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Home Investigation 4Solid Waste & Litter

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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!

Investigator Profile
School
Teacher
Period
What is your home zip code?*
How many people live in your home (including you)?*

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Investigator's Notebook: Ready Set Go!

Now let's collect and analyze some data.

Does your home have any of the following bins or boxes?

Types of BinsYesNo
Trash Bin
- Yes
- No
Recycling Bin
- Yes
- No
Composting Bin
- Yes
- No

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2. In Your Trash - Recycle

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?
Any recyclables?
- Yes
- No
If yes, how many items?

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3. In Your Trash - Compost

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?
Any compostables?
- Yes
- No
If yes, how many items?

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4. In Your Trash - Reuse

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.

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.
Reuse

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5. In Your Trash - Reduce

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.

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?
Reduce

Tip

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.

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5. Looking Outside

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.
Litter item
What is it made of?
Can it be recycled?
Should it be trash?
Litter item
What is it made of?
Can it be recycled?
Should it be trash?
Litter item
What is it made of?
Can it be recycled?
Should it be trash?

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