Solid
Waste
|
|
Why Should I Waste My Time Separating Garbage?
Introduction | Invitation | Exploration | Explanation | Taking Action | Conclusion
In this lesson, you will discuss the differences in the types of garbage and then use these differences to separate a sample of garbage. You and your partners will then investigate the characteristics of landfills by searching on the internet and by creating your own mini-landfills.
Objective
Upon completion of this lesson you should be able to discuss the importance of separating garbage and describe the basic components of a landfill.
Materials
- garbage
- trash bags
- rubber gloves
- newspaper
- scales
- two rinsed 2 liter bottles
- utility knife, scissors, rubber bands
- soil
- one half gallon bucket of gravel
- one 3-inch swatch of cheesecloth or nylon stocking
- one gallon bucket of regular soil (not potting soil)
- plastic food bags
1.Demonstration - For this activity, you will need to collect the trash that is produced by your classroom during one full school day. After collecting it all, you may think that it is time to take it and throw it away. But before you do, please discuss the following questions:
Where do you plan on throwing it out?
How do you know know that all of the garbage can go to the same place?
Where does the trash normally go?
What are different ways of disposing of garbage?
Instead of throwing out the garbage why don't we see what's in it. Choose someone to empty the garbage bag onto some opened newspaper on the floor. Using rubber gloves, sort the garbage into different piles, according to your groups opinion of how the trash should be separated. Next, use the scales provided to measure the mass of each pile and then develop your own method to estimate the volume of each pile. Record each of your measurements.
Now that you've developed your own method for taking care of trash, it is time to visit some Web sites to find out the ways in which the general population disposes of garbage. As you investigate these sites, answer the questions below on your lab reports.
What is in our garbage and how is it disposed?
1) What are the primary ways trash is
disposed?
2) What item of trash do you think takes up the most space
in a landfill? Why?
3) Since 40% of the trash is composed of paper, what are
other ways this could
be disposed of other than
landfills?
4) What are some differences between old-time dumps and the
modern landfill?
5) Do you think it was necessary to change the way garbage
was being dumped?
Explain your answer.
Constructing Your Own Landfills
Now comes the fun part. It is time to create your own landfills. Use the directions given below and the materials provided to complete your mini-landfills. Enjoy yourself but please be careful.
Procedure:
- Cut two 2-liter bottles in half as shown in the diagram. Cut Bottle A about 3 inches from the top and Bottle B 9 inches from the cap; for safety, let your teacher make an incision with a utility knife and then you can cut around the bottles with scissors; if any of the edges are jagged, trim them with scissors; the base of Bottle A will be the base of the landfill.
- Cover the top and neck of Bottle B with a piece of cheesecloth or nylon stocking and secure it with a rubber band.
- Turn the top portion of Bottle B upside down and place it on top of the base.
- Recycle the bottom portion of Bottle B.
- Place the first layer of gravel and soil as diagrammed. Fill the bottom of the bottle with a 2 inch layer of gravel followed by a 1 inch layer of soil.
- After the first two layers, place pieces of garbage (about 2 inches high) on the gravel/soil layer and cover with a 1/2 inch layer of soil (see Diagram C at the end of the activity).
- Add a second 2 inch garbage layer and cover with this final layer with a full inch of soil. The layers of your landfill are now complete.
- Now that the body of each landfill has been prepared, gradually pour two cups of water on top to simulate rainfall; cap each landfill with the top half of the original bottles. The landfill you've constructed leaks slowly from the bottom. If you want to observe how a sealed landfill responds, just tip your landfill upside down and place the tightened cap at the bottom.
- If you can, observe how the landfill changes over time. When storing your model landfills, keep them in a dark room or at least away from direct sunlight to simulate landfill conditions.
Note: You may choose
to vary the amount of water you add to the landfill to model
the
rainfall in your area and different parts of the
state.
As the next part of this lesson we will analyze the trash that was collected and then compare it to the trash of of our American/Russian counterparts. As part of this process, please complete the following items:
1.
Construct a data table that shows the weight and volume of
each pile of trash that
your group produced.
2.
Make a graph that shows the percent mass and volume of each
of trash piles.
percent mass = mass of pile/total mass of trash
x 100
3.
Post these findings on Internet Solid
Waste bulletin board
and compare data with
American/Russian counterpart's data. What differences did
you find? Write an
explanation of why there are any differences.
4.
Discuss these findings. What are the similarities and
differences in the ways
Americans and Russians dispose of their trash? What can we
learn from the way
other people dispose of the trash?
5. What are some potentials problems associated with landfills? If time permits, post these problems on Solid Waste bulletin board and compare data with American/Russian counterpart's data.
If possible, take a trip to a landfill. During your adventure consider the following questions:
Is the
landfill in a suitable
location?
How soon
will the landfill have to close due to
size?
Is there
evidence that the landfill had a problem with
leakage?
Write a
paragraph in your journal on your experiences with the
landfill.
If you can't make
the trip then consider the
following:
Do you think
that there any alternatives to taking paper to a landfill
(40% of American's trash is paper)? Post possible
solutions on the Solid
Waste bulletin board
to be shared with Russian/American
counterparts.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned about the importance of sorting garbage before discarding the trash. We have also learned about landfills and their importance to our societies.