Solid Waste Term Project

Transcription

1 Overview In this project, students will evaluate various aspects of solid waste management (recycling, littering, economics) as it impacts their school and community and will develop recommendations for improving aspects of the school s and city s solid waste programs. Objectives Students will take action in investigating several aspects of solid waste management at their school through hands-on exploration. Students will use measurement and other math skills to determine their school s green efficiency in handling solid waste. Evolving Cities Lesson 6 Solid Waste Term Project By Colleen Ranney SUBJECTS Environmental Science Math Service Learning Students will use investigative skills including research and interviews to gain a broad understanding of how solid waste is managed in their school and community. Students will make suggestions for solid waste management based on their findings. Solid Waste *Each project has specific and unique objectives. Materials and Resources Research Resources Internet Your state s Department of Environmental Protection or equivalent solid waste website EPA solid waste website *Other materials vary according to selected project Physical Environment Setting Classroom, school campus, various offsite locations. Time Needed Suggested Timeline if beginning in the Fall Selection of Project: Mid-December First Draft of Report: Mid-January Final Draft of Report: Late January Glossary Terms: Solid Waste 219

2 Background Information In 2009, New Jersey generated slightly more than 9 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), of which 3.5 million tons were recycled, for a 37.1 percent municipal solid waste recycling rate. That s a slight decrease from the 2008 rate of 37.9 percent, down from a high of 45 percent in Union County s MSW recycling rate was 31.3 percent. New Jersey s state goal is to recycle 50 percent of its MSW.* Reducing bulk solid waste that is transferred to landfills is a key environmental and sustainability goal. Through these investigative projects, students learn first-hand about the myriad of options available to manage and reduce solid waste. *Similar data should be available for your city. Urban Relevance While the increase in solid waste reduction plans (recycling, composting, etc.) is important everywhere, there is a greater disconnect in urban (and perhaps suburban) areas, due to the it goes to the curb and it goes away mentality. In more rural settings, households are often required to bring their trash and recycling to solid waste stations. By taking part in the process, there can be a greater connection to how much waste produced translates into landfill space. This project allows students in urban settings to become more familiar with what and how much they re throwing away and how implementing sustainable plans for solid waste can benefit their school in a number of ways, including, perhaps, financial. By taking part in this investigation in their schools, they can then be a positive influence in their community in addressing these issues, as the concept of solid waste management will be more relevant to them. Procedure 1. Field Trips All students should visit two solid waste facilities to observe first-hand the current status of landfill disposal and incinerator/resource recovery facilities. In New Jersey, students visited the Burlington County Landfill Rutgers Eco-complex and the Union County Resource Recovery Facility. PLANNING TIPS Give yourself plenty of planning time for these trips. Be sure to arrange with facilities in advance to set up visits. If possible, arrange for a guide to meet you when you arrive and give you a tour of the facilities. Be sure to bring at least one adult chaperone for every 10 students. Prepare a pre-trip assignment and or trip investigation sheet to keep students on task and focused at the facilities. Make sure students know the purpose of the visit. 2. Individual Student or Student-Pair Projects (see attached) a) During the first class period following the field trips, ask students to reflect on what they saw and learned. What was striking to them? What lesson did they take away? Are landfills and incineration effective long-term, sustainable ways to deal with solid waste? Why/why not? (*Be sure to chart student responses on chart paper and save for future reference.) b) Explain to students that they will be working in teams to investigate different areas of solid waste management in school and/or in their community. The purpose of this investigation 220

3 is to gain a deeper understanding of the full scope of solid waste in terms of quantity, economics and environmental impact. It is also to gain an understanding of the different strategies available to reduce the solid waste stream and how to implement them. In short, students will become solid waste experts and be able to speak knowledgeably on the topic as they make suggestions for improvements and change. c) Students are placed into groups and together must formulate a plan of action (teacher should decide beforehand if groups should be pre-formed or if students will chose which investigation to take on. Students should NOT choose based on what their friends chose. The groups will be an important part of the planning by the teacher.) d) Each project includes questions students must answer for assessment. For added rigor, students could instead brainstorm what they think are the important questions to investigate with their partners before beginning the projects. The teacher should review the questions the students come up with, provide comments to help students refine their questions and then provide examples if needed. Students will select one project from the list below and complete it according to the schedule you and they decide on. Assessment RECYCLING SURVEY LUNCHROOM COMPOSTING ANALYSIS LITTER DETECTIVES CLASSROOM PAPER RECYCLING Dan Strauss/The Nature Conservancy PLANNING TIPS Solid waste management is an ongoing challenge in cities and in schools. Modeling samples of completed Efforts to increase composting and recycling help to meet that challenge. projects is extremely useful. Consider preplanning with a math teacher to develop deeper analysis of data. This project can support specific learning goals in math to strengthen key areas in which students are struggling. 1. Students present their findings to other schools in the area (perhaps at the middle or elementary levels). 2. Students create a PSA to share with the community. Extensions See individual projects SERVICE PIECE: The results of the recycling survey and litter detectives will be compiled into one large report and presented to the city. The results of the classroom and lunchroom recycling and composting analysis can be compiled into one large report (done as a classroom project in Marking Period 3) and presented to the school administrators and the School Board. 221

