Shrink Your Trash Can!
The average American generates 4.5 pounds of waste every day. That's a whopping 18 pounds of trash every day for a family of 4! In this lesson, students will learn how to "shrink their trash cans"! "Shrinking our trash cans," or reducing our waste is easy but not done often enough. In 2017, only 35% of the waste we generated was actually recycled or composted (EPA, 2017). Of the waste that went to US landfills, at least 28% (39 million tons) could have been composted! Making careful purchases, reusing or repurposing items and properly sorting our waste can "shrink our trash cans" and reduce the volume of trash that ends up in landfills.
Looking for Halloween craft videos by Ms. Sheryl? Scroll down see how you can transform 1 gallon milk jugs into Halloween Decorations!
After finishing this lesson, take this quick quiz to see if you've learned how to "shrink your trash can".
The "Shrink Your Trash Can" Challenge!
According to the EPA (2017), the average American produces about 4.51 pounds of garbage a day.
How many pounds of garbage does the average American produce per year? (hint: there are 365 days/year)
How many pounds of garbage do Americans produce per day? (Assume a population of 328,000,000)
How many pounds does the average family of 4 produce per year?
(See answers at end of page)
The good news is that
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
YOU CAN "SHRINK YOUR TRASH CAN"!!!
Shrinking your trash can is easy!!
How to SHRINK your trash can!
You can REDUCE the amount of trash you produce by appreciating the things you have, repairing broken items and then purchasing only what you need. REFUSE items with excessive packaging. Buy in bulk instead of single serving packages.
REUSE containers and bags several times before discarding them. This will help you REDUCE as well!
REPURPOSE or transform old objects into something new! Fabric from clothing can be made into something different, trash like empty food containers can be reused for artwork or practical items like planters or storage containers.
When items can no longer be used, you can RECYCLE them! Much of our waste is compostable and recycleable! By simply recycling and composting you can prevent a lot of waste from entering the Davis landfill!
Compost! Organic waste such as plants, vegetable trimmings, uneaten food, paper and paper towels can be composted and transformed into soil for plants.
If you recycle and compost, your 4.5 pounds of "trash" will easily shrink to less than 2.9 pounds! Challenge yourself to figure out ways to reduce, reuse and repurpose. Strive for ZERO waste!
Be an Artist: Transform Trash into Artwork!
There are many examples of artists who used someone's discarded belongings for artwork! Check out this artwork made from garbage found at the beach! Click photo for article. (Kirk Siegler, NPR)
Transform Your Trash
Instead of purchasing decorations for Halloween, you can make your own using repurposed 1 gallon milk jugs!
In this video, Ms. Sheryl will show you how to make ghost lamps to use as Halloween decorations!
Watch this video about how to repurpose your old gallon milk jugs into Halloween decorations! Safe Link provided by Video.link, Art & Crafts By Three Sisters
Use toilet paper rolls to make Halloween cats on kidsactivitiesblog.com
For more milk jug ideas, visit the FabulesslyFrugal.com milk jug craft page.
Further Reading
Curious George Trash into Treasure
Produced by the Redwood City Public library. Safe Link provided by video.link
Have you Reduced, Reused and Repurposed?
If so, it's time to RECYCLE! Check back in 2 weeks for a lesson on recycling!
Answers: The average American produces 365*4.51=1646.1 pounds per year!! A family of four produces 1646.1x4=6584 pounds per year! (That's as much as an African Forest Elephant weighs!! Americans produce about 1.5 BILLION pounds of garbage per DAY!
References: Environmental Protection Agency, "National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling", 2017