Lesson Overview

As part of a small group, students will research options for handling waste, including the amount of energy required to mitigate or dispose of the waste. Groups will present their waste management plans to the class and debate the pros and cons of each plan.

Target Grades: 9-12

Set Up Time: 20 minutes

Class Time: 1.5-2 hours

Lesson Resources

Objectives

  1. Identify the various community wastes produced at the student’s community.
  2. Describe two or more methods for handling community waste.
  3. Research the energy costs associated with two or more waste management methods.

Guiding question: What happens to our stuff when it gets thrown away?

Educational Standards

ALASKA CULTURAL STANDARDS: B4 & D5

ALASKA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: 9-12 RST.KI2.1; 9-12 RST.CS.4; 9-12 RST.IKI.9-10.7; 9-12 RST.IKI.9; 9-12 WSLST.PDW.4; 9-10 WSLST.RBPK.8; 9-12 SP.CC.1; 9-12 SP.CC.3; 9-12 SP.PKI.4

ENERGY LITERACY CONCEPTS: 7.3 & 7.4

NGSS: HS-ETS1-3

Lesson preparation:
  • If time allows, complete the “Mapping our Stuff” AK EnergySmart lesson prior to this activity.
  • Research local waste management, and reach out to a local IGAP coordinator (link in Additional Resources) for more information or to request as a guest speaker.
  • Read the Background information below.
Materials:
  • One computer with internet access per student.

When evaluating the energy needs of a community, waste is an important consideration that is sometimes overlooked. Waste management includes recycling, collection, transportation, storage and treatment of waste.

Due to high transportation costs, most items brought to rural villages in Alaska stay there permanently. Community dump sites can pose a problem for public health if they are not managed properly. For instance, disposed items can leak contaminants into the soil and enter village drinking water sources. 

Black water waste, or sewage, must be treated properly to ensure the health of the community and the surrounding environment. Black water waste can be treated with biological or chemical agents. According to a 2017 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Across the country, municipal wastewater treatment plants are estimated to consume more than 30 terawatt hours per year of electricity, which equates to about $2 billion in annual electric costs. Electricity alone can constitute 25% to 40% of a wastewater treatment plant’s annual operating budget and make up a significant portion of a given municipality’s total energy bill. These energy needs are expected to grow over time, driven by population growth and increasingly stringent water quality requirements.” (2017, DOE/EE-1700).

Other waste streams are also related to energy, such as recycling and food waste. In Alaska, this is especially compounded with high energy costs, which are even higher in rural communities. Refer to Additional Resources for more information.

 

Black Water Waste – Sewage or other water that includes toilet wastewater.

Electronic Waste (e-waste) – Waste consisting of electronic components (electronic devices, old computers, cell phones, etc.) that can no longer be used and must be disposed of or recycled. 

End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) – Vehicles (cars, ATVs, snowmachines, etc.) that have reached the end of their useful life, are no longer operable, and are in need of disposal. 

Hazardous Waste – Waste that poses a threat to public health or the environment. The four factors that determine whether or not a substance is hazardous include ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity. 

Life-Cycle Cost – Sometimes referred to as “true cost,” this is the total cost of owning an item, which includes the costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, converting and/or disposing of the item. For example, items such as refrigerators contain coolants that are harmful contaminants if they leak out and must be contained and disposed of properly, which has a cost.

Municipal Waste – Solid waste produced by households and commercial buildings, consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. Refers to the typical “garbage” thrown out by individual families and businesses. Municipal waste does not include industrial, agricultural, or biomedical waste.

Gear Up: 
  • If time permits, start with the “Mapping Our Stuff” AK EnergySmart lesson.
  • If available, arrange for a community waste manager or staff member (or local IGAP staff) to visit the classroom (or take a field trip to the landfill) and discuss specific challenges that the community faces with waste management and the energy required for management. Request the guest speaker to engage in a discussion with the students about possible ways to problem-solve and overcome the various community waste management challenges as well as ways that various stakeholders and specifically students could be engaged in that process. Preferably, the guest speaker can challenge the students to research different methods for waste management and the speaker can return for the debate on the solutions.
Activity
  • As a class, identify the different types of waste produced in your community (using the vocabulary list and any others that constitute a significant portion of your community’s waste).
  • Identify which types of waste can be recycled and which cannot. 
  • Discuss which types of waste pose the largest challenges and which represent the largest financial burden in the community.
  • Divide students into small groups and assign each group two or three types of waste identified by the guest speaker and the class brainstorming to research for the debate. 
  • Students should attempt to identify specific items in their assigned waste category and the potential hazards of improperly handling the disposed items.
  • Students will use this information to create a waste management plan, present it to the class and engage in a discussion. 
  • Give students a class period to research and outline their plan, including addressing the following questions:
    • How would they sort and prioritize items in each waste category? 
    • What type of energy is required to properly handle the waste (burn boxes, transportation, including barge shipments and diesel/gasoline for ATV hauling/heavy machinery, etc.)? 
    • What are creative ways to manage or mitigate the waste? For example, have student groups could identify how the types of waste assigned to them can be reduced? Students can use the 5Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Rethink/Repurpose, Recycle) approach to think about ways they and/or their community can reduce waste.
    • What are the implications for improperly managing the waste? 
  • Before the debate, give each group 5-10 minutes to present their waste management plan and findings to the class. After these presentations are done, facilitate a discussion/debate amongst the groups for which types of waste are of most concern and which plans would be most effective, economically feasible, and involve the lowest or most efficient use of energy.
  • Wrap up:
    • Vote as a class on the top method to pursue in the community. Preferably, turn it into a service project for the class or work with a service organization to implement the plan.
Extensions
  • Have students investigate what type of recycling is available in their community.  What are the barriers for expanding the recycling program?  What are some non-traditional or creative ways that they can recycle? 
  • Have a Recycled Art Show where students create art pieces from discarded materials.
Evaluation
  • Students explain different methods for handling waste and the energy and ecological impacts of disposing of waste.
  • Students identify and explain ways they personally can reduce their ecological footprint.