Sustainability (Links to an external site.) is a concept that turns on three major ideas: humans should reduce their consumption, reuse items when possible, and recycle any materials they can recycle.

The average American produces about seven (7) pounds of garbage per day. This includes yard waste, food waste, plastics, paper, and other wastes. Many of these items could be recycled or composted but many others are single-use plastics or other garbage that cannot be recycled and is destined for a landfill. This assignment will help you understand how you measure up to the average American.

garbage.jpeg

Part 1:

Read through the article on garbage production (Links to an external site.) written by the Frontier Group.

Part 2:

Research your communitys waste disposal facilities. Is recycling available? What items are recyclable? Figure out what items you use daily are recyclable, how to read labels, and what happens to non-recyclable garbage in your area by reading through guides in your community. If your community has no guides, here is a link to one found at the City of Virginia Beach website (Links to an external site.) for consumers. Summarize your findings in a paragraph in a word document or a powerpoint presentation. This is the first slide or paragraph that will go into your assignment submission.

Part 3:

For 24 hours, collect all of the waste you generate – recyclable, compostable, etc.
Put it all in one place and then, after you have collected it, sort it into three piles: Recyclable, Garbage, Compost.
Make labels to go in front of each pile and a label with your name and the date on it and take a photograph of your waste to include in your answer document.
Estimate the poundage.
Last, write a short paragraph about your thoughts on your waste generation and where garbage ends up from your community and your contribution to that waste.
Collect your images and writeup in one document (Word, PDF, or Powerpoint) and submit that document for scoring.