Is Trash Taking Over?

Teacher Notes:

• As an extension, have students keep track of the types of trash discarded in their home over a week. Then have them compare this to the types of trash in Table 1.
• The question in Step 5 would be a good topic for a classroom discussion. Students would need to think about what items the people in 1960 had and whether as many types of items were disposable.
• Have students research possible methods for disposing of trash to keep the size of landfills manageable in the future.

Procedure for the Activity

Answers:

Step 1  See students’ work.  A circle graph would be a good choice for this data.

Step 2  See students’ work. A line graph would be a good choice for this data.

Step 3  See students’ work. Notice that the amount of trash has decreased if you consider only 1990 and 2000. However, if you consider all years in the table, the amount has increased from 1996 to 2000.

Step 4  Sample answer: One person discarded 4.42 pounds per day. There are 365 days in a year. About 30% of trash discarded is paper. Therefore, an estimate is 0.30(4.42)(365) » 484 pounds.

Step 5  Sample answer: In 1960, there may have been less plastic discarded because the country was less dependent upon it. In 2000, more people ate at fast-food restaurants and bought food with more packaging at supermarkets. This would lead to the disposal of much more paper products.

Wrapping Up the Activity

See students’ work.