Solid Waste is trash, garbage, or anything else you throw away to keep your home safe and clean like papers, empty containers, or broken toys. If we don’t recycle or reuse solid waste, it can become litter or is buried in a landfill. Let’s learn how to reduce our solid waste by reducing, reusing, and recycling some of these materials!
Now let's collect and analyze some data.
Does your home have any of the following bins or boxes?
Types of BinsYesNo
Go look in the trash can in your kitchen or outside in the trash bin. Look at just the top, or ask an adult if you can dig through the bin to investigate.
Is there anything in the trash that could be recycled like plastic bottles, metal cans, or paper?
Go look in the trash can in your kitchen or outside in the trash bin. Look at just the top, or ask your parents if you can dig through the bin to investigate.
Is there any food in the trash that could be composted?
What is one item you found that can be reused instead of thrown in a landfill? Describe what it is and how it could be reused.
What is one item that you found that could be reduced by using less of it so less solid waste will end up in the landfill?
If you don’t know if something can be recycled you might find a sign on the recycling bin, you can look it up online, or ask a teacher.
Now let’s look outside! Sometimes people don’t put waste where it belongs—in a trash can or recycling bin—and it becomes litter. Litter is waste left in open spaces that can harm the environment and public health. It is important to do our part to keep the Earth clean.
Go outside and walk around your home. Walk 20 steps or more and count how many pieces of litter you find. Mark what you find in the chart below.
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