon (have one of the.children blow it up), a glass of

ii,,,Water, and a potted plant.'

Let the air ol of the balloonallowing the chi dren to feel theair Qfl their hands. Make surethey understand that this is airthat was in the balloon..

Q- Why do we need air?

Have them take a deep breath tounderstand that without cleanair we could not live. Discusswith them the wind, airplanes,whistles, ,fans--these all illus-trate dip and its movements.

, They can make a fan out offolded paper.

Show 'them the water.

Q- Why do we need water?

Have them relate their experi-ence with water.

Show them the potted plant.

Q- What grows in the soil?Q- Does anyoneohave a garden?Q- If we had no soil could we

have any food?

Wa te is disposed of in the air, water' and land

. Q- How many have ever seen- Q-pollution? What kind?

Q- Why is pollution bad for us?Q- What is tIle worst type of

,pollution? Have the child-ten vote. The contestantsare: Smoke, dirty water,litter, and open dumps.

Q- Why are these bad for us?(Smoke burns our eyes; lit-ter 1 ugly.)

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How does our waste-pollute?This question should tie to-gether and reinforce the un-derstinding the waste pol-

% lutes by smoke, dirty 'water,litter, and open dumps.

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4Have the children looit(ot signs

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cepollution oh, the way ,to andfrom schOol.'-- This activity, isesppcially good for litter huntswith the teacher. The childrencan count the number of differ-ent types of litter.

Q.- What is the most ,commontype?".

Q- Where is the most litterfound?

QQ- What is a litterbug?'

this activity gives the option ofhaving ths children clean up thelitter around the school.,

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\Vbat haPpens..at the duty? '

7The teacher should takeit largiplastic or glass -jar filled -withrndist dirt apd ask the _OildCerito add the following itirn: Ametal barrette or paper clip, apiece of plastic, a piece ofaluminum foil, a piece of news-paper, a. piece of food (apple,orange skin). Instead of oneminidump for the whole class-,different individuals or groupsCan make their own. Add a little"rain" from time to time.

Explain to the children that thisis the way waste is piled on anopen dunlp: Observe what hap-prs over the following weeks tothe objects in the jar. Over aperiod 'of time you can expeptthe food to' rot and smell i thejar is opened. The newspa erwill also decompose,. the metalbarrette will gradually rust, andriothmg.will happen to the plas-tic or aluminum foil. A group orindividual could monitor °thechanges and put them on a chart.

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,The /teacher should lpoint,out, tothe studentsArtat bitter,ways ofdisposing of our gaageob the

,landate being deve1op0.ren should be airare that theenvironmental problems associa-ted witty open dumps can beeliminat d with sanitary land;-,fills, w 'eh will continue to bethe mal form ()C. disposal 4formaq years to come.

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Some problems with/open lyurn-ing of waste may beexamined by

. .. using a tin can with air holes-ipunctled around the bottom.Loosely place in it small pieces.of waste fbod (such as orangepeel, egg shell,- small piece ofcarrot), alumirium foil, plastic.Wrap, glass, and newspaper. In asafe place outdoors, the Vkache'rsho Id light amatch to the con-t s. Have the children obsere°,

hat happens..

Q7 bo you see any smoke? Anyash? i

Q- What things melt? l

iQ- Could the,heat given off4eIt, used? 1 For what?

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The paper will burn easily. Thefood will char, but not really

. burns The plastic 'will catch on- fire and drip down into the pan,

giving off- fumes as a result ofits petroleum base, and leaving asticky residde. The metals willnot burn at all.

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When we burn our garbage,where does the smoke go?Is this air pollution?What can happen tO us whenthere is too much smokegetting in to the air?

Fixplain that wask can be burnedlafely end without ,bad effectson the environment if properlyconstructed and' operated incirrprators are used. incinef-ators musthaye special c trolsto avoid pol ting the air.

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Expilein that garbage can alsopolluted.water. Illustrate by tidy-ing the* children place differenttypes of garbage into a clearbowl containing clean water,shredded paper, food scraps, atin °cad, a. dark liquid such ascOffee: I.,et the children observethe changes in the water aft7each addition.

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Further tate- that weter be-comes polluted by garbage evenwhen the garbage is not put di-rectly into the water.

Illustrate by pouring some inkonto a mound of 'sand that hasbeen placed, in a powl. Explainthat the ink represqnts the pollu-'tants in garbage. SOrinkle wa*over the mound (to representrain)* until it drains onto thebowl. Explain that the waterwo d run off into rivers andlalft or would seep ,down intothe ground.and pollute the waterthere.

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Topic ThreeHow Does Waste\ -Affect Our Resourbes?

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The materials we use come from the earthN ar

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Vocabulary: earth, soil.

Have the children name some-thing made out of paper, metal,glass, and a . favorite type offood.

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Using the blackboard or a largepiece of paper, help the, childrento trace these materials back tothe source. Examples: Cerealbox paper Wood trees soil-earth. Pop bottle glass- sand-, rocks earth. Metal canrocks, - earth. Apple treessoil -earth.

Ask the .children if they canthink of, anything that they usethat is not provided by the earth.(The children will probably namesome things but, on close exam-ination, it will be seen that thesethings are actually made fromthe earth's natural resources.)

'Waste uses up the materials of thie earth

Illustrate the use of a natural re-

F om a container labeled "earth,"pé..s out clay explaining that thisis an example of taking theearth's resources to make thingswith.

Let .the children make models oftbings.that they like to use.

Write the' words MIRY, BURN,and DO/IP/LITTER on 3 smallboxes or cups.

Let the students place their clayproduct into the boxes theychoose.

Q- After we bury, burn, dump,or throw away our car,

' paper, etc., what willhappen to it?

Repeat several times to '*showthat as we buy _and use productswe use up the supply of theearth's materials. Point out thatthe resource container\ is, nqw.empty and that the resources

. have been used up; there is nomore .clay with which tonew things. t.)

Point out how heavy the garbagecan-is, that someone will have to_take- it to the disposal site, thatit would contribute to pollution,anti that it will take up room atthe site. Also, point out that it issttll valuable material that canbe- Used.

Q- Can we ever get back thethings We threw away?Which ones, if possible?What is going to happen ifwe keep taking materialsfrom the earth? What Willhappen when we run out?

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Suggest that instead of throwingthe clay away it could be reused.If we did this with all our gar-bage, very little would have tobe ,hauled to a disposal site, andwe.would not take as much fromthe earth.* Point our that theheat generated by burning couldbe used, thus saving some of ourprecio ls.

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The following illustrate' that bywasting the things we use in ourhome we are using up the vitalresource supply of ,theearth,

Ask each child to list all thedifferent containers the providehis or her evening-meal. (Includeall the materials. used to makethe container.) For example, achild ea,s soup, hamburger, ket,'chup, apple sauce, carrots, icecream and' milk. The list, mightresemble 'the following:

Soupmetal can with label.Ha m burgerclear plasticand styrofoam wrap..Ketchupglass bottle, me-tal cap, paper label.Apple Sauceglass jar withmetal top and paper label.Carrotsplastic or; paperbag.Ice 'Creampaper or card-board container. .t

*Milkwaxed cardboard con-tainer.

Ask the st dents to kee0 a coof each nter1a1 used and tñetotal conta ers used. They willbe interested in seeing whichfamily threw away the mostitems. Stress accuracy--therewill be a tendency to give elabo-rat-A, totals and to agnify theamount used.

