Let's Recycle!
Lesson Plans
for 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 editing
and design is by the Office of Solid Waste.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1980
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Foreword
In December 1975,. the U.S. Environmental .Pro-
tection Agency gave financial and technical assis-
tance to a demonstration project in the city of
Somerville, Massachusetts, to determine the
feasibility of separating out recyclable household
waste from other waste prior to pick up. The
funds were granted on the premise that informa-
tion on this approach to resource recovery would
be of value to other municipalities throughout the
nation. This program was the first of its kind and
represented an opportunity to establish munici-
pal-scale, low-technology recycling as a viable
alternative to disposal.
A major factor in the success of the Somerville
program was an aggressive public education cam-
paign to inform residents of the program and the
importance of their participation. The school
system was used to help spread information to
children and, through them, to their parents.
These lesson plans are based upon those which
emerged as part of that educational effort (pre-
pared by John Madama, Steppingstones, Inc.).
Many of the ideas and activities were originally
developed by the Environmental Action Coalition
of New York City in a series of teaching packets
called "Don't Waste Waste." EPA acknowledges
permission for their use and permission by the
Atlanta Clean City Commission to reprint the skit
Throwaway Three."
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Contents
3t's Recycle
ntroduction iv
J~w to. Use These L jsson Plans v
develop a Fact Sheet vi
rades K-6
Topic One—What is Waste? 2
Topic Two—Where Does Waste Go? 3
Topic Three—How Does Waste Affect
Our Resources? 6
Topic Four—W-hy Is There So Much Waste? 9
Topic Five—What Can We Do About Waste? 11
\ctivity Puzzles • 14
rad«s 7-12
Topic One—What is Waste? . 18
Topic Two—How Do We Dispose of Our Waste?" 19
Topic Three—How Does Waste Affect
Our Resources? 23
Topic Four—Why Is There So Much Waste? 26
Topic Five—What Can We Do About Waste? 27
"Throwaway Thr-je"—A Short Skit 33
Make Your Own Paper 38
tate Solid Waste Agencies 39
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Grades K-6
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Let's Recycle!
In the United States today we
too often discard items which in
earlier times would have been
repaired or saved for other uses.
In faqt, many modern products
are designed for a relatively
short life followed by a speedy
trip to the refusr pile. The
refuse from the materials we use
daily adds about 140 million
metric tons per year to our
municipal waste (this does not
include the waste generated by
the industries producing these
materials). This quantity of
solid waste may be visualized by
imagining the New Orleans Su-
perdome being filled from floor
to ceiling, twice each day, every
day of t'-i? year.
How we dispose of all this waste
in an environmentally sound
manner is a complex and often
controversial issue. Water pollu-
tion not only results from direct
dumping into the seas, but also
from run-off and leaching from
dumps and burial sites. Air pol-
lution not only results from open
burning, but also from faulty
incineration and from gases
(caused by decomposition) sur-
facing in landfills. Fires, explo-
sions, noxious odors, rodents, and
disease must be guarded against
in all cases. And direct contact
with refuse is often hazardous to
the .public as well as to the
waste collectors and processors
(who, incidentally, have the
highest on-the-job injury rate of
any occupation in the nation).
Our disposal»options are steadily
being reduced. -Locating sites
for new landfills is getting more
difficult due to economic con-
straints, public concern ov
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By the same date, municipal
solid waste collection and dis-
posal costs will increase to
around $50 per ton, or S7.5 Kil
lion annually. . Longer hauling
distances from metropolitan
areas to landfill sites and more
stringent environmental regula-
tions push this cost upwarJs, as
do general 'increases in labor
costs and rising land values.
One of the chief ways to lessen
our waste disposal problems is to
reuse many of the things we
have habitually throv n out. If
we carefully consider all pur-
chases, we can reduce the num-
ber of item.s eventually thrown
away and also conserve our
dwindling resources.
Some of our trash has econor.ic
value. It can be sold or repro-
.essed to be used again to make
new products. Or it can be
burned to produce useful electri-
cal and other forms of energy.
This will also reduce our reliance
on foreign oil supplies f jr fuel.
Moreover, the recdVery of ma-
terials reduces1 waste "jid pollu-
tion and also conserves our
limited natural resources and
energy.
It is becoming increasingly im-
portant to make the public
aware of the hidden Mgarbage
crisis," which threatens to engulf
our cults, and our natural re-
source bt 36 as we)1. The school
system i< .in inva-.uaJle tool for
increas; i% panic awareness of
this problem. Teaeners are in an
excellent position to enlighten
our younger citizev concerning
how solid waste p.oolems relate
to them, and how '.hey can con-
tribute to a solution.
How to use these
iesson plans
The purpose of this guide is to
inform students of solid waste
problems and the options to dis-
posal. The activities were de-
signed to help students better
understand the world around
them, a world that faces m-.nv
health and environmental prc'o
lems caused by lack of ?.de<-;uate
pollution controls to protect the
air, water, and land. We hope
that these activities will stimu-
late the students to reassess
some of our present values and
habits in light of their impacts
upon our environment.
The lesson plans deal specifically
with waste and recycling,' but in
so doing encompass ?uch- broad
areas as- sona! and economic
issues, natural resources, and a
variety of pollution problems.
The manual is divided into two
sections: one for grades kinder-
garten through 6, anri one for
.grades 7 through 12. Tiie activi-
ties have been ilesigneJ to give
the teacher maximum flexibil-
ity—activities may easily be
eliminated, or modified, as class
needs predict. The teacher's
most important role is to gen-
erate enthusiasm, which is best
accomplished with student acti-
vities. Projects for all student's
should be encouraged, and the
teacher's role as a lecturer
minimized. Projects should b'e
designed so that the student's
personal involvement will carry
over into a continuing conscious-
ness for conservation in the
home.
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Develop a Fact Sheet
Y-ou or your class may want to
find the answers to the following-
questions in order to make these
lessons relate directly to your
community.
1. What is the population of
your community? How many
families?
' 2. How many tons of gar-
bage does your community dis-
pose of each day? (This infor-
mation may be obtained from
the Department of Public Works
or the Department of Sanita-
tion.)
3. How many pounds are dis-
posed of per person per day?
Per year? (The national average
is 3.5 pounds per day, or 1,300
pounds per year per person, but
each community is different.)
4. How much does it cost to
dispose of the waste per ton?
(The average cost to landfill in
1976 was $30 per ton.) How
much does this cost your com-
munity every day? Every year?
5. How is garbage disposed
of in your -community? Is it
burned, buried, dumped? Is any.
of it subject to resource recov-
ery processes, for example, sep-
arate collection of newspapers,
cans, and bottles?
6. Is there a recycling pro-
gram in your town? Is it run by
the city or by private citizens? .
An article describing the results
of this survey might be prepared
for publication in the school or
local newspaper.
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r
Topic One—What Is Waste?
Waste is material that is no longer used or needed
Vocabulary: waste, dump, burn,
garbage, wastebasket.
To lead .into this activity:
Q- Who knows what waste or
garbage >s?
Q- What are some other names
we have for waste?
Q- Where do we put our class-
room waste?
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.)
Q- Where does it go?
Q- Has anyone ever seen a big
dump or a place where gar-
bage is burned?
An activity to follow the above
would be to have the children
draw their impressions of a
dump. Another possibility would
.be to make a montage of pic-
tures of products from a maga-
zine jumbled together like in a
dump. The students could go on
a field trip to a sanitary landfill.
and draw or write their reactions
to the site.
There are many different types of waste
Vocabulary: metal, glass, plas-
tic.
The teacher or students should
bring in as many clean and dif-
ferent examples of waste as
possible. Include plastic, news-
paper, cardboard, stationery,
different types of cans and glass.
Have the children sort the waste
into categories such as all paper
waste, metal, glass, plastic.
They should manipulate it as
much as possible to feel the dif-
ferent textures and shapes.
Have the children see which ob-
jects are attracted to a magnet.
Play a game whereby objects are
placed in a paper bag and the
children use only their sense of
touch to determine if it is glass,
metal, plastic, or paper.
