Topic: Environmental issues – waste management

Target group

High school / technical school student

Core curriculum:

New core curriculum:

High school and technical high school. Chemistry – basic level:

XXI. Chemistry around us. Pupil:

10) gives examples of packaging (cellulose, glass, metal, plastic) used in everyday life; describes their pros and cons;
11) justifies the need to manage waste from various packaging.

High school and technical high school. Chemistry – extended level:

XXI. Chemistry around us. Pupil:

10) gives examples of packaging (cellulose, glass, metal, plastic) used in everyday life; describes their pros and cons;
11) proposes methods of waste management; describes commonly used methods disposal.

Old core curriculum:

High school and technical high school. Chemistry – basic level:

XXI. Chemistry around us. Student:

9) gives examples of packaging (cellulose, glass, metal, plastic) used in everyday life; describes their advantages and disadvantages;
10) justifies the need to manage waste from different packaging.

General aim of education

The student discusses various ways of waste management.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to justify the need to manage waste from different packaging;

• how to discuss different ways of waste management: landfill disposal, segregation, recycling, utilization, incineration activities;

• to explain the concept of biodegradable packaging and justify the need to put them into circulation as much as possible.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• exposing

  • film.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Introduction

1. The teacher hands out Methodology Guide or green, yellow and red sheets of paper to the students to be used during the work based on a traffic light technique. He presents the aims of the lesson in the student's language on a multimedia presentation and discusses the criteria of success (aims of the lesson and success criteria can be send to students via e‑mail or posted on Facebook, so that students will be able to manage their portfolio).

2. The teacher together with the students determines the topic – based on the previously presented lesson aims – and then writes it on the interactive whiteboard/blackboard. Students write the topic in the notebook.

Realization

1. The teacher instructs students to read the fragment titled „Waste – an issue or a business in the 21st century?” and perform task number 1.

2. Work in pairs. Analysis of the diagrams included in the abstract. Students in pairs discuss and then write down their explanations. The indicated couples discuss their studies on the class forum.

3. The teacher asks students to perform task number 1.

4. The teacher announces a movie. He instructs his pupils to write a research question and a hypothesis in the form provided in the abstract. Then he plays the video and the students note their observations and conclusions. The teacher points the person who shares his insights and explains the reasonableness of the conclusions noted.

5. Students read the fragment titled „Biodegradation” and then explain this term..

6. Students, working individually or in pairs, carry out interactive exercises to check and consolidate knowledge learned during the lesson. Selected people discuss the correct solutions for interactive exercises. The teacher completes or straightens the statements of the proteges.

7. Work of the whole class team. Students stand in a circle. The teacher encourages them to play: throws a ball or mascot to one of the students, saying the English word or notion learned in the lesson. The student gives the Polish equivalent, mentions another word in English and throws a ball or mascot to a friend or colleague.

Summary

1. The teacher briefly presents the most important issues discussed in class. He answers the additional questions of the proteges and explains all their doubts.

Homework

1. Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Environmental issues – waste management

Waste and associated hazards are nowadays becoming a more and more noticeable environmental issue. For example, a tiny watch battery may contaminate 1 mIndeks górny 3³ of soil or 400 litres of water. On the other hand, the majority of garbage can be transformed into energy or processed into new raw materials (for example fibres – from PET bottles, zinc – from zinc batteries), and some of them can be re‑used (for example glass can be re‑processed indefinitely). Ultimately, waste management consists in their disposal, which means that waste are processed to that they do not pose threat to human health and life and to the environment. Over the centuries, waste management has taken various forms.

Municipal waste disposal consists in their landfilling or incineration. Modern landfills and incinerating plants are one of the most ambitious tasks of construction engineering. However each of these methods contributes to the irretrievable loss of many valuable raw materials that are found in waste. In the interests of the natural environment, pictograms are often placed on the packaging. They make it easier to find out what in fact they are and inform the consumer on how to handle the packaging and articles that are in them.

Depending on the source of waste, various provisions are laid down in legal acts regarding the rules for handling these wastes. And so, municipal waste is subject to the obligation of separate collection. The following fractions are selectively collected:

1. paper;

2. glass;

3. metals;

4. plastics;

5. biodegradable waste, with particular reference to bio‑waste.

The waste fractions mentioned above are collected in containers, and it is also allowed to collect selected fractions of waste at the place of their production in sacks.

The waste fraction, consisting of paper waste, including cardboard, paper waste from packaging and packaging waste from cardboard, is collected in blue containers marked with the words „Paper”. The waste fraction, consisting of glass waste, including packaging waste made of glass, is collected in green containers marked „Glass”. If glass is collected in color and colourless glass, clear glass is collected in white containers marked „Clear glass” and coloured glass in green containers marked „Coloured glass”. Waste factions, which include metal waste, including metal packaging waste, plastic waste, including plastic packaging waste, and multi‑material packaging waste, are collected in yellow containers marked „Metals and plastics”. The fraction of biodegradable waste is collected in bronze containers marked with the word „Bio”.

Other legal regulations apply to the handling of medical waste: infectious, dangerous and other than infectious and dangerous. Medical waste is collected in containers or bags at the place of their formation and pre‑stored, taking into account their properties, the manner of their disposal or recovery.

Alternatively waste can be recycled thanks to which waste materials can be repeatedly processed and used. It contributes to reduced consumption of natural resources, energy savings and as a consequence has impact on environmental protection. Several types of recycling are distinguished: raw material (chemical), material (physical), organic and energy recycling. Selective waste collection is a starting point since virtually any waste can be a potential raw material.

Each waste management methods has both advantages and disadvantages. Rational waste management in our country should significantly reduce the quantity and type of waste going to landfills.

Omnipresent plastic bags which are produced in only 1 second have been used on average for 18 minutes and decomposed in the environment for 10–40 years. PET bottles need even more time. Degradation of polymer products in the natural environment is a long‑term process. Therefore, materials decomposed by microorganisms (fungi and bacteria), i.e. biodegradable polymers are introduced, if possible. A polymer may be considered biodegradable if it completely decomposes in soil or water within 6 months. Biodegradation may take place under aerobic or anaerobic conditions and it yields the following products: carbon dioxide, water and humus.

• There are the following municipal waste management methods: landfills, incineration, recycling (raw material, material, organic and energy recycling).

• Composting and fermentation are examples of organic waste management (organic recycling).

• Production of disposable packaging from biodegradable polymers contributes to waste reduction. Production of these polymers from renewable raw materials helps to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of carbon dioxide.