When estirnsted totals sre gain-_ed for the number of containersthrown away by the whole classfor one meal, it will be a ratheramazing number. '(See activityeleven.) To continue th'tration; halie the Oa multiplyone meal by three to get anestimate for one day Next mul-tiply. the class's ôtal by ttknumber of classes in the school.This total will le /even moreamazing to them.

An average count orthreawaycontainers per fa9ily should bemade. Then nfultiply by thenumber of families for the totalnumber of containers thrownaway iniyour dommunity fol. oneday. Then multiply by 365 dairsin a year. Review that thesecontainers are made of resourcesthat are necessary for survival.

Have the students imagine thatall the containers the classthrew away last night werestacked up in a corner of theroom.

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How much of the roowould it occupy?How much of the roomwould a week's worth of

'garbage occupy? t.0

It costs 'us money to disposeof our vv*:ste

If egibh person" in your commun-ity (pop. ) throwsvaway 3.5

rTpounds oertii-e each day: /0- How, many pounds does thissr" equal in one day?Q- 'How many tons is t is?

Have, the -children -try to imaginewhere all this refuse is being putevey day of every year in eve,rycity. Reinforce that the abovefigures are only for your com-munity.

You can also go further and getfigures for, your State and theentire U. Restate that theseare resources that can be put to

ngood use.

If it costs your town about $30for each ton of refuse that isdisposed of properly:

Q- How much does this cost perday?

Q- HoW much does this cOst peryear?

Q- Where does this moneycome from?

Some statistics .on the' board willhelp the students to realize the 'enormous amount of resources"we are throwing away. We /American's throw awayjeach year (approximately:

28 billion bottles--gla,60 billion cans--metal s,

4 million tons of plastic--petroleum40 million tons of 'japer--wood100 million tires--rubber3 million carsmetals'

To have the children' bettergrasp these enormous numbersask them if they stacked 1 mil-lion pennies on tOp sof each'other, ?tow high the pile 'of pen-nies would. be. Answer: over5,000 feet. (Compare to theileight of a familiar mbuntain,monument, or building.) This isan easy Math problem usingabout 15 penqies to the inch.

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,2 Topic Four/I-Why IsThereSo Much Waste?

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Popul9tion and lifestyle affectthe amount of waste

Draw a square on the floor withchalk, approximately five feetby- five feet. - This square canalso be delineated by 'groupingchairs to form the perimeters.Ask one _child to step inside thesquare holding orie.piece of solidwaste, probably scrap papOr.Emphasize that each pdrson in-volve, cannot step outside thesquare once he or stie is in it.

Then ask another to step in, as-sumé they Then have twOyen, those twO. marry and havetwo children, ete. The numberwill grOw very quickly, yet :the"square remains constant. Mcthe students how they would beable to get anyone out of thesquare. As the. square grows

.more crowded, obvious reactionswill be observed, -especiallypushing, restlessness, and gen-

, era," aggressive behavior.

Ask all the students to return totheir seats, having first droppedtheir pieces of solid waste in the

Tb0*.resuli they will seewill certainlybe solid waste pol-lution. This graphically bringshome the concept of morepeople, more waste, that ourcrowded cities have limitedspace, and that flie amoiint ofwaste pollution increases everyyear.

A visual aid in the form of a .bulletin board or display could beconstrucied using packages' andpictures of packaging broughtfrom hoine by teachers and stu-dents. Actual packages workbest, but carefully chosen pic-tures are also valuable. Thdkbulletin- board display can evolveinto-a comparison of "gcpd" and7bad" packaging. If pictures orstudent drawings are used, atheme on °how packaging haschangelti could be developed. p.discussion of which packages areexceesive and not needed couldbe held. The board can be brokendown into three categories: ,

1. Nature's packaging: co-conut, bananas, peanuts, etc. `

2. Older types of packaging;paper' bags, p9ttery, returnablebottle

. Modern packaging: plasticwrap, styrofoam, egg cartons,plastic-coated milk containers,individually wrapped packets.

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9- What are these packagesmade of?

Q- Where did they originallycome from?

Q- Can they be recycted or re-used? Which ones?

Point out the ways in whichpackaging can prevent waste:,reducing spoilage, individualservings, distribution efficien-cies, etc. Ask if some packagesseem to use excessive materialsand thus contribute to the wasteproblem.

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How would you design an°ecological package (one thatrequires as little energy andas few resources as possiblefor its produetion or dispo-sal)?Whqt habout the ice creamcone? What other packagescan you eat?

Topic FiVe---Wlvt Can \Ate Do AboutWaste?

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Recycling takes old waste and turns it into new,materials

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Vocabulary: recycle

This aetivity is very importantsince it introduces the conceptof recycling and reuse as an al-ternative to disposal. The child-ren should become very familiarwith the word "recycle" and useit frequently.

Write the word "recycle" on therd or a large sheet of paper.t to it draw a picture of a

biycle wheel. Point out to thechiçIren that both end in theword "cycle.y

A bicycle wheel goes around and%.* around--the word recycle means

to use over and over again or goaround. -

Point out that when We recyclesomething, it does not add to ourdisposal problem but goes backaround into something neW. Oldpaper can become new paper.Old cans and glass become newcans and glass, toys, etc.

Have the children imagine some-(thing old and what it could beturned into by recycling. Exam-

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ple: an old so p can may be-

come part of a new fire engine;a pop bottle may become a new

indow in the school.

Q- Has anyone ever heard of a°junkman" who goes aroundlooking for people's trash?

Q- What might there, be in one-person's waste that wouldnot be trash or waste tosomeone/else?

A possible homework assignmentrelated to this' concept would,belto ask the students to write ashort story, ,real or imaginary,describing something valuable`that they found buried in thegarbage. The stories should in,-elude accounts.2f the previousowners and reasik why the ob-jects were thrown away.

List the possible advantages ofrecycling:

1. Reducing pollution2. saving natural resources3. Saving energy4. Saving money

Aqad000

Set up a "use-it-again" lotox foryour classroom. Have tRe stu-den e t, color, or paste pic-tures sn it. Place in it all ma-terials that can be used again.

Tor example, paper that has onlybeen used on one side cau beused again for drawing paper,quiz^ sheets, etc. Craft itemsfrom home can also be 'broughtin to make collates and other artprojects (egg cartons, margarinetube.,. thread spools, etc.)

AA! IffE:.

19 .

Set up a "swap'box" where thechildren can bring in'.Old toys orobjects that might be thrownout. They can trade an old toyfor another one that is new tothem.

6.

4

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A

Have a, show-and-tell sessionwhere the children bring .in ob-jects and discuss how- they couldbe reusedor recycled.

Itetfar

21 It

A If there is a recycling program inyour community where you ,canbring paper, cans, bottles$ orother materials, set up a reccling box for the classrooMarkets for collected matermay be found under Nastper," "scrap dealers," or "r cyr

* Cling centers" ih the Yelldwgages.' When you take the.materials to the center bring theclass to see how it is rim. If youreceive money for the recy-clables plan a class trip Childrenwill remember.