Have the children trace outlines
of the objects and make pictures
of them to color. What are their
shapes?
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Topic Two—Where Does Waste Go?
Clean air, water, and land are necessary for our
happiness and survival
Vccibulary: air, water, soil.
To illustrate these media and
ttieir importance to us you will
need: a balloon (have one of the
children blow it up), a glass of
water, and a potted plant.
Let the air out of the balloon
allowing the children to feel the
air on their hands. Make sure
they understand that this is air
that was in the balloon.
Q- Why do we need air?
Have them take a doep breech to
understand that without clean
air we could not live. Discuss
with them the wind, airplanes,
whistles, fans—tliese all illus-
trate" air and its movements.
They .an ma^e a fan out of
folded 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 anyone have a garden?
Q- If we had no soil could we
have any food?
Waste is disposed of in the air, water, and land
Q- How many have ever seen
pollution? What kind?
Q- Why is pollution bad for us?
Q- What is the worst type of
pollution? Have the child-
ren vote. The contestants
are: smoke, dirty water;
litter, a*>d open dumps.
Q- Why are these bad for us?
(Smoke burns our eyes; lit-
ter is ugly.)
How does our waste pollute?
This question should tie to-
gether and reinforce the un-
derstanding that waste pol-
lutes by smoke, dirty water,
Utter, and open dumps.
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Have the children look for signs
of pollution on the way to and
irom school. This activity is
especially good for litter hunts
with the teacher. The children
can count the number of differ-
ent types of litter.
Q- What is the most common
: type? .•
Q- Where is the most litter
found?
Q- What is a litterbug?
This activity gives the option of
having the children clean up the
litter around the school.
What happens at the dump?
The teacher should take a large
plastic or glass jar filled with
moist dirt and ask the children
to add the following items: A
metal barrette or paper clip, a
piece of plastic, a piece of
aluminum foil, a piece of news-
paper, a piece of- food (apple,
orange skin). instead of one
minidump for the whole class,
different individuals or groups
can make their own. Add a little
"rain" from time to time.
Explain to the children that this
is the way waste is piled on an
open dump. Observe what hap-
pens over the following weeks to
the objects in the jar. Over a
period of time you can expect
the food to rot and smell if the
jar is opened. The newspaper
will also decompose,, the metal
barrette will gradually rust, and
nothing will happen to the plas-
tic or aluminum foil. A group or
individual could monitor the
changes and put them on a chart.
The teacher should point out to
the students that better ways of
disposing of our garbage on the
land are being developed. Child-
ren should be aware that the
environmental problems associa-
ted with open dumps can be
eliminated with sanitary land-
fills, which will continue to be
the major form of disposal for
many years to come.
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Some problems with open burn-
ing of waste may be examined by
using 'a -tin can with air holes
punched around the bottom.
Loosely place in it small pieces
of waste food (such as orange
peel, egg shell, small piece of
carrot), a.1 uminum foil, plastic
wrap, glass, and newspaper. In a
safe place outdoors, the teacher
should light a match to the con-
tents. Have the children observe
what happens.
Q- Do 'juu see any smoke? A.iy
ash'
Q- What things melt?
Q- Could the heat given off be
used? For what?
The paper will burn easily. The
food will chac, but net really
burn. The plastic will catch on
fire and drip down into the pan,
giving off fumes as a result of
its petroleum base, and leaving a
sticky residue. The metals will
not burn at all.
Q- When we burn our'garbage,
wherj does the smoke, go?
Is this air pollution?
Q- What can happen to us when
there is too much smoke
getting in to the air?
Explain that wasce cp.n be burned
safely and wit'iout bad effects
on the environment if properly
constructed and operated incin-
erators are used. Th'ise inciner-
ators must have special controls.
to avoid polluting the air.
Explain that garbage can also
pollf.te water. Illustrate-by hav-
ing the children place different
types of garbage into a clear
bowl containing clean water,
shredded paper, food scraps, a
tin can, a dark liquid such as
coffee. Let the children observe
the chang ;s in the water after
each addition.
Further state that , ^ater be-
comes polluted by ^.ii'bage eveni
when the garbage is not put d;-
rectly into the water.
Illustrate by pouring some ink
01 to a mound of sand that *;>.t
b en placed in a bowl. Expla u
chat the ink represents the po;." ••
t^.iits in garbage. Sprinkle wa',»;t
over the mound (to repr".sen
rain) until it drains onto ti(
bowl. Explain that the ./ate
would run off into rivers am
lakes or would seep down int<
the ground and pollute the wate
there.
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Topic Three—How Does Waste
Affect Our Resources?
The materials we use come from the earth
Vocabulary: earth, soil.
Have the children name some-
thing made out of paper, metal,
glass, and a favorite type of
food.
Using, the blackboard or a large
piece of paper, help the children
to trace these materials back to
the source. Examples: • Cereal
box - paper - wood - trees - soil
-earth.- Pop bottle - glass - sand
- rocks - earth. Metal can -
rocks - earth. Apple - trees -
soil -earth.
Ask the children if they can
think of anything that they use
that is not provided by the earth.
(The children will probably name
some things but, on close exam-
ination, it will be seen that these
things are actually made from
the earth's natural resources.)
Waste uses up the materials of the earth
Illustrate tire use of & natural re-
source.
From a container labeled "earth,"
pass out clay explaining that this
is an example of taking the
earth's resources to make things
with.
Let .the children make models of
things that they like to use.
Write the words BURY, BURN,
and DUMP/LITTER on 3 small
boxes or cups.
I ot the students place their clay
product into the boxes they
choose.
Q- After we bury, burn, dump,
or throw away our car,
paper, etc., what will
happen to it?
Repeat several times to show
that as we buy and use products
we use up the supply of the
earth's materials. Point out that
the resource container is now
empty and that the resources
have been used up; there is no
more clay with which to make
new thimrs.
Point out how heavy the garbage
can is, that someone will have to
take it to the disposal site, that
it would contribute to pollution,
and that it will take up room at
the site. Also, point out that it is
still valuable material that can
be used.
Q- Can we ever get back the
things we threw away?
Which ones, if possible?
Q- What is going to happen if
we keep taking materials
from the earth? What will
happen when we run out?
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Sug^e-c that instead of throwing
the clay away it could be reused.
If we did this with all our gar-
bage, very little would have *.o
be hauled to a disposal site, and
we would not take as much from
the earth. Point our that the
heat generated by burning could
be used, thus saving some of our
precious fuels.
The following illustrate that by
wasting the things' we use in our
home we are using up the vital
resour ce supply of the earth.
each child to list all the
different containers that provide
his or her evening meal. (Inc'.ude
ail the materials used to nake
the container.) For example, a
child eats soup, hamburger, ket-
chup, apple sauce, carrots, ice
cream and milk. The list might
resemble the following:
Soup— metal can with label.
Hamburger— clear plastic
and styrofoam wrap.
Ketchup— gkss bottle, me-
tal cap, paper label.
Apple Sauce— glass jar with
metal top and paper label.
Carrots— plastic or paper
bag.
Ice Cream— paper or card-
board container.
Milk— waxed cardboard con-
tainer.
Ask the students to keep a count
of each material used and the
total containers used. They will
be interested in seeing which
family threw away the most
items. Stress accuracy — there
will be a tendency to give elabo-
rate totals and to magnify the
amount used.
When estimated totals are gain-
ed for the number of containers
thrown away by the whole class
for one meal, it will be a rather
amazing number. (See activity
eleven.) To continue this illus-
tration, have the class multiply
one meal by three to get an
estimate for one day. Next mul-
tiply the class's total by the
number of classes in the school.
This total will be even more
amazing to them.
An. average count c' thrrv.away
containers per family should '<•*
mads. Then multiply b; the
number of familie? for the total
number of containers thrown
away in your community for ono
day. Then multiply by 365 days
in a year. Review that these
containers are made of resources
that are necessary for survival.
Have the students imagine that
all the containers the class
threw away last night were
stacked up in a corner of the
room.
