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Part of the VCAL Youth Eco-Challenge curriculum resource.
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Unit 9: Waste Not, Want Not
‘How long does rubbish last?’ activity guide
This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. A copy of this licence is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‐nc/2.5/au/ or by writing to [email protected]. However logos are protected by copyright.
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Unit 9: Waste Not, Want Not
‘How long does trash last?’ activity guide
Estimated duration: 20 minutes
Aim • To predict that rate of decomposition of different materials • To develop solution‐oriented thinking about waste materials
Outcome By the end of this class, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate awareness of how materials that we create for one use only create problems that will extend far into the future
Resources Collect the following objects for each group of 3 or 4 in the class: •Aluminium can (soft drink can) • wool sock • cigarette butt • cotton rag • plastic jug • leather boot • paper bag • plastic rings for holding 6‐packs of cans (e.g. beer) • glass bottle • rubber sole of the leather boot (above) • styrofoam cup • tin can (eg soup or vegetable can) • banana
Activity Description
1. Collect the objects listed above.
2. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 and ask them to predict the order that each object will decompose.
NB. Students can complete the activity using a list, but the actual objects make the activity more real and engaging.
3. Go through the answers:
1. banana 2. paper bag 3. cotton rag
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4. wool sock 5. cigarette butt 6. leather boot 7. rubber sole of the boot 8. tin can 9. aluminium can 10. plastic rings for holding 6‐packs of cans (e.g. beer) 11. plastic jug 12. styrofoam cup 13. glass bottle
4. Ask students to try to predict how long you think each item will take to degrade. The answers are as follows:
• banana ‐ 3 to 4 weeks • paper bag ‐ 1 month • cotton rag ‐ 5 months • wool sock ‐ 1 year • cigarette butt ‐ 2 to 5 years • leather boot ‐ 40 to 50 years • rubber sole ‐ 50 to 80 years • tin can ‐ 80 to 100 years • aluminium can ‐ 200 to 500 years • plastic rings for holding 6‐packs ‐ 450 years • plastic jug ‐ 1 million years • Styrofoam cup ‐ unknown – forever? • glass bottle ‐ unknown – forever?
5. Ask students to comment on:
• how close their predictions were •if they were surprised by any of these decomposition times
6. Discussion: Ask students to look at the list and reflect on how many times each item gets used before it gets disposed of. Local councils are finding it increasingly difficult to find places for landfill. There are increasing volumes of waste and no’ one wants to live near a landfill site. Rubbish trucks have to travel further and further to deposit rubbish. It is a waste of fuel and tax payers’ money and pollutes the atmosphere. Much of the material in landfill takes a million years to decompose. What possible solutions do students envisage for the future? Brainstorm some ideas to help solve the problem. Students may question some of the following practices: the use of plastics in throw away containers, plastic shopping bags, cornstarch substitutes, recycling, creating legislation to restrict the types of materials producers can use and/or buy back schemes for cans and bottles. For example, South Australia has had a buy‐back scheme on bottles and cans for many years, where you get paid 5 cents per bottle you return. In 2009 the Victorian Lower House of Parliament voted against introducing a similar scheme, even though it was passed in the senate. Students could investigate this issue as a research project.
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Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Complete activities and worksheets Work cooperatively with others
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Organise materials and equipment Provide encouragement Introduce tasks and activities Provide assistance when requested.
Assessment To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as: Teacher checklist and observation Student research notes and report Copies of student materials and worksheets Student notes Teacher checklist for class discussions