1 2

Organize a p1y or a fair (brboth) centered a ound the themeof recycling-andIf you have a fair you might

-include artwork related -to'recycling, collages made out -ofscrap, and inventions, made en-tirely,out of recycled materials.This could be particularly impor-tant if your town does not recy-cle, for you could turn this ,elasslearning experience into an ed-ucational opportunity .for your .whole community. \r- I

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A

Take a field trip to a papermill,to see how paper is made.

I t.2

Thihgs to do at at home:

Use things more than once:1. Use grocery bags to hold

garbage instead or buying gar-.bage bags.

2. 'Use grocery bags to wrap-,- packages to send.

3. 'Use grocery bags for art,projects.

4. .Use- small bags to carryyour lunch to school.

Give things that we can no long-er use to people who can usethem.

4

.

Recycling in nature %

,Vocab,iry: mold

Mold. Gardens - How) thingschange.

As a demonstrotion place verysmall' pieces of fruit such as ap-ple, orange skin, and bread ontop of some moisVoil in a con-tainer.: Cover wiclear plasticand rubberb.and. Observe thecharges. .

Ask. the children, if .they knowwhat is gr,owing on the food?Explain to ttlem that these aremoland that they help returnthings to the soil.by feeding onthe food.

64.

This activity completes the cy-cle by showing that recycling issomething nature has been doingall t e time. '

Collect ead leaves iri .severalstakes of eakdOwn.

Q- Do -you know what becomesof all the letiveS that are onthe ground in the fall.

Q- Where do tpey. go next suM-Iner?

Make the connection. that leavesbecome soil by letting the chil-dren see and feel the layers ofleaf and soil that you collected. ,

'Make a large art project showingthe cycle of leaves. The illus-tration would sho'w holW a tree'sleaves All,- decay into the soil,nourish the tree by making thesoil richer, and thus help thetree to grow and produce 'moreleaves.

. ,

Another', way t011lustrate wouldbe., to print the foliowing words,on 3 x 5 cards: soil, budS, roots,green leaves, trunk, dead leaves,branch. Distribute -04- sevencards to seven childrept, at ran-dom. After each child hlis shownits card tt _the class, give "alongpiece of String,to the child hold-ing the card marked "soil." . Ask -.the bhildren-- to arrange them-selves in -the prom order' ofgroWth. As Racli determines itscorreftponding position, he or sheshould take hold of the string.They should end up in a qicle.

.0 Vt.

13

4.

Recycling Center

1 4

t .

Recycling Center

..CroSsWbrd,_ Ppzzle

Down

1. Ciins 4e made of this.\, 3. items 'made ,of iron dr steel

will do this if left outside4. Where recycling begins.7. TheSe .are made of .iubber

.and take up alot, of space At',disposal sitek. ,~

9. A Jot of paper can te madefroth one.

19. Old clothes, towels, Andsheets.

Across

2. tverything we inakeand use.comes from hei&

5. Used to make plastic and torun machines.

6. They like to live at open,dumps.

8. Trash which is thrown 'alonghighways and in parks.

11. We can produce this whenwe burn waste. .

Answers o

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insideiback-cover.

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i One, What

i)

s Waste?

\

Waste Is ,material that is notongerused or neededc,

air

Q- Whatls waste?Q- What 'are some of the other

names we have for waste?

Using a good dictionary, look upand diicuss `the cultural originsof the words garbage, trash,junk, refuse, rubbish; scrap. Listthe above words in their order ofoffensiveness to yob. Does thislist have any relationlo the W-m of the wor

,Q- What types of waste areproduced from an , averagehousehold?

Q- Which- onei are in the great-est quantity?

A display can be set up illuStra--.ting the,different types. .

. .

.

Identify the types of waste that,result from the productiOn, con-sumption and disposal of a can Ofbeef §tew. The main compo-nents to be traded tere [neat,potat-oes, tin can, paper label.

For example'. M EAT--gra in.from the earth, steers eat grain,steers slaughtered, we eat beef.kgsult--gra in waste, manure

rwaste, 'slaughter waste, sewagewaste, tablei icraps.

1

Topki:Two-7How Do We Dispose ofOur V1/ate?

411,

a.

Present solid waste disposalcauses Vollution of our air, ,

water, and landf

r:1

4- What is meant* by "throwingsomething away?"

Q- Where is away?Q- How are waste prodRcts dis-

posed of in our society?. (Dumping, littering, burning,'

burying, recycling)Q- How does our town dispose

of Ifs residential waste?

This activity should take place in ,

a laboratory with the properequipment such as goggles, bun-sen 'burner, tongs, and a fumehood.

Proper Ventilation and Safv isstressed, especially for plas

Break the class into teams. Giveeach team 5 to 10 materials toburn. Prepare a data sheet or achart for noting the initialweight and residue Oeight ofeach item burned, the color offlame and smoke, and the odor§produced.

Burn a variety of householdwaste including food, metal,plastic; paper, etc.

Q-

Q-

What are the components ofthe smoke? Could . they beharmful?Could the smoke be filteredor cleaned to render itharmless to our environ-meht?What are the advantages ofburning our waste? (reduc-tion in volume, breakdownof some dangerous chemi-cals, etc.) Could the heatgenerated be productivelyused?Does your community burnany of its waste? Does ituse effective ;antipollutioncontrol equipment? '

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5

Ali

/Take a large plastic or glass jaQ-and fill it with moist soil. Add

. small pieces of the following ob-jects\ A metal barrette or paperclip, newspaper, plastic, food(apple or orange peel), aleminum

, foil. Add a little "rain" fromtime to tilhe.

Explain that this is the way solidwaste is piled on an open dump.Periodically over the followingweeks, examine the things in thejar to see if anything happens tothem. Over a period of time youcan expect the food and newspa,per to begin to change. Themetal will rust. Nothing willhappen to the plastic or alumi-num foil. Make a chart to dis-

'play your findings..

Q-- Do you know the location ofany open dumps in thisarea? What do you think ofthem?

\

Q-

Q-

How does an open dumppollute? (Water pollutionfrom liquids and metalsleaching to groundwatersupply. Air pollution aausedby smoke from fires andgases after decompositionof materials. Mariy opendumps are found in wet-lands, interfering with eco-system maintenance andflood control. Odors and ratinfestation. theightly. Usesup valuable land that is inshort supply.)What happens when we runout of space to-dump?In what' ways would it bebetter if the waste wasburied in a sanitary land-fill--one designed to pre-vent leaching and build-up.of gaset from decomposi-tion? .What problems wouldstill remain?

Discuss litter.

Q- What is litter? Name someexamples that can be foundon the way to school.

Q- What is the most commontype?

Q7 Who are the worst litter-*bugs?

Q- What are the social and en-vironmental costs of litter?

Q- How could littering be re-duced or stopped?

Waste disposa

7 It

Alpii il,

.

costs money

Find out the population in yourcommunity. If each personthrows out /lb o u t 3.5 pounds/dQ- How many pounds are is-

posed of per week, month,and year per person?

Q- How many tons of solidwaste are generated in your.community each day?

Q- How much does, an averagefamily "throw away" perweek?

Q- How much is thrown awayeach year in the UnitedStates based on your com-munity's average? (Popula-tion = 22,5 million, answer =144 million tons/year.)

e-

As a homework assignment havethd studedlp list all the contain-ers that'rnade their eveningmeal. Have them involve theirparents. List bags, bottles, jars,cans, and packages. Calculatetotal containers per class,schoolrand city ( fa m-ilies).for one meal;

Q- How much does it cost ourtown to dispose of its refusefor ohe year if it cost $30 todispose of one ton?