Q- How much of the room
would it occupy?
Q- How much of the room
would a week's worth of
garbage occupy?
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It costs us money to dispose
of our waste
If aach person in your commun-
ity (pop. ) throws away 3.5
pounds of refuse each day:
0- How many pounds does this
equal in one day?
Q- How many tons is this?
Have the children try to imagine
where all this refuse is being put
every day of every year in every
city. Reinforce that the above
figures are only for your com-
munity.
You can also go further and get
figures for your State and the
entire U.S. Restate that these
are resources that can be put to
good use.
If it costs your town about $30
for each ton of refuse that is
disposed of properly:
Q- How much does this cost per
day?
Q- How much does this cost per
year?
'Q- Where does this money
come from?
Some statistics on the. board will
help the students to realize the
enormous amount of resources
we are throwing away. We
Americans throw away each year
approximately:
28 billion bottles—glass
60 billion cans—metal
4 million tons of plastic—
petroleum
40 million tons of paper--
wood
.100 million tires—rubber
3 million cars—metals
To have the children better
grasp these enormous numbers,
ask them if they stacked 1 mil-
lion pennies on top of each
other, how high the pile of pen-
nies would be. Answer: over
5,000 feet. (Compare to the
height of a familiar mountain,
monument, or building.) This is
an easy math problem using
about 15 pennies to the inch.
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Topic Four—Why Is There
So Much Waste?
Population and lifestyle affect
the amount of waste
Draw a squaro on the floor witfi
chalk, approximately fhe feet
by five feet. This square can
also be delineated by grouping
chairs to form the perimeters.
Ask one child to step inside the
square holding one piece of solid
waste, probably scrap paper.
Emphasize that each person in-
volved cannot step outside the
square once he or she is in it.
Then ask another to step in, as-
sume they then have '.wo child-
ren, those two marry and have
two children, etc. The number
will grow very quickly yet the
square remains const-nt. Ask
the students how th-y would be
able to get anyone ovt of the
square. As the square grows
more crowded, obvious reactions
will be observed, especially
pushing, restlessness, and- gen-
eral aggressive bena /ior.
Ask all the students to return to
their seats, having fir;t dropped
their pieces of solid waste in the
square. The result they will see
will certainly be solid waste pol-
lution. This graphically bringsi
home ' the concept of mcve
people, , more waste, that Dun
crowded cities have limitedl
space, and that the amount ofl
waste pollution increases everyi
year,
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A "?sual aid in the form of a
bulletin board or display could be
constructed using packages and
pictures of packaging brought.
from home by teachers and stu-
dents. "Actual packages work
best, but carefully chosen pic-
tures are also valuable. The
bulletin board display can evolve
into a comparison of "good" and
"bad" packaging. If pictures or
student drawings are used, a
theme on how packaging has
changed could be developed. A
discussion of which packages are
excessive and not needed could
be held. The board can be broken
down into three categories:
1. Nature's packaging: co-
conut, bananas, peanuts, etc.
2. Older types of packaging:
paper bags, pottery, returnable
bottles.
3. Modern packaging, plastic
wrap, styrofoam, egg cartons,
plastic-coated milk containers,
individually wrapped packets.
Q- What are these packages Q-
made of?
Q- Where did they originally
come from?
Q- Can they be recycled or re-
used? Which ones?
Q-
Point out the ways in which
packaging can prevent waste:
reducing spoilage, individual
servings, distribution efficien-
cies, etc. Ask if some packages
seem to use excessive materials'
and thus contribute to the waste
problem.
How would you design an
ecological package (one that
requires as little energy and
as few resources as possible
for its production or dispo-
sal)?
What about the ice cream
cone? What other packages
can you eat?
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Topic Five-What Can We Do About
Waste?
Recycling takes old waste and turns it into new
materials
Vocabulary: recycle
This activity is very important
since it introduces the concept
of recycling and reuse as an al-
ternative to disposal. The child-
ren should become very familiar
with the word "recycle" and use
it frequently.
Write the woro "recycle" on the
board or a large sheet of paper.
Next to it draw a picture of a
bicycle wheel. Point out to the
children that b> th end i.i the
word "cycle." ,
A bicycle wheel ijoes around and
around—the word recycl*- 'neans
to use over and over agair c,r go
around.
Point out that when wa recycle
something, it does not add to our
disposal problem but goes back
around into something new. Old
paper can become new paper.
Old cans and glass become new
cans and glass, toys, etc.
Have the children imagine some-
thing old and what it could be
turned into by recycling. Exam-
ple: an old soup can may be-
come part of a new fire engine;
a pop bottle may become a new
window in the school.
Q- Has anyone ever heard of a
"junkman" who goes around
( looking for people's trash?
Q- What might there be in one
person's waste that would
not be trash or waste to
someone else?
A possible homework assignment
related tu this concept would be
to ask the students to write a
short story, real or imaginary,
describing something valuable
that they found buried in the
garbage. The stories should in-
clude accounts of the previous
owners and reasons why the ob-
jects were thrown away.
List the possible advantages of
recycling:
1. Reducing pollution
2. Saving natural resources
3. Saving energy
4. Saving money
Set up a "use-it-again" box for
your classroom. Have the stu-
dents paint,-color, or paste pic-
tures on it. Place in it all ma-
terials that can be used again.
For example, paper that has only
been used on one side can be
used again for drawing paper.
quiz sheets, etc. Craft items
from home can also' be brought
in to make collages and other art
projects (egg cartons, margarine
tubes, thread spools, etc.)
Set up a "swap box" where the
children can bring in old toys or
objects that might be thrown
out. They can \ trade an old toy
for another one that is new to
them.
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20
Have a show-and-tell session
where the children bring in ob-
jects and discuss how they could
be reused or recycled.
If there is a recycling program in
your community where you can
bring paper, cans, butties, or
ether materials, s_t up a recy-
cling box for. the classroom.
.Markets tor collected materials
may be found under "wastepa-
per," "scrap dealers," or "recy-
cling centers" in the Yellow
Pages. When you take the
materials to the center bring the
class to see how it is run. If you
receive money for the recy-
clables plan a class trip children
will remember.
Organize a play or a fair (or
both) centered around the theme
of recycling and its possibilities.
If you have a fair you might
include artwork related to
recycling, collages made out of
•scrap, 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 class
learning experience into an ed-
ucational opportunity for your
whole community.
Take a field trip to a papermill
to see how paper is made.
Things to do at at home:
Use things more-than once:
1'. Use, grocery bags to hold
-garbage instead • of- buying gar-
bage bagr..
2. Use grocery bags to wrap
packages io send.
3. Us.e grocery bags for art
projects.
4. Use small, bags to carry
your lunch to schook-
Give things that we can no long-
er use to people who can use
them.
12
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Recycling in nature
:t*i 1t>
9-
Vocabulary: mold
Mold Gardens -
change.
How things
As a demonstration place very
small pieces of fruit such as ap-
ple, orange skin, and bread on
top of some moist soil in a con-
tainer. Cover with clear plastic
and rubberband. Observe the
changes.
As!< thf cnildren if they know
what is growing on the food?
Explain to them that these are
molds and that they help return
things to the soil by feeding on
the food.
This activity completes the cy-
cle by shov;ing that recycling is
something nature has been doing
all the time.
*
Collect dead leaves in several
stages of breakdown.
Q- Do you know what becomes
of all the leaves that are on
the ground in the fall.
Q- Where do they go next cum-
mer?
Make the connection that leavec
become soil by letting the chil-
dren see and reel the layers of
leaf and soil that you collected.
Make a large <»rt project showing
the cycle of leaves. The illus-
tration would show how a tree's
leaves fall, decay into the soil,
nourish the tree by making the
soil richer, and thus help the
tree to grow and produce more
leaves.
Another way -:o illustrate would
be to print the follc tfing words
on 3 x 5 caras: soil, buds, roots,
green leaves, trunk, dead leaves,
branch. Distribute the seven
cards to seven children' at ran-
dom. After ea:h child has shown
its card to the cl.iis, give a long
piece of strirg to the child hold-
ing the card marked "soil." Ask
the children to arrange them-
selves in the proper order of
growth. As each determines its
oorrefyonding position, he or she
should take hold of the string.
