Why Do I Need to Recycle? LESSON 2
Recycling Benefits Everyone
Did you know that there is a limited amount of space on earth? That’s right, if we keep trashing our world, there won’t be any space left for us to live. One way that we can help reduce our waste is to recycle. Recycling allows us to get rid of our waste and potentially use those materials for other purposes. Recycling conserves energy as well as resources. Recycling one ton of paper saves: • 4,100 kilowatts of electricity • 17 trees • 7000 gallons of water (this could fill 2 tanker trucks)
What Can Be Recycled?
These are just a FEW of the many things that can be recycled and/or reused: • •
• • • • • • •
Plastic Paper (newspaper, office/school paper, corrugated cardboard, magazines, catalogs, telephone directories and unwanted "junk" mail) Aluminum Tin and steel cans Glass (clear and colored) Yard waste Computers and other electronics Motor oil Car batteries
Recycling Conserves Energy
We all know that people produce a lot waste and that it’s necessary to recycle as much as we can to keep from filling up our nation’s landfills too quickly. But did you also know that the simple act of recycling saves as much as 95 percent of energy? Preserving our planet’s natural resources and promoting a healthy environment depend on our efforts to conserve energy. Recycling is just one of the many things you can do to stay energy efficient.
Did you know? • • • • •
Recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours. Recycling 1 glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours. Production of recycled paper saves 60 percent more energy than manufacturing new paper. Production of recycled aluminum saves 95 percent more energy than new aluminum. Production of recycled glass saves 50 percent more energy than new glass.
How Long Will Litter Last? Aluminum cans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
500 years
Glass bottles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,000,000 years
Plastic bags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 - 20 years
Plastic jug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,000, 000 years
Tin soup can. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
80 - 100 years
Disposable diaper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
500 years
Rubber boot sole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
50 - 80 years
Leather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
50 years
Wool sock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 year
Orange and banana peels. . . . . . . . . . . .
3- 4 weeks
Cigarette butts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1- 5 years
How Do You Recycle?
By now, we all know that recycling benefits everyone, but are there specific guidelines about what should or should not be recycled? Contact your local recycler for specific details in your area, but below are some things to keep in mind when recycling: • • • • •
Make sure things are clean. Rinse bottles and cans, and keeping boxes out of the weather makes them easier to process. Pay attention to what goes into your bin. A cereal box would be great, but a greasy pizza box might not be best. Make sure you take the caps off of plastic jugs and bottles. Instead of throwing out your yard waste, create a mulch pile to save room in the landfill. Things you probably won’t want to recycle: styrofoam, light bulbs, food-soiled paper, wax paper and ceramics.
Did You Know? • • • •
All steel products are 100 percent recyclable. Recycling aluminum reduces energy use by 90 percent. Recycling paper reduces air pollution by 74 percent. For every pound of recycled PET flake used, energy use is reduced by 84 percent and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced
Test Your Environmental IQ 1. What item is recyclable? a. Steel products b. Light bulbs 2. Factories produce ____ a. pollution b. oxygen 3. Which is healthier ___ a. riding your bike b. driving an 18-wheeler 4. Carbon dioxide is ___ a. a garden shed liquid b. a greenhouse gas 5. Are potatoes a fossil fuel? a. YES b. NO 6. A solar farm makes suns. a. YES b. NO 7. The world is getting warmer. a. YES b. NO 8. Recycling is ____ a. running around in circles b. re-using trash and not throwing it away 9. Who does recycling benefit? a. nobody b. everybody 10. Can you help the environment? a. YES b. NO
What Can be Recycled? Instructions: Draw as many recyclable items as you can to fill the recycling bin.
Litter Bag We all know litter is bad, but is some litter worse than others? Have your students break up into groups of 4-6 and give each group a “litter” bag containing the listed items in the box below. Each group should empty their bag and discuss how each item should be disposed of (recycled, reused, composted, trashed, etc.) which are the best and worst for the environment, how the items hurt their community if not disposed of properly, etc. When all the groups have finished, have them report their decisions to the class. Record the reasons for choosing items as undesirable. Have them define litter and why they believe litter is undesirable.
You will need: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Paper bag Disposable cup Small glass bottle String Leaves, sticks, etc. Snack/chip bag Plastic six-pack yoke Candy bar wrapper Balloon Orange peel Paper Soda can or bottle
Can You Find These Words? There are some materials in our homes that can be recycled. Some of these materials may be found in the puzzle below. They may appear forward, backward, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Aluminum Cans Asphalt Brass Cars Concrete Copper Glass Gold Jars D R U V R E P A P S W E N C E
E M W L T S H D L T B G F E C
A O F F I C E P A P E R D O T
G T Z C N O G A S I C A A X A
Lead Leaves Metals Motor Oil Newspaper Office Paper Paper Plastic Iron N O K J C P X P T Z U G W S S
C R L Z A P O E I U B S A U S
O O U D N E Z R C H D T O H A
N I O G S R O S S T E E L A L
C L T W L N W Q W O O D E J G
Steel Tin Cans Tires Wood Zinc Rags
R S N A C M U N I M U L A C F
E F X I S M E T A L S N V H Y
T O S E I B V A J M I D E C Z
E S R T A C L T L A H P S A I
P I H D A E L L Z W R Z P R N
T C O R R U G A T E D S Q S C
Decode the Message Solve the following math problems. Then find the letter in the key that matches the answer to solve the coded message. 24 + 34 = ______ I
53 – 38 = ______ L
16 + 16 = ______ K
91 – 39 = ______ D
33 + 32 = ______ N
77 – 65 = ______ E
19 + 3 = ______ O
91 – 15 = ______ P
42 + 21 = ______ C
34 – 15 = ______ R
11 + 7 = ______ F
88 – 41 = ______ S
17 + 22 = ______ G
52 – 25 = ______ A
53 + 39 = ______ T
72 – 31 = ______ B
47 + 26 = ______ U
28 – 12 = ______ Y
______________
____________________
________
52 22 65 92
18 22 19 39 12 92
92 22
__________ 41 73 16
_________________________________ 19 12 63 16 63 15 12 52
_________________________________ ! 76 19 22 52 73 63 92 47
Color the Can Guy Fast Fact from the Can Guy: More than 50 percent of a new aluminum can is made from recycled aluminum.
Don’t Trash Electronics Not only are electronics bad to put into the landfill, they are filled with valuable resources and materials including metals, plastic and glass. So, instead of throwing them out, donate them to a charitable organization or recycle them. You’ll conserve natural resources, decrease pollution and possibly help someone in need. It’s a win-win! Did you know? •
Recycling one million laptops saves energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,600 homes in a year!
•
For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
•
It takes 539 pounds of fossil fuel, 48 pounds of chemicals and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture a computer and monitor.
•
A laser ink cartridge can take up to 450 years to decompose in a landfill.
Challenge: Take a look around your house and classroom. What electronic items do you see that can be donated or recycled instead of trashed? Make a list of these items, and come up with a plan to properly dispose of them when you replace them.