Q- Where does thisl moneycOme from?

3,-f

0

Find out from ybur Departmentof Sarutweighchaasash

n saw much theand cost oi-waste has

ed in your commhnity overmany years as re/Cords areilable. Graph th9( results tow the incuease. 7

21

Waste has va ue when it is reused or recycledA31

Ask the students to think aboutthe different kinds of things peo-ple throw away.

Q- Would rich people throw outdifferent kinds of thingsthan poor people? Whatabout the junkman or theantique stores?

Q- What might there be in onepersonCs trdsh that might bea treasure to others? Re-late any personal experien-

. ces with such discoveries.Q- Has anyone in the class sold

scrap metals or f rniturefor money?

Q- Can we ever get back thethings we thllow away?

Recycling is a process of use and retise

'41.

Q- What does recycle mean?

Break the word into parts:RE-CYCLE

Q- What does the prefix "re"mean?

Q- What are seme other wordsthat begin with that prefix?(repair, re9p, return, re-sousee, renew, restore)What does the word "cycle"mean?

22

It should become clear from theabove that recycle means to door use over and over again.From old cans come new cans,from old paper new paper is pro-duced:

How can recycling reduce, pollu-tion and the cost of waste dispo-sal? (Seeropic Five fora morecomplete discussion of recyclingand reuse.)

I.

Topic Three-- How. Does Waste AffectOur Resources?

a

The materials we use come frdm the earthand are in limited supply

List on the blackboard the dif-ferent materials that composerefuse. Trace each of theseback to its original source.(Paper to wood to trees to soil toearth. Glass to sand to pebblesto rocks to earth. Metal torocks to earth. Plastic to petro-leum to fossil plants to earth.Food to animals and plants towth.)

Investigate where) different ob-jects in your classroom comefrom.

Introduce th word "resource" asanything t t is available forvalued use or has plant, animal,_ Q-or human utility.

Q-

Q-

Q-

;

Q-

What are the natural re-sources in the above list?Why are natural resourcesimportant?Are our resources in endlTsupply?What will happen if we con-tinue to waste our naturalresources by burning, litter-ing, dumping, or buryingthem?Can we invent anything thatdoes not use up natural re-sources?

23

S(ome sources are pon-renewable andthus irr placeattle

12

In order to introduce the conceptof renewable versus nonrenew-able natural resources the classshould obtain a collection ofitems that would normally be in-cluded in the waste stream. Ex-amples of products from naturalresources that can or cannot berenewed (or re-created):* aluminum cans, from baux-

ite (nonrenwable)tin-plated steel cans, fromiron and tin (nonrenewable)glass bottles, from sand,soda ash, and limestone(nonrenewable, but in plen-tiful supply)paper, from wood (renew-able)0

cardboard, from wood (re-newable)organic waste, such as plantclippings and food scraps(r6newable)plastic containers or bags,frqm petroleum . (nonrenew-able)

-*

24

The students should be helped toexamine these and discuss wherethe rtiw materials to make themcome from. In the discussion itshould be pointed out that alumi-num, 'tin, steel, and petroleumare all nonrenewable resources,and, as such, are being wasteddaily under our present disposalsystem. Paper and cardboardcome from the renewable sourceof wood (trees), but that is being .used at a faster, rate than it canbe produced commercially. Thestudents should be able to placethe solid waste discussed intothe categories of renewable andnonrenewable resources.

Why are some materials nonre-newable? Because they are theresult of geological processeswhich take millions of years tocom plete.

Ali 0410

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The following suggests the quan-tities of some of the productsAmericans use each year.

28 billion bottles--glass54 billion cans--metal4 million tons of plastic--petroleum40 million tons of p: er--wood204 million tiAs--ru3 million cars--meta

How, big is a billion? Calculatethe height of one million and onebillion pennies stacked on top ofeach othen There are 15 pen-nies to the inch. iiHave the students imagine theland space vequired to dispose ofthese items. Also remember thatthese are only final products.

11.

Resources are unequally distributed aroundthe world ;

Mount a map of the world on the.wall. Have the students list theraw materials used to make pa-per, plastic, metal cans, alumi-num cans, rubber, etc. Includeoil as the energy source to man-ufacture these products.

'Pinpoint each primary source on Q-the map. State the fact that theUnited States,' which possessesonly 5 percent of the World'spopulation, uses about 40 per- Q-cent of its resources:

What countries are involvedin supply?Does our consumption of re-soUrces affect the peoplewho live in these countries?What could happen if othercountries begin to consumeas much as we do?What could happen if avail-able resources begin to runlow? What would be theeffects on society?Does scarcity of resourcesincrease the possibility ofwar?

Q- How can we begin to lessenour dependency on foreigncountries for resources?What will be the effects ofsuch actions on our society?

Discuss alteratives including re-ducing consumption and recy-cling.

Energy is required to process'raw materialsand manufacture products

Q- Is energy a resource?Q- What sources of energy are

available for human use?(oil, coal, wind, water, sun,nuclear, etc.)

Q- Are any of these in shortsupply?

a

,0$

Identify and list the types andpoints where energy is requiredin the mining, transportation,and manufacture of glass, paper,or metal items. Point out thatresource Conservation reducesdie need for energy and thatrecycling someAnaterials takesless energy than their originalmanufacture (aluminum, forexample). ,

34

Discuss the option of burningsolid waste to generate energyand reduce the need for otherfuels.

25

Topic Four---Why Is There So MuchWaste?

4

Waste generation varies accordingto population and lifeqtyle

AA if,.

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Packaging materials accoOnt formore than 50 percent of all con-sumer waste. This packaging hasgrown quickly in volume over avery short period of time. From400 pounds per person in 1958 toover 6000 pounds per person atthe present time. In earliertimes packaging was at a mini-.mum and items were sold ineither natural or reusable con-tainers. Today, packages rangfrom soup cans to plastiq bUbblpacks that hold a dozen "screws.

To demonstrgte how life styles,effect the amount and types ofpackaging used, have the stu-dents make 'up a typical meal.List all the containers and pack-aging that come with the items.Remember a glass bottle or canis a package. Examples:

Chicken--clear plastic overpaper plate.CarrotsPlastic or paperbag, or box if frozen.,

4

28

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Discuss the purposes olpackag-ing. Some of these arek, reduc-tion in waste due to spoilage,prevention of contamination,increased efficiency in distribu-tion, portion control, anC1 pro-duct attractiveness.

Q-

Q-

Q-

Q-

Q-

Whatypurposes do the listedpackages serve?Have you noticed an in-crease in packaging over thelast few years?Arp any Rroducts over-packaged?What packaging would yousuggest for your imaginedmeal?Which packages could be re-cycled?

"tt

I.

Conduct a sutvey in you localsupermarket looking for ex-amples of the following threetypes of packaging:

1. Natutal packages, i.e.,oranges.

2. Older and reusable pack-ages, i.e., paper bags, paperwrapping, glass Jars that becomedrinking glasses, returnable bot-tles.

3. Modern packages, i.e.,plastic% styrofoam, tin foil, indi-vidual wrappings.

Find five of #1, five of #2, andten of #3. Make a large list forthe entire class")

Construct a display or bulletin'board of different, types of pack-ages or pictures.

