activity 1
Look at What's in a Bin? on Waste Information Sheet 1 which shows the differences between the contents of the bin when measured by volume and weight. Explain in detail why the percentage by weight is different from the percentage by volume for plastic, glass and organic waste.
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activity 2
Look at the table which shows how much an average single person throws away in
one year.
Make your own table of equivalents by weighing things which appeal to you such as a comic, a jam jar, an apple and fill in the table below.
You will need a calculator and scales.
Example: My apple weighs 150g. Amount of organic material thrown away weighs 75.4 kg. 75,400g ΒΈ 150g = 502 whole apples. Don't worry about the decimal points.
Material |
Weight in kg |
Equivalent to |
|
paper & cardboard |
149 |
|
|
organic - things that rot |
90 |
|
|
plastics |
50 |
|
|
glass |
41 |
|
|
metals |
32 |
|
|
textiles |
9 |
|
|
others |
81 |
|
activity 3
Using the information you have found out in the last activity design and make your own collage/poster to show how much each person throws away each year.
activity 4
Use the information in the table to make 3 graphs to show the amount and type of waste thrown away by weight during the three periods shown. Do this on a separate piece of paper.
|
% by weight |
1930s |
1960s |
1990s |
|
Ash and dust |
60 |
30 |
7 |
|
Paper |
14 |
30 |
33 |
|
Organic |
13 |
15 |
20 |
|
Glass |
3 |
9 |
9 |
|
Metal |
4 |
7 |
7 |
|
Plastics |
0 |
1 |
11 |
|
Textiles |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Other |
5 |
6 |
11 |
Questions:
Why is there so little ash and dust in dustbins today?
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What helped to reduce the quantity of ash and dust from the 1930s to 1960s?
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When was plastic first used for everyday articles?
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