Waste Diary
Abstract- We carried around a reusable shopping bag for a full 24 hours. During that time we collected all the trash, not including food, that we as individuals produced. By the end of the 24 hours, we all had bags full of trash, some of which had more than others. I myself had a relatively small amount of trash that I collected. To be honest I was actually surprised of how little trash I had collected. I expected to have more trash, but I don't normally use anything that is disposable.
Problem- Identify sources of excess waste, Explain the problems with the over use of landfills, Describe the parts of a modern landfill
Materials- Reusable shopping bag
Methods- Carry a trash bag around with you for 24 hours collecting all your waste, except: Food products and Feminine hygiene products, bandages or anything else that would have bodily fluids or blood
Data-
Problem- Identify sources of excess waste, Explain the problems with the over use of landfills, Describe the parts of a modern landfill
Materials- Reusable shopping bag
Methods- Carry a trash bag around with you for 24 hours collecting all your waste, except: Food products and Feminine hygiene products, bandages or anything else that would have bodily fluids or blood
Data-
Questions-
1. What is done to control the amount of pollution created from a landfill?
- It is either covered up with plastic and clay or the pollutants are used to generate electricity.
2. Many people think landfills should not be expensive since they are a hole in the ground. Explain why a landfill such as above can cost in the millions of dollars to build and keep up.
- It costs money to dig the holes and especially to cover the landfills with layers and layers of plastic and to build the facilities to generate the electricity from the waste.
3. How did the amount of waste you and your family each create compare with what you expected?
- We actually much less than I expected.
4.What are some reasons the average could be different then your (or family’s) amount for one day?
- What little trash we did use could have been reused at least twice, so we could have used have the trash.
5. Calculate how much trash you accumulate in one month’s time: _________
- I accumulate about 2,160 grams of trash in one months time.
6. There are approximately 1,300 students at our school. How much trash do you estimate would be produced by all the students in our school over the course of 10 months (one school year)? _____________________
- I estimate that students create about 28,080,000 grams of trash in one school year.
7. What was the total weight of your recyclable material?
- I did not produce any recyclable waste in the 24 hour period.
Conclusion- After conducting this experiment I have learned just how much trash I produce on a daily bases. I believe that the conditions were at their best because I collected the trash on a weekend. However I should have reused most if not all of the trash I produced such as paper plates and paper towels. I also should have used more recyclables. It's just good to know that I'm not a major contributor of landfill waste. The article Effects of waste and poor waste disposal gives several ways landfills pollute the area around it. The less waste we generate the less landfill will pollute the areas around them.
1. What is done to control the amount of pollution created from a landfill?
- It is either covered up with plastic and clay or the pollutants are used to generate electricity.
2. Many people think landfills should not be expensive since they are a hole in the ground. Explain why a landfill such as above can cost in the millions of dollars to build and keep up.
- It costs money to dig the holes and especially to cover the landfills with layers and layers of plastic and to build the facilities to generate the electricity from the waste.
3. How did the amount of waste you and your family each create compare with what you expected?
- We actually much less than I expected.
4.What are some reasons the average could be different then your (or family’s) amount for one day?
- What little trash we did use could have been reused at least twice, so we could have used have the trash.
5. Calculate how much trash you accumulate in one month’s time: _________
- I accumulate about 2,160 grams of trash in one months time.
6. There are approximately 1,300 students at our school. How much trash do you estimate would be produced by all the students in our school over the course of 10 months (one school year)? _____________________
- I estimate that students create about 28,080,000 grams of trash in one school year.
7. What was the total weight of your recyclable material?
- I did not produce any recyclable waste in the 24 hour period.
Conclusion- After conducting this experiment I have learned just how much trash I produce on a daily bases. I believe that the conditions were at their best because I collected the trash on a weekend. However I should have reused most if not all of the trash I produced such as paper plates and paper towels. I also should have used more recyclables. It's just good to know that I'm not a major contributor of landfill waste. The article Effects of waste and poor waste disposal gives several ways landfills pollute the area around it. The less waste we generate the less landfill will pollute the areas around them.