Waste & Nature

This activity focuses on providing students with an understanding of how different materials create different types of waste, and how they are produced daily. Students will learn through practical experimentation how different waste materials behave when exposed to weathering, but also how to properly dispose of these waste materials.

  • Experiment - How does waste behave in nature?

The objective of this experiment is to see how different waste materials react to weathering, and thus draw some conclusions on the correct disposal of waste.

Choose at least 3 types of different waste (you can choose the types in which waste is divided in your local town. Ex. organic, plastic and paper) and get small samples (50g circa). Find  an isolated patch of the school garden (alternatively, you can use plant pots with soil), dig up as many holes as your waste samples, and cover them up. Place a tag where your samples are so you can find them again. Check regularly on the status of the samples, as to be able to draw observation of waste on short, medium and long spans of time. Exchange ideas with the class and draw conclusions together on how to properly dispose of different types of waste.

  • Experiment - Landfill in a Bottle

This experiment intends to recreate a miniature copy of a real waste landfill to show how it affects the environment. By observing a 2-litre bottle filled with household garbage over a month, students can estimate how long it takes for average household garbage to break down. Students will check regularly on the landfill, slowly filling it up, alternating soil, waste (samples can be taken from the classroom bin) and water, to mimic the conditions of real landfills.

Print out the guide sheet and follow the instructions (link to document below).

Links

Topics covered

Waste Material, Pollution, Environment Conservation

Relevance

This activity shows students with practical experiments the different impact of waste on the environment depending on their material. Through the experimentation, students can independently assess the correct waste disposal practices, as they monitor the conditions of the experiments and see the various degradation times of waste.