Warm-up Exercise

Focus Exercise

Introduction /New Material

Reduce: to make something smaller or use less, resulting in a smaller amount. You can practice reduction by selecting products that do not have to be added to landfills or the waste stream in general.

 Buy and use less of things- Buy only what you need; use ALL of what you buy  Make smart package selections; LESS is better  Precycle by purchasing products in recyclable containers or that are packaged with recycled materials

 Think BIG. Always buy in bulk and use reusable containers  ALWAYS use reusable shopping bags and NEVER plastic or paper bags  Use durable items instead of disposable items such as: diapers, glass containers, cloth napkins verses paper, etc.

 Say NO to junk mail. Call toll free numbers to remove your address from unwanted catalogs.  Pay bills and order items online verses through the mail.  Plant a garden- Food you grow yourself does not have to be processed and no fossil fuels are needed to preserve the food

Reuse: to use something again, often for a different purpose “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!” Here are some examples of reuse.

 Take along washable cups and mugs and don’t use disposables  When using disposables, DON’T throw them away. Wash and reuse. This includes items like, zip-lock bags, plastic utensils, shoeboxes for storage, etc.  Repair instead of buying new. Items such as bicycles, appliances, cars, etc.

 Donate unwanted items to Goodwill or the Salvation Army for someone else to use.  Shred unwanted paper documents. This is used as shipping packaging and other recycled materials.  Use cloth or paper gift bags that can be used over and over instead of boxes and gift wrap.

 Use cloth napkins and hand towels in the kitchen in place of paper napkins and paper towels  New Baby in the house? Use cloth diapers instead of disposables

Recycle: When something is saved and taken to places where the items are remade into the same product again or into a new product. Just about everything in your home or at school can be reused or recycled into something else!

DON’T THROW AWAY ANYTHING THAT CAN BE RECYCLED. Always recycle…

Batteries Aluminum Cans Appliances Building Materials Cardboard Chemicals Electronics Glass; jars & bottles Lead Magazines Metal Newspapers Oil Paint Paper Plastic Bags Plastic Bottles Packaging Steel Cans Tires Wood Copy Paper Yard Waste

Anything discarded, rejected, surplused, abandoned or otherwise released into the environment in a manner (or quality) that could have an impact on the environment.

Garbage is carried off to landfills where trash is buried underground.

Decomposition: to break down organic matter from a complex to a simpler form, mainly through the action of fungi and bacteria, or be broken down in this way.

Let’s see how well you know your trash!

Banana Peel ___ Paper Bag ___ Cotton Rag ___ Wool sock ___ Cigarette Butt ___ Leather Boot ___ Tin Can ___ Aluminum Can ___ Plastic 6-pack ring ___ Styrofoam Cup ___ Glass Bottle ___ Guided Exercise

Banana Peel - 3 to 4 weeks Paper Bag - 1 month Cotton Rag – 5 months Wool sock - 1 year Cigarette Butt - 2 to 5 years Leather Boot - 40 to 50 years Tin Can - 80 to 100 years Aluminum Can to 500 years Plastic 6-pack ring - 1 million years Styrofoam Cup - Forever Glass Bottle - Forever

Small Group Exercise

You will need: 1 bag lunch from home and a pencil Follow the steps below to decide how "energy-efficient" your lunch packaging is: 1. Take out the contents of your lunch bag and put it on the desk. 2. Record the number of items that you find in your lunch by typing the number in the box: ___reusable lunch box ___paper ___reusable thermos ___wax paper ___single-serving container___plastic wrap or baggie ___reusable plastic container ___aluminum foil ___plastic straw ___cellophane

3. Do you throw all these items away every day? 4. How could you use less packaging so you make less garbage? 5. How many items in your lunch bag are recyclable, non-reusable, and reusable? 6. Write a list of 3 things you can do at home to cut down on garbage.

What are some ways we can recycle at school and at home? Wrap-up on Smart Board

Let’s see how these second graders plan on doing their part. Closure Video Click on Symbol

What is the definition of the following vocabulary words? Decomposition Disposal Landfill Reduce Recycle Reuse Waste Assessment

 Recycled Art: Crafted from used plastic bags imprinted with familiar logos and slogans, beauty is created in the form of these mandalas by Texas artist, Virginia Fleck. Art Extension

 Recycled Art: Plastic bottle cap furniture by French artist, Isa Diague.

 Recycled Art Project: Recycled pencil holder for your desk.

Materials used: Tin soup can Plastic bags from various stores, Magazine and Catalog pages (bright colors) School Glue Decoupage Paint Brushes Water Cups

Directions for Art Project: Cut or tear pieces of colorful paper from magazines and catalogs Cut pieces of plastic from shopping bags Include words and graphics too Glue paper on tin cup Let dry Paint decoupage over pencil holder to seal paper

Each student is to write (see following handout) your idea/ideas about how a tin can be reused. Please use sheet provided and illustrate your object. The recycling idea pages will be laminated and assembled to put in the library under “recycling.”  Homework Extension