Why Do I Need to Recycle? LESSON 1

Why Do I Need to Recycle?

Recycling Benefits Everyone

The earth has a limited amount of space with limited resources that must sustain us all. We cannot keep wasting our resources and polluting our land! Recycling is the answer.

When we recycle our newspapers, bottles and cans, we are saving these materials for future use. When you waste these materials, you could be trashing your grandchildrens’ future!

Recycling conserves energy as well as resources. Recycling one ton of paper saves 4,100 kilowatts of electricity. There are also economical reasons for recycling. Recycling reduces waste disposal costs and creates employment opportunities.

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 production of virgin, or new, paper.

 Production of recycled aluminum saves 95 percent more energy than virgin, or new, aluminum.

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 by 71 percent.

1. What is smog made of? a. Frog burps

b. fog and smoke 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.

NO

6.

NO

7.

NO

8.

a. running around in circles

b. re-using rubbish and not throwing it away

9. Can you help the environment? YES

NO

Instructions

: Draw as many recyclable items as you can to fill the recycling bin.

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. On the blackboard, keep track of the reasons for choosing items as undesirable. Have them define litter and why they believe litter is undesirable.

Litter Bag

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

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

Lead

Steel

Asphalt

Leaves

Tin Cans

Brass

Metals

Tires

Cars

Motor Oil

Wood

Concrete

Newspaper

Zinc

Copper

Office Paper

Glass

Paper

Gold

Plastic

Iron

Rags

Jars

D E A G N C O N C R E T E P T

R M O T O R O I L S F O S I C

U W F Z K L U O T N X S R H O

V L F C J Z D G W A I E T D R

R T I N C A N S L C S I A A R

E S C O P P E R N M M B C E U

P H E G X O Z O W U E V L L G

A D P A P E R S Q N T A T L A

P L A S T I C S W I A J L Z T

S T P I Z U H T O M L M A W E

W B E C U B D E O U S I H R D

E G R A G S T E D L N D P Z S

N F D A W A O L E A V E S P Q

C E O X S U H A J C H C A R S

E C T A S S A L G F Y Z I N C

Can You Find

These Words?

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

Fast Fact from the Can Guy:

More than 50 percent of a new aluminum can is made from recycled aluminum.

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.