4 Solid Waste Term Project PROJECT: Recycling Survey Name Partner Project Begins on, 20 Draft Report Due: Final Report Due : OBJECTIVE: The student (or student pair) will develop a community recycling survey to discover how others feel about recycling. The student will become familiar with popular attitudes toward recycling and the practice of recycling in the community. The student will develop ideas of how to improve their neighborhood/city recycling rates. RESOURCES: Duplication of survey forms, chalkboard. INTRODUCTION: Recycling helps to conserve energy and natural resources, contributes to the economy and reduces the amount of municipal waste requiring disposal. Recycling also promotes an awareness of the finiteness of our natural resources and offers an environmentally acceptable method of municipal waste management. Many items present in household waste are recyclable provided that the householder takes the initiative to recycle and a convenient outlet exists for the recycled materials. It has been estimated that recycling takes only a few minutes each day. Though more than 50 percent of residential waste is recyclable, much less waste is presently recycled. PROCEDURE: 1. Individually or in pairs, brainstorm a list of questions that you might ask others about recycling. (See Assessment for what your report will need to answer.) Suggestions for survey questions include: Do you know the meaning of the term recycle? Do you recycle? Why? Why don t you recycle? Do you think you should recycle? What materials do you recycle? Do you know your neighborhood s requirements for recycling what days, what can be put out on the different days, etc.? How much time is devoted in your home to recycling each day or week? Do you think you could recycle more? Is there anything that could be done to help you recycle more? 2. Assemble the questions selected into a logical order and an easily presentable format. You can make the questions yes/no, make a rating scale of 1 to 5 or make the question open ended. If they are open ended questions, allow sufficient space for answers. A single page survey form limited to ten or fewer questions is suggested. 222

5 3. Submit draft survey to your teacher for comments/suggestions (not required but recommended). 4. Duplicate the survey form and interview a minimum of 20 residents of your neighborhood (family, relatives, teachers, etc.) and complete the survey sheet. No more than one person per family can be interviewed. A diversity of ages and professions should be represented. The name, age, address and profession of each person should be on the survey form. 5. Analyze the survey forms. List the questions or numbers of the questions on a table and compile the results. Develop percentages for each response. ASSESSMENT: Write a report explaining what you did during the project. Present the results (table), and draw some conclusions about the recycling in your neighborhood. Report must answer the following questions: a. How do people in your neighborhood feel about recycling? b. What is the recycling participation rate? c. Are certain materials recycled more frequently than others? Why? d. Do non-recyclers suggest common reasons for not recycling? Are their reasons valid? e. Why do people recycle? f. Using your data, what is your recommendation about improving recycling in your town? 223

6 Solid Waste Term Project PROJECT: Lunchroom Compost Sort Name Partner Project Begins on, 20 Draft Report Due: Final Report Due : BACKGROUND: When properly managed, a compost pile will not produce odors or attract pests. The finished product can be ready for use as garden mulch in as little as six weeks with proper management. Compost has proven valuable for use in land reclamation efforts where erosion or earth-moving activities have disturbed the topsoil. OBJECTIVE: The students will evaluate solid waste generated in the lunchroom and determine if better sorting and composting the waste would benefit the school and the environment. RESOURCES: Bathroom or other scale, calculator, rubber gloves, large garbage bags, masks (optional) PROCEDURE: 1. The student (or student pair) will examine and weigh the garbage generated in the lunchroom in one day. Students must arrange with the custodian to place all the lunchroom waste into one marked area so that it can be evaluated by the student after school. Each bag should be weighed and recorded. (You can use the attached data table or make your own.) 2. Each bag should be examined and the waste sorted into four new bags: recyclable containers (bottles, cans, containers), clean paper waste, compostable materials and non-compostable materials. (See your teacher for information on what is compostable). The waste will all have been commingled, so it will be stained with other waste. But you should assume paper waste is recyclable if it is relatively clean when students dispose of it. Similarly, assume it is compostable if it could be separated from contaminating materials (meat, dairy products) when students dispose of it at lunchtime. The four bags should be weighed and recorded. 3. Project the weight of different categories of solid waste that might be collected from the cafeteria in a month (use January for number of school days) and for the school year. Convert the figures to tons for results greater than 2,000 lbs. Record the projections. 4. Interview the school custodian to ask what happens currently to the waste collected in the cafeteria each day. Ask the custodian if he/she sorts through either of the waste bags or just deposits them according to which container they came from. Walk with him/her to see where all the solid waste is placed outside the school. 5. Interview the school business office to determine the current arrangement for solid waste collection at the school. Does the school pay separately for paper recycling, container (commingled) recycling and garbage pickup? How often is the waste collected? What price does the school pay for the collection of the different waste streams? Does the school receive invoices showing the amount of waste (in tons) collected for the different waste streams, or is it a set fee for pickup? 224

