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Waste and climate change

Waste disposal and treatment can cause several greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which contribute to global climate change:

  • The most important greenhouse gas produced from waste is methane. It is released during the oxygen-free decomposition of organic matter in landfills.
  • Other waste treatment methods, such as incineration, also produce greenhouse gases, but they are mainly in the form of carbon dioxide.
  • Recycling of waste to extract useful constituents is also a cause of greenhouse gas emissions, but their emissions are significantly lower than the emissions that would be released if the relevant materials were obtained through the use of fossil fuels and new raw materials.

Therefore, reducing the amount of waste generated, as well as recycling it, are ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy.

Food waste and greenhouse gases

Today, approximately one third of all food produced in the world goes to waste. This equates to about 1.3 billion tonnes of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood and cereals each year, which either never leave farmers, is lost or spoiled during transport, or is dumped in hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, schools or households. These products are enough to feed all the starving people in the world.

Wasted food is not only a social or humanitarian problem – it is also an environmental threat. Food waste is a loss of energy and water needed for growing, harvesting, transporting, packaging and further processing of food. If discarded food goes to landfill and rots, it leads to the formation of powerful greenhouse gas methane. Research shows that about 7% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced if food waste is stopped. In the United States alone, the generation of greenhouse gas emissions from food waste is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 32.6 million vehicles.

As the world's population continues to grow, the main challenge for humanity must not be how to produce more food, but how to feed more throats without wasting the food that has already been produced. There are many actions that consumers can take to help make this happen – by providing unconsumed food to those in need, smarter shopping, freezing food and consuming it over time, composting and more.

Educational scenario

Waste and climate change

“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.”

Thomas A. Edison - American inventor (telegraph, phonograph, microphone, incandescent lamp, and more)

Waste and climate change


Waste disposal and treatment can cause several greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which contribute to global climate change:

  • The most important greenhouse gas produced from waste is methane. It is released during the oxygen-free decomposition of organic matter in landfills.
  • Other waste treatment methods, such as incineration, also produce greenhouse gases, but they are mainly in the form of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
  • Recycling of waste to extract useful constituents is also a cause of greenhouse gas emissions, but their emissions are significantly lower than the emissions that would be released, if the relevant materials were obtained by use of fossil fuels and new raw materials.

Learn more about:


How to reduce waste


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:

  • How do they shop (moderately and sensibly);
  • How do they use different items (as long as possible and try to prolong their life, if possible);
  • How do they deal with things that are no longer needed (they provide them to interested people or organizations);
  • How do they treat household waste (collect it separately and assist in its recycling);
  • How do they handle food (buy and prepare reasonable quantities, do not throw away the excess);
  • Where do they dispose waste (at the regulated places and encourage others to do the same);
  • How do they treat organic waste (compost it);
  • What is their attitude to campaigns to clean up the neighborhood, the school, the settlement (they participate in them);
  • How do they treat the energy and resources they use (they strive to use them wisely and sparingly);
  • How do they treat the plastic bags available in stores (reduce their use as much as possible, use cloth bags and/or reusable baskets/bags).

Complete the answers and suggest making promotional materials to distribute among students, teachers and parents.


The 3R principle and waste minimization

Explain to the class:

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:

  • long-term use (a favorite pen whose refills are only replaced),
  • sharing with friends (a ball owned by one but used by a group of children),
  • reuse (second-hand textbooks, baby carriage and toys for the needs of the next child in the family),
  • repair (providing shoes for repair), or
  • recycling (collecting, separating and sending paper, glass, plastics and metal for processing, composting of organic waste).

Linear or Circular Economy

Explain to the class the 3R principles for waste treatment and minimization.

  • Reduce – it is the action reducing the amount of waste we produce, or limit the number of purchases that we make –both of them are the best way to help environment!
  • Reuse – it is the action or practice of using something again, whether for its original purpose or to fulfil a different function.
  • Recycling – Many waste streams contain significant amounts of valuable material that can be recovered and reused in production processes or other useful applications.

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.

The 3R Principles and Waste Minimization

Present the video “Food Waste and Climate" to the class.

Discuss the following questions:

  • Nowadays, is the use of electric cars for transportation or renewable energy sources for energy production available to everyone?
  • Which accessible to everyone activity is and can contribute to reducing greenhouse emissions and tackling climate problems?
  • How much food was thrown in the trash in 2019? How much of it was released by households?
  • Which particularly dangerous greenhouse gas is released during the food rotting?
  • What is the number of starving people in the world?
  • How can the rational use of food help to overcome hunger or improve the household budget?

Present the video “Zero Waste" to the class.