Q- What purpose does packag-ing serve?

Q- How dependent is the pro-duct on the package?

Q- How could each package be.reused or recycled?

From your list, decide whichpackages reduce waste andwhich increase waste.

Topic FiveWhat Can We Do AboutWaste?

)Plants and anim'als depend upon nature's,continuous recycling process

%18 17`4'

Discuss th* following cycles withthe students. Have the studentsgive examples which they seearound them.

J. Nutrient CyCle

Plants take up nutrients fromsoil to make sugar.

Animals eat plants and' returnnutrients to soil through bodywastes.

Plants a d animals die and de-cay, re rning nutrients fromdecayin parts to soil.

2. Oxygen Cycle

Plants give off oxygen as awaste product of phrosynthesis.

Animals take in oxygen for res-piration.

Animals exhale Co2.

Plants use Co2

for photosynthe-,sis.

3. Water Cycle

Sun evaporates water fromocean§ and lakes.

Water vapor forms clouds whencooled.

Clouds release water as rain.

Plants and animals use water.

Water not, used runs into lakesand oceans.

4. Mineral Cycle

Matter is continually being builtup into mountains and theneroded into sediment. What wasonce sediment on an ocean floorbecomes the highest mountains,which eventually return to thesea. New Mineral atter isvented from volcan whileother minerals are bein return-ed to the earth's inter r.

27

9

Composting is a process wherebyplant material is returned to thesoil by the action of microscopic.fungi and bacteria. This class oforganisms is called decomposersand is a vital link in utlentcycles. The process enriches thesoil as a natural fertilizer whilereducing the amount of solidwaste requiring disposal. -

The students can make andinvestigate their own compostoperation.

1. Place the following orsimilar organic material in aplastic bag or outside in a mark-ed area: fruit peels, leaves, oldbread, coffee grounds, greentops of vegetables, potato peels.

2. Chop and mix them upwith some water ana soil.

3. Twist and tie the bagsecurely, or cover the *moundwith earth.

4. Open the bag once a dayto allow oxygen *inside. It isneeded by the decomposers forbreakdown of the materials.

Discuss what is going to happen.Have the students keep a recordof the process of decay.- Noteodors, texture, and otherchanges.

28

Q- Which materials decay thefastest?

Q- Hop/ long does the completedecay process take?

Make a wpt-mount, preparationand stain to use as a micróscopicTo illustrate the water cycle,

of the decomposers. make or show the students aterrarium. The following ma-terials are needed: glass contain-er with an airtight top, gravel,soil, various types of small plantlife.

examination

Q-

@-

Q-

How many different typesof organisms can be found?What would our landscapelook like if these organismsdid not exist?What objects mould not de-cay if placed in our -compostpile?

20

To illustrate the nutrient cycletake a soil profile by digging outa wedge of soil about 4 to 6inches deep. Use a locationwhere there are freshly fallenleaves. Observe the layers ofleaf breakdown into the rich top-soil. Peel off each layer. Whatother things besides leaves canyou find in the profile that mighthasten decay? Look closely.

The same could be done with arotting log. How do its inhabi-tants hasten decay? .

Have the students observe thewater droplets clinging to thetop. Where does this watercome from? Is it necessary toever add, water to a terrarium?

To further illustrate condensa-tion point out to the *studentsthat when the weather is coldthey "see their breath."\ This isdue to water vapor being releas-ed as we exhale warm air andcondensing on contact with cold-er air. The same process isinvolved in cloud formation.Steam is another example.

(People can imitate nature by giving new lifeto rnaterials that are decay resistantor in short supply' 1

O.,

Several products found in solidwaste from the home and schoolcan be recycled. This activityserves as a review of solid waste-problems and explairfs how glass,paper, aluminum, and tin-platedsteel cans are recycled. Theactivity is taken from the Envi-ronmental Action Council's"Don't Waste Waste."

Introduction and Review

/Theteacher should try to elicitthe sequence of steps in recy-cling ttrse materials. Also acomparison can be made of howthese items pollute when dumpedor burned on the land versus theeffect recycling has on theirfate.

GLASS is made from soda ash,sand, and lime. It can remain ina disposal site indefinitely anddoes not treak down into its or-ganic components. To be recy-cled, it must first be sorted bycolor and crushed into smallpieces called "cullet." Thecullet is melted down into asolution and' then molded intoglas..1 containers. Other productsma i*. from recycled glass bottlesare insulations, and road-patch-ing material.

ALUMINUM is made from baux-ite, which is a nonrenewable re-source. It takes a great amountof electricity to produce alumiLnum. Nature cannot decomposeor break it down, so disposal is aproblem. When it is recycled itis melted and then shaped againinto new cans and other items.Making alumin4m cans from oldaluminum takeg only 5 percentas much elect 'city as frombauxite.

TIN-PLATED STEEL CANS areMade of iron 'ore and in, neitherof which are renewab resour-ces. The cans will e ntuallyrust and break down, so t ey are'not as much of a proble assome other metals. Howe er,throwing them away is a wasteof valuable metals. In ttp recycling process the cans are putinto a huge container with holesin the bottom. This container isimmersed into a caustic solutionwhich takes the tin off the cans.Then the steel cans are washed

as

.

and sold as Number 1 . GradeSteel. The tin is removed. fromthe caustic solution by electroly-sis and made into ,ingots whichare sold to companies requiringtin.

PAPER is made from a renew-able resource--trees. Paper isrecycled by first shredding it in-to small pieces and mixing itmith water. This mixture isbeaten into a mush-like pulpwhich flows onto a movingscreen through which most ofthe water passed. The wood orpaper fibers remain. The fibersare pressed through heavy rollersthat remove more water andthen sent' through steam-heateddryers. The result is recycled pa-per. YoU can make recycled' pa-per in class.

'This activity call become a re-seOch project for small groupsor ih ividuals. Suggested topicsfor th groups are The Story of:

"\an Aluminum Can\Plastic Tube

a Cardboard Boxa TikCana Gla§s, Bottle

Reproduce and giv* each studentthe following mate ial to helpthem tell about thei particularresources.

29

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'THE STORY OF THE

lam a(n) container. Please tell my story by finding answers

to the following quest,ion:

1. What do I look like?

2. Why do I have a label?

3. What are some of the tfiings I am used for?

4. What am I made of?

5. Where do my mititufacturers get the raw materials to Make me?

6. Are large amounts_ of my raw materials available?

7. How many years will my raw materials probably last?

8. Is there any pollution of the land, the air, or the water, when'companies

extract. my raw materials from the earth? If so, how?

9. How do manufacturers change theraw materials to make me?

10. Does the changing of my raw materials cause pollution of the land,

the air, or the water? If so, how?

11. km I thrown away after I am used?12. What chemicals areveleased when I am burned4r Are they harmful

if released into the environment? Can they be filtered and disposed

of properly?

13. Do I break down into etrth again if I am buried? If so, howls'

14. Do I disingegrate if I am thrown into a river, lake, or ocean? If

so, how?

15. What are same ways in which I could be re-used?

16. Can I be recycled? Am F recycled? Where am I recycled?

17. What happens to me when I am recycled?

18. Can I be safely burned to produce energy from the heat?

19. Who pays the real cost for manufacturing and disposing of merii

*The manufacturer who makes me?