7 ASSESSMENT: Write a report explaining what you did during the project. Present your results (in a table), and make some conclusions about lunchroom composting and recycling at your school. Answer the following questions in your report: a. How much compost would be generated each day, each month and per year if students separated compostable waste into appropriate bins? b. How much less garbage would be generated if better sorting of recyclable material in the lunchroom was conducted by students (i.e., removing clean paper and commingled containers from the garbage stream and placing them into proper containers)? c. How much less garbage would be generated if students separated compostable materials in the lunchroom? d. Would the solid waste costs to the school be reduced if better lunchroom recycling and lunchroom composting took place? Explain. e. Would the costs to the environment be reduced if better lunchroom recycling and lunchroom composting took place? Explain. f. Using your data, what is your recommendation about improving recycling in your school s lunchroom? Lunchroom Composting/Recycling Analysis Date Weight of each bag Total Weight Lunchroom garbage Before sorting Commingled recyclables (containers) After sorting Recycled paper waste After sorting Compostable waste After sorting Non-compostable (garbage) waste After sorting Projected Weight of: A. Lunchroom Garbage (before sorting) for one month B. Lunchroom Garbage (before sorting) for one school year C. Commingled Recyclables from lunchroom (after sorting) for one month 225

8 D. Commingled Recyclables from lunchroom (after sorting) for one school year E. Recycled Paper from lunchroom (after sorting) for one month F. Recycled Paper from lunchroom (after sorting) for one school year G. Compostable Material from lunchroom (after sorting) for one month H. Compostable Material from lunchroom (after sorting) for one school year I. Non-compostable Material (Garbage) from lunchroom (after sorting) for one month J. Non-compostable Material (Garbage) from lunchroom (after sorting) for one school year 226

9 Solid Waste Term Project PROJECT: Litter Detectives Name Partner Project Begins on, 20 Draft Report Due: Final Report Due : OBJECTIVE: Students will develop solutions to help reduce littering in their neighborhood. RESOURCES: Gloves, litter collection bags, a map of the school building and grounds. PROCEDURE: 1. Student (or student pair) selects a location in their neighborhood to conduct a litter survey. The location can be a complete city block or a portion of a block (*must be about onequarter mile long). 2. Students draw or obtain a map of that block showing the houses, businesses, parking lot, etc. 3. Students make three copies of the map. 4. Wearing gloves, students collect all litter within that selected area into a bag. *Only litter on the public areas should be collected (sidewalks, parking strip, gutters of road). 5. Students record on the map of the block where large amounts or unique types of litter are found. 6. After the litter collection, students weigh the bag using a bathroom scale. 7. Students open the bag and sort the litter materials into different categories and determine the most frequent litter components. 8. Students record the total weight of the litter and the relative percent of different types of litter on a data sheet. If possible, they should weigh the individual categories that have the most weight (bottles/cans, household debris, etc.). You may use the attached data sheet or create your own. 9. Students repeat this data collection two more times (on different days of the week and separated by at least one week). 227

10 ASSESSMENT: Write a report explaining what you did during the project. Present your results (table), and make conclusions about the litter problem in your neighborhood. Answer the following questions: a. What is littering? b. Which locations yielded the most litter? Why? c. Ask the class whether any of the members have littered. d. What was littered in your neighborhood? e. Can any of the littered items be recycled or used in some other way? f. By examining the types of litter, can you determine which age group may be most responsible for the problem? g. Does your neighborhood have rules or laws against littering? If so, are the rules or laws enforced? What penalties are involved? h. Does the city provide refuse containers near the litter locations? i. How can the amount of littering be reduced? Litter Survey Location Day/Date/Time Total weight Bottles, cans Newspaper, magazines Food wrappers 228