They should end up in a circle.
-------
Recycling Center
Please
do not litter
-------
•r
Recycling Center
-------
Crossword Puzzle
Down
1. Cans are made of this.
3. Items made of iron or steel
will do this if left outside.
4. Where recycling begins.
7. These are made of rubber
and take up a lot of space at
disposal sites.
9. A lot of paper can be made
from one.
10. Old clothes, towels, and
sheets.
Across
2. Everything we make and use
comes from here.
5. Used to make plastic and to
run rrc-chines.
6. They like to live at open
dumps.
8. Trash which is thrown along
highways and in parks.
11. We can produce this when
we burn waste.
Answers on inside back cover
-------
Grades 7-12
-------
Topic One—What Is Waste?
Waste is material that is no
longer used or needed
Q- • What is waste?
Q- What ary some of the other
names we have for waste?
Using a goo'd dictionary, look up
and discuss the cultural origins
of the words garbage, trash,
junk, refuse, rubbish, scrap. List
the above words in their order of
offensiveness to you. Does this
list have any relation to the ori-
gin of the word?
Q-
What types of waste are
produced from an average
household?
Which ones 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 of
beef stew. The main compo-
nents to be traced are meat,
potatoes, tin can, paper label.
For example: MEAT—grain
from the earth, steers eat grain,
steers slaughtered, we eat beef.
Result—grain waste, manure
waste, slaughter waste, sewage
waste, table scraps.
-------
I cwoa
1C 1 WO
How Do We Dispose of
Our Waste?
Present solid waste disposal
causes pollution of our air,
water, and land
What is rreant by "throwing
something away?"
Q- Where is away?
Q- How are waste products dis-.
posed of in our society?
(Dumping, littering, burning,
burying, recycling)
Q- How does our town dispose
of its residential waste?
This activity should take place in
a laboratory vrith the proper
equiprient such as goggles, bun-
sen burner, ttr.gs, and a fume
hood.
Proper VentHsuon and Safety is
stressed, crucially for plasticsT"
Break the class into teams. Giv
-------
Take a large plastic OP glass jar
and fill it with moist soil. Add
small pieces of the following ob-
jects. A metal barrette or paper
clip, newspaper, plastic, food
(apple or orange peel), aluminum
foil. Add a little "rain" from
time to time.
Explain that this is the way solid
waste is piled on an open dump.
Periodically over the following
weeks, examine the things in the
jar to see if anything happens to
them. Over a period of time you
can expect the food and newspa-
per to begin to change. The.
metal will rust. Nothing will
happen to the plastic or alumi-
num foil. Make a chart to dis-
play your findings.
Q- Do you know the location of
any open dump* in this
area? What do you think of
them?
Q- How does an open dump
pollute? (Water pollution
from liquids and metals
•leaching to groundwater
supply. Air pollution caused
by smoke from fires and
gase.s after decomposition
of materials. Many open
dumps are found in wet-
lands, interfering with eco-
system- maintenance and
flood control. Odors and rat
infestation. Unsightly. Uses
up valuable land that is in
short supply.)
Q- What happens when we run
out of space to dump?
Q- In what ways would it be
better if the waste was
buried in a sanitary land-
fill—one designed to pre-
vent leaching and build-up
of gases from decomposi-
tion? What problems would
still remain?
Discuss litter.
Q- What is litter? Name some
examples that can he found
on the way to school.
Q- What is the most common
type?
0- 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 disposal costs money
Find out the population in ycur
community. If each person
throws out about 3.5 pounds/day:
Q- How many pounds are dis-
posed of per week, month,
and year per person?
Q- How many tons of solid
waste are generated in your
community each day?
Q- How much does an average
family "throw away" per
week?
Q- How much is thrown away
each year in the United
; States based on your com-
munity's average? (Popula-
tion = 225 million, answer =
; 144 million tons/year.)
As a homework assignment have
the students list all the ontain-
ers that made their evening
meal. Have them involve their
parents. List bags, bottles, jars,
cans, and packages. Calculate
total containers per class,
school, and city ( fam-
ilies) for one mea£
Q- How much does it cost our
town to dispose of its refuse
for one year if it cost $30 to
dispose o' ,1.^ ton?
Q- Where does this money
come from?
Find' out from your Department
of Sanitation how much the
weight and post of waste has
changed in your community over
as many years as records are
available. Graph the results to
show the increase.
-------
Waste has value when it is reused or recycled
Ask the students to think about
the different kinds of things poo-
pie throw away.
Q- Would rich people throw out
different kinds of things
than poor people? What
about the junkman or the
antique stores?
Q- What might there be in one
person's trash that might be
a treasure to others? Re-
late any personal experien-
ces with such discoveries.
Q- Has anyone in the class sold
scrap metals or furniture
for money?
Q- Can we ever get back the
things we throw away?
Recycling is a process of use and reuse
Q- What does recycle mean?
Break the word into parts:
". RE-CYCLE
Q- What does the prefix "re"
mean?
Q- What are some other words
that begin with that prefix?
(repair, redo, return, re-
source, renew, restore)
Q- What does LJ~s word "cycle"
mean?
It should become clear from the
above that recycle means to do
or 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? (See Topic Five for a more
complete discussion of recycling
and reuse.)
-------
Topic Three—How Does Waste Affect
Our Resources?
The materials we use come from the earth
and are in limited supply
List on the blackboard the dif-
ferent materials that compose
refuse. Trace each of these
back to its original source.
(Paper to wood to trees to soil to
earth. Glass to sand to pebbles
to rocks to earth. Metal to
rocks to earth. Plastic to petro-
leum to fossil plants to edrth.
Food to animals and plants to
earth.)
Investigate where different ob-
jects in your classroom come
from.
Introduce the word "resource" as
anything that is available for
valued use or has plant, animal,
or human utility.
Q- What are the natural re
sources in the above list?
0- Why are natural resource^
important?
Q- Are our resources in endles--
supply?
Q- What will happen if we con
tinue to waste our nature
resources by burning, li'.cer
ing, dumping, or burvuu
them?
Q- Can we invent anything tha
does not use up natural re
sources?
-------
Some resources are non-renewable and
thus irreplaceable
In order to introduce the concept
of renewable versus nonrenew-
able natural resources, the class
should obtain a collection of
items that would normally be in-
cluded in the waste stream. Ex-
amples of products from natural
resources that can or cannot be
renewed (or re-created):
* aluminum cans, from baux-
ite (nonrenewable)
* tin-plated steel cans, from
iron and tin (nonrenewable)
* glass bottles, from sand,
soda ash, and limestone
(nonrenewable. but in plen-
tiful supply)
* paper, from wood (renew-
able)
* cardboard, from wood (re-
newable)
* organic waste, such as plant
clippings and food scraps
(renewable)
* plastic containers or bags,
from petroleum (nonrenew-
able)
The students should be helped to
examine these and discuss where
the raw materials to make them
come from. In the discussion it
should be pointed out that alumi-
num, tin, steel, and petroleum
are all nonrenewabte resources,
and, as such, are being wasted
daily under our present disposal
system. Paper and cardboard
come from the renewable source
of wood (trees), but that is being
used at a faster rate than it can .
be produced commercially. The
students should be able to place
the solid waste discussed into
the categories of renewable and
nonrenewable resources.
Why are some materials nonre-
newable? Because they are the
result of geological processes
which take millions of years to
complete.
The following suggests the quan-
tities of some of the.products
Americans use each year.
28 billion bottles—glass
54 billion cans—metal
4 million tons of plastic—
petroleum
40 million tons of paper--
wood
204 million tires—rubber .
3 million cars—metals
How big is a billion? Calculate
the height of one million and on-e
billion pennies stacked on top of
each other. There are 15 p*n-
nies to the inch.
Have the students imagine the
land space- required to dispose of
these items. Also remember that
these are only final products.
