It is more sensible and efficient to concentrate funds and efforts on the minimization of waste production rather than the improvement of the methods for waste treatment.
“Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless.”
Waste disposal and treatment can cause several greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which contribute to global climate change:
Learn more about:
Organize a brainstorming session: "What actions can we take to reduce waste".
Write down the answers suggested by the class. If students are embarrassed, use guiding questions to make them think about:
Complete the answers and suggest making promotional materials to distribute among students, teachers and parents.
The linear economy is a traditional method of production and consumption of goods, in which raw materials are taken from nature, goods are created within the production process, consumers use these goods, and after some time the unnecessary items are thrown away as waste.
Example: To manufacture a glass bottle, quartz sand (silica), lime (calcium oxide) and some other inert additives are extracted from the earth. Its production is accompanied by the use of a lot of energy. A bottle can be used as a vessel in which we consume fruit juice. After consumption, the bottle becomes useless and is disposed in the trash.
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, limiting waste to a minimum, which aims at extending the life cycle of materials and products. Within this economic model, after the use of a given product, its partial or complete return to the production-consumption cycle follows. In practice, it means using the product as long as possible, sharing, borrowing, reusing, repairing or recycling existing materials and products. Thus, such production and consumption model brings benefits to the environment, the economy and all of us.
Use colored sheets, chalks or felt-tip pens to reproduce on a flipchart or blackboard the scheme presented in the Worksheet "Linear or Circular Economy". Mark with differently colored arrows the path of materials and goods in the linear economy and in the circular economy. (Alternatively, give students copies of the Worksheet).
Encourage students, based on the scheme shown and the explanations given, to provide examples of item usage which show application of different utility practices:
Explain to the class the 3R principles for waste treatment and minimization.
This concept calls for an increase in the ratio of recyclable materials, further reusing of raw materials and manufacturing wastes, and overall reduction in resources and energy used. These ideas are applied to the entire lifecycles of products and services – from design and extraction of raw materials to transport, manufacture, use, dismantling/reuse and disposal.
Divide the class into 5 groups and distribute the Worksheet "The 3R Principles and Waste Minimization", assigning each group to choose one of the five items presented. Have the group participants discuss and write down ideas related to the application of the 3R principle to the specific subject. At the end of the discussion, let each group appoint a representative to share with the class the ideas proposed by the group.
Present the video “Food Waste and Climate" to the class.
Discuss the following questions:
Present the video “Zero Waste" to the class.
Discuss the following questions:
Present the following situation to the class. You live in a small town where significant air pollution is often recorded. The local authority organizes a public discussion where different stakeholders present their positions on the ways in which they treat their waste. Invite several students to take on the role of:
Give them Worksheet "Incineration of waste – pros and cons". The rest of the students can take the role of residents of the settlement with the right to participate in the discussion.
Conduct the discussion by giving all participants the freedom to present and defend their positions. Calls for reaching a consensus decision that would lead to the improvement of the situation and community relationships in the settlement.
Present and discuss the dilemma "More and more garbage in the bins".
Summarize the results and suggest that the students choose one or more solutions that best correspond to the household waste situation in the locality where they live.
Food is wasted at every step of the way from the producer to the final consumer: during the agricultural activity, in the food industry, when it is sold in shops, in restaurants and at home. However, the biggest losses in Europe are recorded by households (they are responsible for about 53% of food waste) and in the processing operations (19%). Research by experts shows that every European citizen generates around 173 kg of food waste annually.
Organize a discussion using the information in Worksheet "Food Waste and Greenhouse Gases". Discuss what can be done to reuse uneaten food at home. Summarize and write down the most realistic suggestions.
How would you comment on Mother Teresa's thought: “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use."
Find out more about the activities of Mother Teresa – a Catholic nun and saint of Albanian origin born in Skopje.
Assign students to research in advance what food waste and in what quantities their families produce over the course of a week. Organize an «inventory» of your family food waste using the Worksheet "Our food waste". After completing the week-long study, have the students share their ideas presented to their families for more efficient use of food.
Divide the class into several small groups with an equal number of participants. Provide each group with a copy of Worksheet "Sustainable Solutions".
Assign the teams to review the 20 items described in the Worksheet and discuss and note which sustainable solutions can be applied to each item, if it is no longer used by its owner. Set a time limit for the teams to complete the task (e.g 20 minutes).
After finishing the work in the groups, compare and discuss successively what decisions were made for each subject. Give the teams a chance to argue. You can give competitive nature of the game: The team that has proposed more realistic, interesting and sustainable solutions, that are accepted by the whole group, wins.
Organize in one or more classes a team of volunteers who will study the type and amount of waste in a school for a certain period of time, for example, a week or a month.
Insert the collected data into tables and make calculations:
Organize a presentation of the results. Publish the information in the school media and collect ideas for reducing waste at school. Seek a meeting with school management and experts to assist in finding more efficient school waste management solutions.
Refuse what you do not need; reduce what you do need; reuse what you consume; recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse; and rot (compost) the rest.” Bea Johson, US-based environmental activist, author and motivational speaker.