11 Solid Waste Term Project PROJECT: Classroom Recycling Name Partner Project Begins on, 20 Draft Report Due: Final Report Due : OBJECTIVE: Students will evaluate the current state of classroom recycling at their school. The students will determine if better solid waste sorting in classrooms would benefit the school and the environment. RESOURCES: Bathroom or other scale, calculator, classroom wastebasket, paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes, telephone directory, phone. PROCEDURE: 1. The student (or pair) will examine and weigh the two waste bins from an assigned classroom for one week. (This must be at the end of the day, and student must make sure that custodian does not empty waste during the day.). Each bin should be weighed in its bag and recorded. (If necessary, the bags should be collected at the end of each day and weighed after two days or at the end of the week.) 2. The recycle bin should be examined to determine if it contains only paper. Any non-paper item (plastic, plastic-coated paper, food waste, bottles, etc.) in the blue recycled bin should be moved to the other bag. The non-recycled garbage bag should be examined and any paper found (unless contaminated with food) should be placed into the recycling bin bag. Also, any bottles or containers (plastic, glass, cardboard milk cartons, etc.) should be removed and brought to the large blue bottle recycling bin in the hall. Both bags should then be reweighed and recorded. 3. Project the weight of paper that might be collected in a month (use January for number of school days) and for the school year. Multiply the projected weights by the number of other classrooms in the school. Convert the figures to tons for results greater than 2,000 lbs. Record the projections. 4. Interview the school custodian to ask what happens to the paper and garbage bags from each classroom at the end of each day. Ask the custodian if he/she sorts through either of the waste bags from each classroom or just deposits it according to which bin it came from. Ask the custodian how cardboard from boxes is disposed of in the school. Ask the custodian what he/she does with the commingled recycling container from the hallways. Walk with him/her to see where all the solid waste is placed outside the school. 5. Interview the school business office to determine the current arrangement for solid waste collection at the school. Does the school pay separately for paper recycling, container (commingled) recycling and garbage pickup? How often is the waste collected? What price does the school pay for the collection of the different waste streams? Does the school receive invoices showing the amount of waste (in tons) collected for the different waste streams, or is it a set fee for pickup? 229

12 6. Conduct interviews to find out what is done with the recycled paper waste. Does the school get a separate price for office paper waste versus newspaper, magazine and cardboard waste? Would there be any cost advantage to having the paper waste sorted into the different grades (office quality paper, newsprint, corrugated cardboard, mixed wastepaper and magazines)? Find out what happens with the commingled container recycled waste. How much does it cost to dispose of the various solid waste streams from the city (garbage, paper, commingled)? (Interviews can be started during the field trip.) ASSESSMENT: Write a report explaining what you did during the project, presenting your results (table) and drawing some conclusions about the classroom recycling at your school. Answer the following questions: a. How much additional paper would be recycled if classroom sorting were done every day? b. How much less garbage would be generated if classroom sorting were done every day? c. Would the solid waste costs to the school be reduced if better classroom sorting took place? Explain. d. Would the costs to the environment be reduced if better classroom sorting takes place? Explain. e. Using your data and the information you learned by interviewing the school and city/ neighborhood personnel, what is your recommendation about improving recycling at your school and in the city/neighborhood in general. Classroom Recycling Analysis Classroom Paperbefore sorting M T W Th F Total Paperafter sorting Garbagebefore sorting Garbageafter sorting Projected Weight of: 1. Paper (before sorting) for one month 2. Paper (before sorting) for one school year 3. Paper (before sorting) for all classrooms in the school for a year 230

13 4. Paper (after sorting) for one month 5. Paper (after sorting) for one school year 6. Paper (after sorting) for all classrooms in the school for a year 7. Garbage (before sorting) for one month 8. Garbage (before sorting) for one school year 9. Garbage (before sorting) for all classrooms in the school for a year 10. Garbage (after sorting) for one month 11. Garbage (after sorting) for one school year 12. Garbage (after sorting) for all classrooms in the school for a year Summary: Current Situation Current Classroom Waste Totals Future Classroom Totals if Additional Sorting Paper Waste Garbage 231

14 S U B M I T T E D B Y TERRAIN FOR SCHOOLS Ecology Center Berkeley, California Terrain for Schools is a unique current events based curriculum for colleges and high schools. Lessons in this guide address California State Content Standards for grades 9 through 12 in three categories: science, social studies and language arts. The lessons are designed to be used with articles in the Summer 2005 issue of Terrain, available on the web at terrain/category/issues/summer-2005/. This lesson refers to the Terrain article Slower, Softer, Greener, Summer 2005, pages Terrain for Schools is a complementary educational guide to Terrain, Northern California s Environmental Magazine, which is a publication of the Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental organization serving the Bay Area since