-------
Resources are unequally distributed around
the world
Mount a map of the world on the
wall. Have the students list the
raw .materials used to make pa-
per, plastic, metal cans, alumi-
num cans, rubber, etc. Include
oil'as the energy source to man-
ufacture these products.
Pinpoint c;ach primary source on
the map. State the fact that the
United States, which possesses
only 5 percent of the world's
population, uses about 40 per-
cent of its -esources.
Q-
What countries' are involved
in supply ?
Does our consumption of re-
sources affect the people
who live in these countries?
What could happen if other
countries begin to consume
as much an we do?
What could happen if'avail-
able resources begin to run
low? What would be the
effects on society?
Q- Does scarcity of resources
ii.crease the possibility of
war?
Q-
Q-
Q-
Q- How fan we begin to lessen
.our dependency on foreign
coun'.ries for resources?
What will be the effects of
such actions on our society?
Discuss alteratives including re-
ducing consumption and recy-
cling.
Energy is required to process raw materials
and 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 short
supply?
Identify and list the types and
points where energy is required
in the mining, transportation,
and manufacture of glass, paper,
or metal items. Point out that
resource conservation reduces
the need for energy and that
recycling some materials takes
less energy than their original
manufacture (aluminum, for
example).
Discuss the option of burning
solid waste to ' generate energy
and reduce the need for other
fuels.
-------
Topic Four—Why Is There So Much
Waste?
Waste generation varies according
to population and lifestyle
Packaging materials account for
more than 50 percent of all con-
sumer waste. This packaging has
grown quickly in volume over a
very short period of time. From
400 pounds per person in 1958 to
over 6000 pounds per person at
the present time. In earlier
times packaging was at a mini-
mum and items were sold in
either natural or reusable con-
tainers. Today, packages range
from soup cans to plastic bubble
packs that hold a dozen screws.
To demonstrate now life styles
effect the amount and types of
packaging used, have the stu-
dents make up & typical meal.
List all the containers and pack-
aging that conve *ith the items.
Remember a glass bottle or can
is a package. Examples:
Chicken—clear plastic over
paper plate.
Carrots—Plastic or paper
bag, or box if frozen.
Discuss the purposes- of; packagr
ing. Some of these are: reduc-
tion in waste due to spoilage,
prevention of contamination,
increased efficiency in distribu-
tion, portion control, and pro-
duct attractiveness.
Q- What purposes do the listed
packages serve?
Q- Have you noticed an in-
crease in packaging over the
last few years?
Q- Are any products over-
packaged?
Q- What packaging would you
suggest for your imagined
meal?
Q- Which packages could be re-
cycled?
Conduct a survey in you local
supermarket looking for ex-
amples of the following three
types of packaging:
1. Natural packages, i.e.,
oranges.
2. Older and reusable pack-
ages, i.e., paper bags, paper
wrapping, glass jars that become
drinking glasses, returnable bot-
tles.
3. Modern packages, i.e.,
plastic, styrofoam, tin foil, indi-
vidual wrappings.
Find five of #1, five of #-2, and
ten of #3. Make a large list for
the 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 which
packages reduce waste and
which increase waste.
-------
opic Five—What Can We Do About
Waste?
Plants and animals depend upon nature's
continuous recycling process
Discuss the following cycles with . 3. Water Cycle
t'.ie students. Have the students
give examples which they see
around them.
Sun evaporates water from
oceans and lakes.
1. Nutrient Cycle
Plants take up nutrients from
soil to make sugp.r.
Animals eat planti and return
nutrients to soil through body
wastes.
Plants and animus die .and de-
cay, returning n .trients from
decaying parts to soil.
2. Oxygen Cycle
Plants give off oxyger. «•& a
waste product of photosynthesis.
Animals take in oxygen for res-
piration.
Animals exhale Co_.
Plants use Co. for photosynthe-
sis.
Water vapor forms clouds when
cooled.
Clouds release water as rain.
Plants and animals use water.
Water not used runs into lakes
and oceans.
4. Mineral Cycle f
Matter is continually being built
up into mountains and , then
eroded into sediment. What was
once sediment on an ocean floor
becomes the highest mountains,'
which eventually return to the
sea. New mineral matter is
vented from volcanos while
other minerals are being return-
ed to the eann's interior.
-------
19 i
Composting is a process whereby
plant material is returned to the
soil by the action of microscopic
fungi and bacteria. This class of
organisms is called decomposers
and is- a vital link in nutrient
cycles. The process enriches the
soil as a natural fertilizer while
reducing the amount of solid
waste requiring disposal.
The students can make and
investigate their own compost
operation.
1. Place the following or
similar organic material in a
plastic bag or outside in a mark-
ed area: fruit peels, leaves, old
bread, coffee grounds, green
tops of vegetables, potato peels.
2. Chop and mix them up
with some water and soil.
3. Twist and tie the bag
securely, or cover the mound
with earth.
4. Open the bag once a day
to allow oxygen inside. It is
needed by the decomposers for
breakdown of the materials.
Discuss what is going to happen.
Have the students keep a record
of the process of decay. Note
odors, texture, and other
changes.
Q- Which materials decay the
fastest?
Q- How long does the complete
decay process take!
Make a wet-mount preparation
and stain to use as a microscopic
examination of the decomposers.
Q- How many different types
of organisms can be found?
Q- What would our landscape
look like if these organisms
. did not exist?
Q- What objects would not de-
cay if placed in our compost
pile?
To illustrate the nutrient cycle
take a soil profile by digging out
a wedge of soil about 4 to 6
inches deep. Use a location
where there are freshly fallen
leaves. Observe the layers of
leaf breakdown into the rich top-
soil. Peel off each layer. WUt
other things besides leaves can
you find in the profile that might
hasten decay? Look closely.
The same could be done with a
rotting log. How do its inhabi-
tants hasten decay?
'** it.
21 :
To illustrate the water cycle,
make or show the students a
terrarium. The following ma-
terials are needed: glass contain-
er with an airtight top, gravel,
soil, various types of small plant
life.
Have the students observe the
water droplets clinging to the
top. Where does this water
come from? Is it necessary to
ever add water to a terrarium?
To further illustrate condensa-
tion point out t,-> the students
that when the weather if cold
they "see their breath." This is
due to water vapor being rpleas-
ed as we exhale warm air and
condensing on contact with, cold-
er" air. The same process is
involved in cloud formation.
Steam is another example.,
-------
People can imitate nature by giving new life
to materials that are decay resistant
o* in short supply
products found in solid
waste from the home and school
can be recycled. This activity
serves as a review of solid waste
problems and explains how glass;
paper, aluminum, and tin-plated
stael cans are recycled. The
activity is taken from the Envi-
ronmental Action Counci.' s
"Don'-i Waste Waste."
Introduction and Review
The teacher should try to •Licit
tpe sequence of steps l.i recy-
cling these materials. Also a
comparison can be made of how
these items pollute when dumped
or burned on the land versus the
effect recycling has on their
fate.
GLASS is made from soda ash,.
stnd, and lime. It can remain in
a disposal site indefinitely and
does not break down into its or-
ganic components. To be recy-
cled, it must first be sorted by
color and crushed into small
pieces called "cullet." The
culiet is melted down into a
solution and then molded into
glass containers. Other products
made from recycled glass bottles
are insulations, and road-patch-
ing material.
ALUMINUM is made from baux-
ite, which is a nonrenewable re-
source. It takes a great amount
of electricity to produce alumi-
num. Nature cannot decompose
or break it down, so disposal fs a
prcolem. When it is recycled it
is melted and then shaped again
into new cans and other,items.
Making aluminum cans from old
aluminum takes only 5 percent
as much electricity as frcm
bauxite.
TIN-PLATED STEEL CANS are
made of iron ore and tin, neither
of which are renewable resour-
ces. The cans will eventual'y
rust and break down, so they a-e
not as much of a probler as
some other metals. HOWPV<>< ,
throwing them away is a waste
of valuable metals. In the recy-
cling process the cans are put
into a huge container with holes
in the bottom. This container is
immersed into a caustic solution
which takes the tin off the cans.