'*The company which uses me?

*tipe consumer who buys Me?

20. Who is responsible for disposing of me? Who pays the cost for disposal?

21. Do you think I am a good container? Why or why not?\ 39

By recyclingconserve limitand energy, a d save mOney

e can reduce pollution,d natural resources

Ast ft!.

23. 24Each classroom may want to be-gin to recycle its wastepaper. Isthere a recycling program inOur community? Check in theYellow Pages of your telephonedirectory under "recycling pro-grams," "waste paper," or "scrapdealers," for a market .for yourpaper. Be sure to asic exactlywhat kind of papet they accep(newspapers, magazines, wh ebond-paper, etc.), and if ey4114 also accept glass,. al mi-num, bi-metal cans,etc:-:

,Have the students record theweekly or monthly mulls oftheir program. Record andgraph the reduction:in solid'waste disposed through old systems and the amount of glass,paper, and cans reGyoled.

Follow and record ihe fluctua-tions in the selling. pOce of therecycled materials.. Researchthe reasons behind thesechanges. Calculate ,total moneysaved.

Find out how much paper yourclass, other classes, and yourschoolsare recycling. Encouragethe students to tell their parentsabout recycling.

Have the students survey atleast three different people con-cernin their attitudes towardrecyc ng to get an idea of the

'diff ences of opinion that exist.T y should interview their

lends, parents, and neighborson whether or not, they would bewilling to source separate theirgarbage (for example, settingnewspapers in stacks apart fromother waste) so it could be moreeattly recycled.

Sam le Surve Questions'MT you recyc e. t home?

In the o ce?2. Why w uld you recycle'? .Whynot?3. What w uld encourage you toredycle?4. Which is more important toyou about re 4yeling? '

* Saving oney?* Reducing , sllutio* Reducing t need for

°additional ;sanitary land-fill sites?

25Besides reducing pollution andsaving natural resources and en-ergy, your community can savemoney by recycling. For thisactivity, assume that your com-munity could save about $30 perton in disposal cost ind earn $10for each ton of material sold toa scrap dealer.

Q- If 30 percent of all of thecommunty's refuse could berecycled, how much moneycould the city make in oneyear?

Make a chart on the boardtabulate results. This activitycan develop a number of excel-lent process skills such as inter-viewing, measuring, categoriz-ing, comparing, and observing.

31

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.4P

Given the physical properties oftin-plated steel, -glass, ahd alu-minum, devise it-Mc nical sys-tem ,for separating° heM Out ofthe solid waste wYiich coMesfrom a home. .

-

Make a survey ,Df products in asupermarket that are made-camrecycled mAiterials. Look forlherecycling symbol on boxes andbags.

S.

at,

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Research why there aren't morerecycled materials in the mar-ketplace. The more we recyOlethe more recycled materials willbegin to appear. Are there anybarriens that favor virgin mate-rials over recycled ones?

Research and debate the issue ofthe returnable bottle versus theno-deposit, no-return one. Whateffait will returnable bottleshave on a recycling program?

Visit paper mills or glass manu-facturers who produce the prod-ucts that become our solid)waste.

Discuss ways that businesses andthe government can contributeto the solution of the sblid wasteproblem. For, example, manybusinesses and cornmeacial en-terprises recycle their -.-officepaper and corrugated cardboard,and the Federal government hasa program 'to recycle all of itihigh-grade office paper. Do.businesses in your community re-cycle th,eir.paper? Perhaps olderstudents can conduct a survey oflocal merchants, and Nousinessesto determine the kOount andtypes of waste they produce andwhether they are currently doingany recycling. Supermarkets or

bioelrii stores tire a good place tostart since many of them bale

"and recycle their cardboardwastes. If a nearby Federal gov-ernmdot building or a. private of-fice building has a paper recy-cling progragh you may want toplan a class trip to see how itworks.

41

4

-

PAGES 13-36 "THROWAWAY THREE': A SHORT SKIT" REMOVED DUE TO

COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS 4

4

Discussion

\-\ The skit shows that people havehistorically gottén rid of solid vaste successfullyby throwi it out, burying it, or burning it. Butnone of th se methods solves moderh urban gar-bage probl ms. The discussion should \attempt toreinforce thIwcncept. One Way this,can be doneis to discuss Me chdracters in the skit: how theydisposed of ttleir garbage or trash and why theirmethod of doing so was either,satisfactory or notsatiSfactory.i

Monkey: Tlisobkr it tidal.* 14°11

No problem developed because no large con-dentration of moilkeys existed. The gar-bage disintegrated.

avedweller: Threw it, burned it, buried it;These acts still did not cause probleg forthe same reasons.

Roman: Threw it.Tossing out garbage began to be a problembecause of the many people who lived incities( but it was easily solved by taking thegarbage out of the city.

Briton: Threw itA problem grew because more and morepeople moved to the cities, thus produci gmore trash than they could get rid of in t ecity. .

Settler: Had virtually no garbage.

Colonist: TItrew it, burned it, buried iGreater trade resulted when p ple did notuse goods until they wore out, bu then morethings to be discarded began to accumulate.

0

IndustrialistWith a greater concentration of people incities than,, syer before and more buyingbecause maohine-made goods were cheaper,much more was, thrown out.

Scientist:The big change to synthetics plus the use Ofenormous amounts of natural resources arecauting tremendous problems.

We can't throw away our trash. There simply isno such place as away. Care is always required toprevent our trash from having bad effects on ourlives.

We cahlt bury it all. Not enough places areavailable. Besides, 'the modern synthetics do notrot when burjed.

We can't burn it all. Some of the synthetic goodssimply won't burn. Most of the burning requires

.expefisive and often elaborate controls to preventair pollution. And there is always ash or 'some-thing left over which pust be buried.

We are literally running out of some naturalresources ,so that any form of disposal of certaingoods is self-defeating.

/3

Make Your Own Paper

screenft

dish

newspaper

blotter

pulp

blotter

A

38

rolling pin

What you need10 pieces of tissue or newsprint '

A piece of sdreenA flat dish, a little larger than the screen4 pieces of blotting paper the size of the screenA bowlAn egg beater (it works better with a blender)

, A round jar oi rolling pin, Newspaper and blotter paper

2 cups of hot water2 teaspoons of instant starch (for stronger p4iper,

if desired)

- What to do1: Tear the,paper into very small bits into

the bowl. Pour in the hot water.2. Beat the tissue and water to make pulp.3. Mix in the starch if desired..4. Pour the mixture into the flat dish.5. Slide the screen into the bottom of the

dish and move it around until it is evenlycovered with pulp.

6. Lift the serer out carefully. 1-jold'it leveland let it drain for a minute.

7. Put the screen, pulp side up, on a blptter,on some newspaper. Put another blotterover the pulp, more newspaper over that.

8. Roll the jar qver the sandwich to squeeze ,

out the rest of the water.9. Take off the top newspaper. Turn the blotter

sandwich over so thAt the screen is on top.Then take off the blOtter and the screenvery carefully. Don't move the pulp. Therics your paper.

10. Put a dry blotter on the pulp and let it

1

dry.

State Solid Waste Agencies

AlabamaDiVisTOrof Solid Waste

and.Vector ControlDepartment of Public HealthState Office BuildingMontgomery, AL 36130205-832-6728

\Alaska .