Discuss the following questions:

  • Is it true that the amount of waste is constantly increasing? And if so, what is the reason?
  • What resource is used to produce a variety of plastic products?
  • Where does most of the plastic waste end up and how long does it take to break down?
  • How do toxic micro-particles resulting from degradable plastic enter the human body?
  • Why do the products produced by the industrial economy have a short useful life and how does this affect our pocket and nature?
  • What countermeasures to the trend towards increasing amounts of waste generated are suggested in the video?
  • How can the problem with plastic (polyethylene) bags be solved?
  • What examples from different countries are presented in the video?
  • What is the role and the ways in which an individual can and should deal with the problems related to waste?

Waste incineration – pros and cons


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:

  • a farmer,
  • a manager of a furniture manufacturing enterprise,
  • a worker in a furniture manufacturing enterprise,
  • a representative of the local authority,
  • a resident of the settlement who burns waste in a heating stove,
  • neighbour No. 1,
  • neighbour No. 2,
  • a representative of an environmental organization.

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.

Incineration of waste – pros and cons


More and more garbage in the bins


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.

More and more garbage in the bins


Food waste


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.

Food Waste and Greenhouse Gases


Our food waste


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.

Our food waste


Score: | 10
Question: | 10

Sustainable solutions


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.

Sustainable Solutions


Waste at school


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:

  • What is the average total amount of waste per day, week and month;
  • What are the main groups of waste (organic, paper, plastic, glass and metal) per week and month;
  • what percentage of the total garbage falls on each of the main groups of waste;
  • What part of the waste is sent for recycling or is used in another sustainable way.

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.



  • Plan school activities related to the World Recycling Day – the 18th of March;
  • Look for examples of good “zero waste" practices applied by different cities and countries and promote them;
  • Initiate the creation and operation of a separate waste collection system at school;
  • Make an exhibition of toys made from waste materials;
  • Initiate actions for the use of less plastic in school. Share ideas with school management and experts;
  • Organize:
    • a fashion show presenting clothes from waste materials;
    • waste information campaigns;
    • actions to clean up contaminated areas;
    • charity bazaars with items made from waste materials;
    • charity campaigns for donations of books, clothes and toys for people and institutions in need;
    • a meeting with experts from the municipality and companies dealing with waste management at local level.

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.

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About the portal

The informational and educational portal Klimadapt is intended for the dissemination of information, training of students, teachers and the general public, as well as for the organization of civil projects and campaigns dedicated to overcoming and adapting to climate change. Its creation took place within the project Changing with Climate, which is implemented by 10 partner organizations with the support of the Environmental Protection and Climate Change Program through the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area /2014-2021/.

The Klimadapt portal includes a variety of informational and didactic materials (texts, videos, lesson plans, dilemmas, model stories and fairy tales, worksheets, experiments, tests, games, instructions on how to organize actions, etc.) that provide opportunities for implementation of a learning process and/or organising a variety of activities related to mitigation or adaptation to the occuring climate changes.

Portal Development

Information texts and structure, concept of the portal: Kliment Mindjov

Educational scenarios: Kliment Mindjov, Tatiana Miteva

Portal design and PDF files: Sylvia Magyar

Illustrations and graphics: Laszlo Falvay

Video adaptation: Ivan Kozhuharov

Translation from/into English: Irina Dobriyanova, Kliment Mindjov

Editing in Bulgarian: Galina Spassova

Programming: Daniel Mirea

Management of the "Changing with Climate" project: Mariana Bancheva, Violeta Nikolova

The portal uses photos from the iStock and Unsplash platforms, as well as “pro bono” provided materials from the photo and video library of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC).

Acknowledgements

The development of the Klimadapt informational and educational portal was made possible through the goodwill and cooperation of a wide range of specialists and organisations.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Dennis Meadows and his collaborators for the copyright for the Bulgarian language version of "The Climate Change Playbook", which includes 22 interactive games.

Nikolay Petkov researched and prepared information related to good Bulgarian and foreign practices in dealing with climate change. We thank him.

In the virtual library of the portal, informational and educational materials of various nature of various organizations, created years ago, but facing increasingly difficulty to find on the Internet, are included. In this regard, our thanks go to:

The informative and educational texts in the portal reflect facts and data from various international and Bulgarian sources: European Commission, European Environment Agency, World Health Organization, United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); United States Environmental Protection Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Bank, World Resources Institute,  Ministry of Environment and Water of the Republic of Bulgaria, Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, publications in BBC, The Guardian and other periodicals. The creators of the portal are responsible for the content and the way the information is presented and visualized.

Finally, but not least, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our sponsors from the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM) and the program operator at the Ministry of Environment and Water of the Republic of Bulgaria. Thank you!

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