Then the steel cans are washed
and sold as Number 1 Grade
Steel. The tin is removed from
the caustic solution by electroly-
sis and made into ingots which
are sold to companies requiring
tin.
PAPER is made from a renew-
able resource—trees. Paper is
recycled by first shredding it in-
to small pieces and mixing it
with water. This mixture is
beaten into a . mush-like pulp
which flows onto a moving
screen througl- which most of
the water p'eiSfcs. The wood or
paper fibers re.nain. T^e fibers
are pressed through hea»*7 rollers
that remove more wa>r and
then sent through steac -nested
dryers. The result is recy.'led pa-
per. You can make reoy.'led pa-
per in class. i
i
This activity can become a re-
search project for small groups
or individuals. Suggested topics
for the groups are The Story of:
* an Aluminum Can
* a Plastic Tube
* a Cardboard Box
* a Tin Can
* a Glass Bottle
Reproduce and give each student
the following material to help
them tell about their particular
resources.
-------
THE STORY OF THE
I am a(n) container. Please tell my story by finding answers
to the following question:
.1. What flo'Ilook like?
2. Why do I have a label?
3. What are some of the things I am used for?
4. What am I made of?
5. Where do my manufacturers 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 the raw 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. Am I thrown away after I am used?
12. What chemicals are released when I am burned? Are they harmful
if released into the environment? Can they be filtered and disposed
of properly?
13. D'i> I break down into earth again if I am buried? If so, how?
14. Do I disingegrate if I am thrown into a river, lake, or ocean? If
so, how?
15. What are some ways in which I could be re-used?
16. Can I be recycled? Am I 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 me?
*The manufacturer who makes me?
*The company which uses me?
*The 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?
-------
By recycling we can reduce pollution,
conserve limited natural resources
and energy, and save money
"?.ch classroom may want to be-
gin to recycle its v/astepaper. Is
there a recycling program in
,your community? Check in the
Yellow Pages of your telephone
directory under "recycling pro-
grams," "waste paper," or "scrap
dealers," for a market for your
IMper. Be sure to ask exactly
what kind of paper they accept
(newspapers, magazines, white
bor.o paper, etc.), and if they
\vo\ld also ?. ;cept glass, alumi-
nur., bi-mrtU cans, etc.
Ha\o the students record the
we€;idy or i.ionthly results of
their program. Record and
graph the ••eduction in solid
waste disrosod through old sys-
tems and th'i amount of glass,
paper, and cv_ns recycled.
Follow and record the fluctua-
tions in the selling price of the
recycled materials. Research
the reasons behind these
changes. Calculate total money
saved.
Find out how much paper your
class, other classes, and your
school are recycling. Encourage
the students to tell their parents
about recycling.
Have the students survey at
least three different people con-
cerning their attitudes toward
recycling to get an idea of the
differences of opinion that exist.
They should interview their
friends, parents, and neighbors
on whether or not they wot'Id be
willing to source separate their
garbage (for example, setting
newspapers in stacks apart from
other waste) so it could be more
easily recycled.
Sample Survey Questions
1. Would you recycle? At hor e?
In the office?
2. Why would you recycle? Why
not?
3. What would encourage you to
recycle?
4. Which is more important to
you about recycling?
* Saving money?
* Reducing pollution?
* Reducing the need for
additional sanitary land-
fill sites?
Make a chart on the board and
tabulate results. This activity
can develop a number of excel-
lent process skills such as inter-
viewing, measuring, categoriz-
ing, comparing, and observing.
Besides reducing pollution and
saving natural resources.and en-
ergy, your community can save
money by recycling. For' this
activity, assume that your com-
munity could save about $30 per
ton in disposal cost and earn $10
for each ton of material sold tc
a scrap dealer.
Q- If 30 percent of all of the
communty's refuse couldv be
recylcd, how much molrieyi
's/aid the city make in one
year?
-------
Given, the physical properties of
tin-plated steel, glass, and alu-
minum, devise a mechanical sys-
tem for separating them out of
the solid waste which comes
from a home.
Make a survey of products in a
supermarket that are made from
recycled materials. Look for the
recycling symbol on boxes and
bags.
Research why there aren't more
recycled materials in the, mar-
ketplace. The more we recycle
the more recycled materials will
begin to appear. Are there any
barriers that favor virgin "mate-
rials over recycled ones?
Research and debate the issue of
the returnable bottle versus the
no-deposit, no-return one. What
effect will returnable bottles
have 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 and
the government can contribute
to the solution of the solid wast.a
problem. For example, many
businesses and commercial en-
terprises recycle their office
paper and corrugated cardboard,
and the Federal government has
a program. to recycle all of its
high-grade office paper. Do
businesses in your community re-
cycle their paper? Perhaps older
students, can conduct a survey of
local merchants and businesses
to determine the amount and
types of waste they produce and
whether they are.currently doing
any recycling. Supermarkets or
chain stores are a good place to
start since many of. them bale
and recycle their cardboard
wastes. If a nearby. Federal gov-
ernment building or a private of-
fice building has a paper recy-
cling program, you may want to
plan a class trip to see how it
works.
-------
Throwawav Three
A short skit
By Fay Bradley
Reprinted from "Lessons From Litter" by permission of the
Atlanta Clean City Commission
"Throwaway Three" is a skit in rhyme written for three actors, br> a
different person may oe used for each of the ten roles, thus
involving a larger number of students.
•
Each part has three notations beside it. The first is the 'character
(Monkey, Cpvedweller, etc.). The second is that character's date in
history. MaKe signs for each of these, dates and have one person hold
up the appropriate date sign at the appropriate time in the skit. The
third notation (on the right hand side/' describes the props. This
includes both the costume for the person in history and the articles
thrown away.
The centra* idea ij that as the skit prog esses, ee.,h person throws
more trash on ihe pile m the middle of th . room ?,o that a high stack
is created. The skit suggests that one way to suivi the problem is to
recycle. A discussion of ways to solve che problem of too much
garbage and trash migjt follow the performance.
-------
Person .1
All
Person 2
90,000 BC
(Monkey)
Person 3
50,000 BC
(Cavedweller)
All
Person 1
200 BC
(Roman)
Person 2
1200 AD
(Briton)
All
Person 3
1630
(Settler)
Person 1
1700
(Colonist)
THE THROWAWAY THREE
This is the tale of the Throwaway Three
Of Man and his Garbage throughout his-to-ry:
Now they're very nice people, just like you
and me,
Who all have a problem, as you will soon see—
What shall they do with their garbage and trash?
Why, throw it! Or bury it! Or burn it to ash!
I represent people when we lived in a tree.
I get rid of my garbage so easily?
It's a snap! It's no problem—to me, or to him.
We just let go, plop! Down through the limbs!
I am a cavedweller who lives on the ground.
What do I do with old stuff all around? .
Why,,burn it, like meat; burn it up in the fire;
Or bury it like bones, in the muck and the mire.
Yes, throw it, or bury it, or burn it to ash!
That's how we always get rid of our trash!
I am a Roman who lives in the town.
Our laws won't allow me to just throw it down.
I have to drag it away for a mile
And then I can dump it, forget it, and smile!
lama Briton, wary and quick;
Down on our street it can get pretty thick.
When housewives up there want to pitch out their goo,
They just leave it out there and yell: "Gardy-loo!"
(Person 1 stands on chair and yells "Gardy-loo!")
It will stay there and stay there until the next rain,
Or until our fair London should burn down again.
Oh, what do we do with our garbage and trash:
.We throw it, or bury it, or burn it to ash!
I am the settler. I came without much,
Oh, a rifle, an axle, some few tools and such.
But everything else I must make with my hands.
So I don't throw out much—I use all I can.
Cloth scraps become quilts; I reuse my bent nails.
It will be a long time 'fore the next trade ship sails.
I am a colonist; now life's not so tough.
We have trade between cities that brings lots of stuff
And some things are made by our townfolk today,
I could buy a new harness, throw this old one away.