'Air & solid Waste Mgmt. ProgramDepartment of Environmental

Conservation, Pouch 0Juneau, AK 99811907-465-2635

American SarrioaEnvironmental Quality CommissionAmerican Somoa GovernmentPago Pago, American Samoa 96799(overseas oper.) 633-4116

Arizona131-FeZrof SanitationDepartment of Health Services411 North 24th StreetPhoenix, AZ 85008602-255-1156

ArkansasSolid Waste Management Div.Department of Pollution Control

and Ecology, Box 9583Little Rock, AR 72219501-371-1701

Solid Waste ProgramDepartment of Energy3000 KavanaughLittle Rock, AR 72205501-371-2234

CaliforniaState Solid Waste Management

Board, Box 1743,1020 Ninth StreetSacramento, CA 95814916-322-3330

Hazardous Material Mgmt. SectionDepartment of Health Services744 P StreetSacramento, CA 95814916-322-2337

ColoradoDepar[ient of,Public Health4210 East Eleventh AvenueDenver, CO 80220303-320-8333

Commonwealth ofRorth -Mariana IslandsEnvii.onmental Protection BoardDept. of Health ServicesSaipan, Mariana Islands 96950(overseas oper.) 9370

Div. of Environmental QualityDepartment of Public Health

and Environmental ServicesSaipan, Mariana Islands 96950

Connecticutswig Waste Management UnitDept. of Environmental Protection165 Capital AvenueHartford, CT 06115203-566-3672

Industrial & Hazardous MaterialsManagement Unit

Dept. of Environmental Protection(same address as above)203-566-5148

4 3

Connecticut Resource RecoveryAuthority, Suite 603

179 Allyn StreetHartfofd;CT 06103203-549-6390

DelawareSolid Waste ManagementDepartment of Natural Resources

and Environmental,ControlEdward Tatnall BuildingDover, DE 19901302-678-4764

District of ColumbiaDept. of Environmental Services415 Twelfth Street, NW.Washinkton, DC 20004202-727-5701

FloridaSolid Waste Management ProgramDept. of Environmental Regulation2600 Blair Stone RoadTallahassee, FL 32301904-488-0300

GeorgiaEnv ir onmenta 1 Protection Div.Dept. of Natural ResoutcesRm. 822270 Washington Street, SW.Atlanta, GA 30334404-656-'2833

GuamEi7Fonmental Protection AgencyGovernment of GuamP.O. Box 2999Agana, GU 96910(overseas oper.) 646-8863

39

4HawaiiERViRimental Health DivisionDepartment of HealthP.O. Box 3378Honolulu, HI 96e,01808-548-6410

Idahosolid Waste Managemea Section ,

Department of Health & WelfareStatehouseBoise, ID 83720208-334-4108

IllinoisDi Vain of Land & Noise

rollution ControlEnvironmental Protection Agency2200 Churchill RoadSpringfield, IL 62706

. 217-782-9800

IndianaSolid Waste Management SectionDivision of Sanitary EngineeringState Board of Health1330 West Michigan StreetIndianapolis, IN 46202317-633-0176

IowaAY-. and Land Quality DivisionDept. of Environmental QualitNiHenry A. Wallace Building

.? 900 East GrandDes Moines, IA 50319515-281-803'

KansasSolid Waste Management SectionDept. of Health & EqvironmentTopeka, KS 66620913-86279360, Ext. 297

Kentucky

Maine15177if Solid Waste Mgmt. ControlBureau.of Land QualityDept. of Environmental ProtectionState House, Station 17Augusta, ME 04333207-289-2141

MinnesotaDivision of Solid WastePollution Control Agency1935 West County Road, B-2Roseville, MN 55113612-296-7315

MississiMar land Div. of Solid Waste Management

a er and Waste Mgmt. Program and Vector ControlWater Resources Administration State Board of HealthDepartment of Natural Resources _P.O. Box 1700Tawes State Office Building Jackson, MS 39205Annapolis, MD 21401 601-982-6317-301-269-3875

CommunitY Health ProgramDept. of Health & Mental Hygiene201 West Preston StreetBaltimore, MD 21201301-383-3123

MassachusettsBuredu of Solid Waste DisposalDepartment of Environmental

Management, Rm. 1905100 Cambridge StreetBoston, MA 02202617-727-4293

Div. of Air & Hazardous MaterialsDepartment of Environmental

Quality Engineering600 Washington Street, Rm. 320Boston, MA 02111

-MR17-727-2658,

Hazardous Waste SectionDiv. of Water Pollution ControlDepartment of Environmental

Quality Engineering110 Tremont StreetBoston, MA 02108617-727-3855 k.

Division of Hazardous Materials Michigan .

and Waste Management Environmental Protection BureauDepartment for Natural Resources Department of Natural Resources

and Environmental Protection P.O. Box 30028Capital Plaza Tower Lansing, MI 48909Frankfort, KY 40601 U7-373-2682502-564-6716

LouisianaTeriiqment of Natural ResourcesP.O. Box 44396Baton Rouge, LA 70804504-342-45,06

40

Resource Recovery DivisionDepartment of Natural Resources(samp address as above)517-322-1315

Hazardous WasteEnvironmental Services DivisionDepartment of Natural Resources(same address as above)517-373-3560

6

1,

MissouriSolid-Waste Management ProgramDepartment of Natural ResourcesP.O. Box 1368Jefferson City, MO 65102314-751-3241

MontanaSolid Waste Management BureauDepartment of Health and

Environmental Sciences 4-1400 Eleventh Ave., Suite AHelena, MT iti1601406-449-2821

NebraskaSolid Waste DivisionDept. of Environmental ControlState House StationP.O. Box 94877Lincoln, NE 68509402-471-2186

NevadaSolid Waste ManagementDiv. of Environmental ProtectionDepartment of Conservation

and Natural ResourcesCapital ComplexCapitol City, NV 89710702-885-4670

New HampshireBureau of Solid WasteDept., of Health *hd WelfareState Laboratory BuildingHazen DriveConcord, NH 03301603-271-4610

New JerseySolid Waste AdministrationDiv. of Environmental qualityP.O. Box CN027Trenton, NJ 08625,609-292-9120

New MexicoSolid and Hazardous WaSte

Management ProgramsHealth and Environment Dept.P.O. Box 968Crown BuildingSanta Fe, NM 87503505-827-5271 Ext. 282

New YorkDiVisiOT-1 of Solid Waste Mgmt.DepaRment of Environmental

Conservation /

5.0 Wolf RoadAlbany, NY518-457-6603

PtNorth CarolinaSolid and Haza dous Waste

-Managemenl BranchDivision of He 1th ServicesDepartment o Human ResourcesP.O. Box 2091Raleigh, NC 7602019-733-2178

North DakotaDivision of Environmental

Waste Management & ResearchDepartment of Health1200 MissouriAvenueBismarck, ND' 58505701-224-2382

OhioUnice of Land Pollution ControlEnvironmental Protection AgencyP.O. Box 1049Columbus, OH 43216614-466-8934

OklahomaIndustrial & Solid Waste ServiceDepartment of HealthP.O. Box 53551Oklahoma City, OK 73152405-271-5338

OregaSolid Waste Management DivisionDept. of Environmental QualityP.O. Box 1760Portland, OR 97207V3-299-5913