We have pigs and hogs running loose in our street,
If I toss it out there, they'll eat it up neat!
PROPS
Monkey Masks
Banana Peel
Orange Peel
Skins
Roman Helmet
Bag of Trash
Sack of Trash
Pilgrim Hat
Quilt
Coohskin Hat
Leather Harness
(or Belts)
-------
PROPS
All
Person 2
1890
(Industrialist)
Person 3
1950'
(Scientist)
Person 2
(Industrialist)
Person 3
(Scientist)
Person 2
(Industrialist)
Person 3
(Scientist) .
'"irson 2
industrialist)
Person 3
(Scientist)
Person 2
(Industrialist)
Or I might bury it right over there.
Or I might burn it; nobody would care.
You see; the New World is the same as the Old!
We trashmakers come from a time-honored mold.
What are we still doing with garbage and trash?
You guessed it! Throw it or bury it or burn it to ash!
i'm the industrial person and new on the scene,
I mass-produce goods with my trusty machine.
This sweater, handmade, took a week in days of yore,
uuc now in one hour, I can mak'; forty-four.
I make things so cheaply, you can now afford two,
And throw out twice as much trash as you need to do.
i am the scientific person in the new post-war age.
We've learned a Tew tr.^ks while the war shortage raged.
When we couldn't get natural stuff to process
We invented synthetics to replace the rest.
Engineer's Cap i
C Sweaters
. (One handmade;!
two machine-made)
Lab Coat I
Rayons and nylons, acrylics and plastics
For furniture and clothing and even elastics;
Forget your old woolens and silks and your cotton;
Real wooden toys and washboards are forgotten.
Our new stuff will last till forever, you see
Even when it's worn out to you and to me.
Permanent pressed, pre-sized and pre-slirunk
When dingy and old, it's still permanent "junk"
(Person 1 yells, "Junk."'
We make instant menus that come in a pack.
You just boil the food in its own -plastic sack.
Or our TV dinner in its tinfoil tray
It's quick; you don't wash it; just throw •;. away!
We make lots of TVs and clothes dryers, too.
Don't ask for a trade-in; you're kidding, aren't you?
Our new cars all change with each model year,
Don't try to repair them, the cost's much too dear.
Besides, we don't bother to make last year's parts
For Skylarks or Novas or Cougars or Darts.
It's the New Thing, the NEW-that America craves.
So out, out with the old stuff, away to its graves.
So what if there're more of us buying more goods?
So what if they won't rot away as they should?
Nylon Stockingsi
Plastic Bags & Container
Perma-Pressed Shin
Plastic Ba<
TV dinnei
Broken Small Appliance
Toy Cai
-------
Person 1
(Indian)
Person 2
(Industrialist)
. Person 3
(Scientist)-
Person 2
(Industrialist)
All
Now wai.t just a minute! You cannot fail
To include me in your historic trash tale.
We Indians lived simply, on prairies, in woods,
We made no high trash piles, nor mass-produced goods.
Let me be your critic, show you where you stand;
And tell you just how you're defiling our land.
Your new-fangled goods will not rot away.
When you throw- them all down they remain where they lay
Then you say you will bury them deep in the ground: •
All your urban trash will make quite a mound!
So then you would burn it, in smoldering masses
And fill up our air with smoke, deadly gases!
Oh, all of your answers have faults everywhere:
You'll either ruin the water, the land or the air.
What's more your resources—your lumber, your ore—
Get smaller each year than the year just before.
And what's more—this old earth's not making any more.
PROPS
Indian Headband
You're right. Our resources are shrinking away
While our garbage problem grows bigger each day.
We're always converting resources to refuse
Instead of recycling them for reuse!
Oh stop it! Don't drop it! We'll think of a way
To make food for cows that's much better than hay.
Don't burn it, return it—we'll make something new.
A vase for your mother, a spyglass for you.
(Flower in bottle for vase, flower out, bottle
, held up to eye for .spyglass)
Don't bury it, carry it—back to the mill.
Well make a new blanket to ward off, the chill.
It's time we progress past the Disposal Age
And make recycling the popular rage! ~
We'll have to give up old solutions for trash
And all realize that its pure balderdash—to just -
Throw it, or bury it, or burn it to ash'!
Throw Out Old Blanket
and Cola Bottle
Pick Up Orange Peels
Clear Bottle
Flower
Pick Up Old Blanket
and Wrap Around-
Shoulders
END
-------
Discussion
The skit shows the children that people have
historically gotten rid of solid waste successfully
by throwing it our, burying it, or burning it. But
none of 'iliese methods solves modern urban gar-
bage problems. T^e discussion should attempt to
reinforce this concept. One way this can be done
is to discuss the characters in the skit; how they
disposed of r.heir garbage or trash and why their
method of dohg so was either satisfactory cr not
satisfactory.
Monkey: Threw it down.
No problem developed because no large con-
centration of monkeys existed. The gar-
bage disintegrated. . •
Cavedweiler: Threw it, burned it, buried it.
These acts still did not cause a problem for
the same reasons.
Roman: Threw it.
Tossing out garbage began to be a problem
because of the many people who lived in
cities, but it was easily solved by taking the
garbage out of the city.
Briton: Threw it.
A problem grewt because more and more
people moved to the cities, thus Deducing
more trash thaif-they could get rid of in the
city.
Settler: Had virtually no garbage.
Colonist: Threw it, burned it, buried it.
Greater trade resulted when people did not
use goods until they wore out, but then more
things to be discarded began to accumulate.
Industrialist:
With a greater concentration of people in
cities than ever befc • and more buying
because machine-raue'goods were cheaper,
much more was thrown cut.
Scientist:
The big change to synthetics plus the use of
enormous amounts of natural resources are
causing tremendous problems.
We can't throw away our trash. There simply is
no such place as away. Care is always required to.
prevent our trash from having bad effects on our
lives.
We can't bu-y it all. Not enough places are
available. Besides, the modern synthetics do not
rot when buried.
We cari't burn it all. Some of the synthetic goods
simply 'on't burn. Most of the burning equ'rsa
expensi1 e and often elaborate controls to prevent
air pc'la'ion. AJI^ there is always ash or some-
thing lef c over which must be buried.
We are literally running out of some natural
resourcts so tr-s* «iy form of disposal of certain
goods is self-def .->.ting. :
-------
State Solid Waste Agencies
Alabama
Division of Solid Waste
and Vector Control
Department of Public Health
State Office Building
Montgomery, AL 36130
205-832-6728
Alaska
Air & Solid Waste Mgmt. Program
Dapartment of Environmental
Conservation, Pouch 0
Juneau, AK 99811
907-46f.-2635
American Samoa
Environmental Quality Commission
American Somoa Government
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799
(overseas oper.) 633-4116
Arizona
Bureau of Sanitation
Department of Health Services
411 North 24th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602-255-1156
Arkansas
Solid Waste Management Div.
Deoart.aent of Pollution Control
and Ecology, Box 9583
Little Rock, AR 72219
501-371-1701
Solid Waste Program
Department of Energy
3000 Kavanaugh
Little Rock, AR 72205
501-371-2234
California
State Solid Waste Management
Board, Be; 1743,
1020 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-322-3330
Hazardous Material Mgmt. Section
Department of Health Services
744 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-322-2337
Colorado
Department of Public Health
4210 East Eleventh Avenue
Denver, CO 80220
303-320-8333
Commonwealth of
North Mariana Islands
Environmental Protection board
Dept. of Health Services
Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950
(overseas oper.) 9370
Div. of Environmental Quality
Department of Public Health
and Environmental Services
Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950
Connecticut
Solid Waste Management Unit
Dept. of Environmental Protection
165 Capital Avenue
Hartford, CT 06115
203-566-3672
Industrial <5c Hazardous Materials
Management Unit
Dept. of Environmental Protection
(same address as above)
203-566-5148
Connecticut Resource Recovery
Authority, Suite 603
179.Allyn Street
Hartford, CT 06103 ,
203-549-6390
Delaware
Solid Waste Management
Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control
Edward Tatnall Building
Dover, DE 19901
302-678-4764
District of Columbia
Dept. of Environmental Services
415 Twelfth Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20004
202-727-5701
Florida
Solid Waste Management Program
Dept. of Environmental Regulator!