Pennsylvaniabureau of Solid Waste Management

, Dept. of Environmental ResoukesP.O. Box 2063Harrisburg, PA 17120717-787-9870'

Puerto RicoEnvironmental Quality BoardOffice of the GovernorP.O. Box 11488Santurce, PR 00910809-725-2062, Ext. 229

RtIode IslandSgilid Waste Management ProgramDept. of Environmental Mgmt.204 Health BuildingDavis StreetProvidence, RI 02908401-277-2808

Rhode Island Solid Waste Corp.39 Pike StreetProvidence, RI 02903401-831-4440

South CarolinaSolid Waste Management DivisionDepartment of Health and

Environmental Control2600 Bull StreetColumbia, SC 29201803-758-5681

South DakotaAir Quality and Solid

Waste ProgramsDepartment of HealthCarnegie Library BuildingPierre, SD 57501

'605-773-33291

TennesseeTAVisic71-1 of Solid Waste Mgmt.Bureau of Environmental ServicesDepartment of Public HealthCapitol Hill Bldg., Suite 326Nashville, TN 37219615-741-3424

TexasZ.rrigion of Solid Wate Mgmt.

as Department of Health-1106-west 49th StreetAustin, TX 78756,512-458-7271

Industrial Solid Waste Unit .

Department of Water ResourcesP.O. Box 13087 Capital StationAustin, TX 78711512-475-2041

UtahMireau of Solid Waste Mgmt.State Division of mealthP.O. Box 2500Salt Lake City, UT 84110801-533-4145

Vermontolid Waste Programt

Agency of EnvironmentalConservation

State Office BuildingMontpelier, VT 05602802-828-3395

Virgin IslandsSolid Waste Planning OfficeDepartment of Public WorksGovernment of the Virgin IslandsCharolotte AmalieSt. Thonias, VI 00801809-774-7880

VirginiaBureau of Solid and Hazardous

Waste ManagementDepartment of Health.109 Governor StreetRichmond, VA 23219804-786-5271

WashingtonSolid Waste Management Div.Department of EcologyOlympia, WA 98504206-753-6883

West VirginiaSolid Waste-DivisionDepartment of Health1800 Washington Street, ECharleston, WV 25305304-348-2987

WisconsinBureau o ' Solid Waste ManagementDepartment of Natural ResourcesBox 7921Madison, WI 53707608-266-1327

W ominSolid aste Management ProgramDept. of Environmental QualityHathaway BuildingCheyenne, WY_ 82002307-777-7752

41

Other Pub libations

Bottles and Cans, Using Them Again. M ePhee,Gribble, PuLfin Books, 1977. (Viking Press, NewYork.) A Mtorful, well-illustrated booklet thatcontains many interesting activities involving thereuse of materials to make craft projects.

Don't Waste Waste. Environmental Action Coali-tion, 1976. Curriculum for grade levels 4-6includes bibliography and list of additionpl resour-ces.

Eco-News.. Environmental Action Coalition. A

monthly environmental newsletter for .young peo-ple.

Environmental Exchange... a Beginning. U.S. EA,rev. ed. 1980. Office of Public' Awareness. Cur-riculum for grades K-12.

Garbage Reincarnation. Sonoma CountyCommunity Recycling Center. $5.95. Instruction

7ual for grhdes K-6.

Importance of Being a- Garbologist. Group forRecycling'in Pennsylyania, rev. ed. 1979. Intend-ed for grades 3-6.

Let's Dump the Dump.. Channing L. Bete Co.,Greenfield, Mass., rev. ed. 1979. $.75 each, $.50per copy in order of 25-99, plus shipping. Cartoonpresentation explaining what is improper aboutdumps anSsuggesting alternatives.

Let's Go to a Recycling Center. G.P. Putnam'sSons, New York. 1977.

Recycling. An educational reprint from RangerRick's Nature Magazine. National Wildlife Fred-erationliNovember. 1971. Intended for grades 3-6.

Recycling and the Consumer. U.S. EPA, 1974.Office of Solid Waste order no. SW-117.1. Poster-size flyer describes what is and is not recycled,barriers to recycling, approaches to municipalrecycling, trends, and 'what the consumer can do.

kecyclopedia. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston,Mass. 1976. $3.95 paper, $7.95 hardcover.Developed at the Boston 1Children's Museum.Includes chapter on how to make games, scierweequiOment, and.crafts from recycled malerials.

42fik

\

Resource Recovery and You. ,(Chanhing L. BeteCo., Greenfield, Mass., rev. ed. 197g $.75 each

7$.51:11.-p\er copy in order 4c;f 25-99 copies, plusshipping. A cartoon presentation of facts aboutthe us, reuse, reprocessing, and reerling ofmaterials. ,

There Lived a Wicked Dragon. U.S. EPA, 4973.U.S. Government Printing Office order no. 055-002-00106-8. $1.20 each, $27.50 for packet ofN. Coloring/story book for grades K-3. \

Toys: Fun in the Making. U.S. Dept of HEW, rev.ed. 1979. U.S. Government Printing Office orderno. 0HD-79-30031. Insttucts children, how tomake toys out of commoh throwaway items, sUchas toilet paper rolls. Intended for preschool-6.

Use It Again Sam. U.S. EPA, 1978. Office of SolidWaste order no. SW-616. Four-page pamphlet de-scribes operation of Federal government's office-papef-- recycling program. (Also available: burntper fickeiti, order no. SW-414; and poster)

Wae Alert! A citirmn's Introduction to PubliciPae,ticipation in Wa§te-Ilanagement. U.S. EPA,,1979. Officei of Solid Waste order number SW-800. A 32-page pamphlet giving an overview ofthe nation's solid waste problem and the variousVteys in which the public can and should becomeinvolved in finding solutionS.

Waste Not, Want Not. U.S. EPA, 1972. U.S. Gov-ernment Printing Office order no. 055-002-00094-1, $.35 each, $4.50 per 100. Small poster

.de.als with trasic conservation issues from puttingas little as possible into the garbage can tostipporting community recycling prIrams.

What You Can Do To Recycle More Paper. U.S.EPA, 1975.' Office of! Solid Waste order no. SW-446. Twelve-page pamphlet discusses, the reey-cling options of consurners, householders, citizens,students\keachers, and employees.

A World Pit for ChVmunks and Other LivingThings. U.S. EPA Region VII, rev. ed. 1977.Coloring book or recycling litter, intended forgrades K-3.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Down Across1. metal 2. earth3. rust 5. oil4. home 6. rats7, tires 8. litter9. tree 11. energy10. rags

q

.,

V

INFORMATION SOURCES

Environmental Action Coalition156 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10010

Group for Recyclingin Pennsylvania

P.O. Box 7391Pittsburgh, PA 15213

National Wildlife FederationEducational Servicing1412 16th Street, NW.Washington DC 20036

Sonoma County CommunityRecycling Center

P.O. Box 1375Santa Rosa, CA 95403

U.S. EPA (A-107)Office of Public AffairsWashington DC 20460

U.S. EPA (WH-562)Office of Solid WasteWashington, DC 20460

U.S. OA Region VIIInformation Center Publications324 E 11th StreetKansas City, MO 64106

U.S. Government Printing OfficeSuperintendent of DocumentsWashington DC 20402

ijo 1844SW-801