2600 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32301
904-488-0300
Georgia
Environmental Protection Div.
Dept. of Natural Resources
Rm. 822
270 Washington Street, SW.
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-2833
Guam
Environmental Protection Agency .
Government of Guam
P.O. Box 2999
Agana, GU 96910
(overseas oper.) 646-8863
-------
Make Your Own Paper
screen
dish
rolling pin
What you need
10 pieces of tissue or newsprint
A piece of screen
A flat dish, a little larger than the screen
4 pieces of blotting paper the size of the screen
A bowl
An egg beater (it wcr cs better with a blender)
A round jar or rolling pin
Newspaper and blotter paper •
2 cups of hot water
2 teaspoons of instant starch (for stronger paper,
if desir'ed)
What to do
1. 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. Mir .. the starch if desired.
4. Four the mixture into the flat dish--
5. Slice the screen into the bottom of the
dish and move it around until it is evenly
covered with pulp.
6. Lift the screen out carefully. Hold it level
and let it drain for a minute.
7. Put the screen, pulp side up, on a blotter
on some newspaper. Put another blotter
over the pulp, more newspaper over that.
8. Roll the jar over 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 screen
very carefully. Don't move the pulp. There
is your paper.
10. Put a dry blotter on the pulp and let it
dry.
-------
Hawaii
Environmental Health Division
Department of Health
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801
808-548-6410
Idaho '
Solid Waste Management Section
Department of Health Sc Welfare
Statehouse
Boise, ID 83720
208-334-4108
Illinois
Division of Land
-------
•?ew Mexico
'Olid and Hazardous Waste
Management Programs
iealth and Environment Dept.
'.0. Box 968
:«ewn Building
ianta Fe, NM 87503
i05-827-5271 Ext. 282
'Jew York
Division of Solid Waste Mgmt.
Department of Environmental
Conservation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY 12233
518-457-6603
North Carolina
Solid and Hazardous Waste
Management Branch
Division of Health Services
Department of Human Resources
S.6. Box 2091
Raleigh, NC 27602
91:-733-2178
North Dakota
Division of Environmental
Waste Management & Research
Department of Health
1LOO Missouri Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58505
701-224-2382
Ohio
OTFTce of Land Pollution Control
Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-
614-466-8934
Oklahoma-
industrial & Solid Waste Se;vi e
Department of Health
P.O. Box5355l
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
405-271-5338
Oregon
Solid Waste Management Division
Dept. of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 1760
Portland, OR 97207
503-299-5913
Pennsylvania
Bureau of Solid Waste Management
Dept. of Environment&i Resources
P.O. Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-787-9870
Puerto Rico
Environmental Quality Board
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 11488
Santurce. PR 00910
809-725-2062, Ext. 229
Rhode Island .
Solid Waste Management Program
Dept. of Environmental Mgmt.
204 Health Building
Davis Street
Providence, RI 02908
401-277-2808
Rhode Island Solid Waste Corp.
39 Pike Street
Providence, RI 02903
401-831-4440
South Carolina
Solid Waste Management Division
Department of Health and
Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-758-5681 .
South Dakota
Air Quality and Solid
Waste Programs
Department of Health
Carnegie Library Building
Pierre, SD 5750"l
605-773-3329
Tennessee
Division of Sc .id Wsste M.gmt.
Bureau of tm ''ronmer.tnl Services
Department of Pub'ic Health
Capito) HUM B.-Jg., Suite 326
Nashville, TN 37219
615-741-3424
Texas
Division of Solid Wasle Mgmt.
Texas Department of Health
1100 West 49th Strpjt
Austin, TX 78756
512-458-7271
Industrial Solid Waste Unit
Department of Water Resources
P.O. Box 13087 Capital Station
Austin, TX 78711
512-475-2041
Utah
Bureau of Solid Waste Mgmt.
State Division of Health
P.O. Box 2500
Salt Lake City, UT 84110
801-533-4145
Vermont
Air and Solid Waste Programs
Agency of Environmental
Conservation
State Office Building
Montpelier, VT 05602
802-828-3395
Virgin Islands
Solid Waste Planning Of fir:
Department of Public Works
Government of the Virgin Islands
Ch^.rolotte Amalie
ot. Thomas, VI 00801
809-774-7880
Virginia
Bureau of Solid and Hazardous
Waste Management -
Department of Health
109 Governor Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-786-5271
Washington
Solid Wastr Management Div.
Departmenc of Ecology
Olympia, WA 98504
206-753-6883
West Virginia
Solid Wast- Division
Department o' Health
1800 Washington Street, E •
Charleston, WV 25305
304-348-2987
Wisconsin
Bureau of Solid Waste Management
Department of Natural Resources
Box 792.1
Madison, WI 53707
608-266-1327
Wyoming
Solid Waste Management Program
Dept. of Environmental Quality
Hathaway Building
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-7752
-------
Other Publications
Bottles and Cans, Using Them Again. McPhee,
Gribble, Puffin Books, 1977. (Viking Press, New
York.) A colorful, well-illustrated booklet that
contains many interesting activities involving the
reuse of materials to make craft projects.
Don't Waste Waste. Environmental Action Coali-
tion, 1976. Curriculum for grade levels 4-6
includes bibliography and list of additional resour-
ces.
•'-/! - '
Eco-News. Environmental Action Coalition. A
monthly environmental newsletter for young peo- •
pie.
Environmental Exchange... a Beginning. U.S. EPA,
n;v. ed. 1980. Office of Public Awareness. Cur-
riculum for grades K-12.
Garbage Reincarnation. * .
Community Recycling Center.
manual for erades K-6.
Sonoma County
$5.95. Instruction
. Importance of Being a Garbologist. Group for
Recycling in Pennsylvania, 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, $.50
per copy in order of 25-99, plus shipping. Cartoon
presentation explaining what is improper about
dumps and suggesting alternatives.
Let's Go to a RecyelioeCeater.
Sons, New York. 1977.^
G.P. Putnam's
Recycling. An educational reprint from Ranger
Rick's Nature Magazine. National Wildlife Fed-
eration, November 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 municipal
recycling, trends, and what the consumer can do.
Recyclopedia. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston,
Mass., 1976. $3.95 paper, $7.95 hardcover.
Developed at the Boston Children's Museum.
Includes chapter on how to make games, science
equipment, and crafts from recycled materials.
Resource Recovery and You. Channing L. Bete
Co., Greenfield, Mass., rev. ed. 1978. $.75 each
$.50 per copy in, order of 25-99 copies, plus
shipping. A cartoon presentation of facts about
the use, reuse, reprocessing, and recycling of
materials.
There Lived a Wicked Dragon. U.S. EPA, 1973.
U.S. Government Printing Office order no. 055-
002-00106-8. $1.20 each, $27.50 for packet of
100. 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 order
no. OHD-79-30031. Instructs children.how to
make toys out of common throwaway items, such
as toilet paper rolls*. Intended for preschool-6.
Use It Again Sam. U.S. EPA, 1978. Office of Solid
Waste order no. SW-616. Four-page pamphlet de-
scribes operation of Federal government's office-
paper recycling program. (Also available: bum-
per sticker, order no. SW-414; and poster)
Waste Alert! A Citizen's Introduction to Public
Participation in Waste Management. U.S. EPA,
1979. Office of Solid Waste order number SW-
800. A 32-page pamphlet giving an overview of
the nation's- solid waste problem and the various
ways in which the public can and should become
involved 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
deals with basic conservation issues from putting
as little as. possible into the garbage can to
supporting community recycling programs.
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 recy-
cling options of consumers, householders, citizens,
students, teachers, and employees.
A World Fit for Chipmunks and Other Living
Things. U.S. EPA Region VII, rev. ed. 1977.
Coloring book or recycling litter, intended for
grades K-3.
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