Theme: Our Earth Resources
Learning and Teaching Activities
Investigation on local solid waste generation
Teaching tips
Teach students how to search for information, analyse and select the proper and correct
information. Formulate the arguments. Remember to advise students to adopt a multi-faced
approach.
During analysis, advise students to perform logical thinking.
During presentation, advise students to keep control of time and present to use body language
too.
Distribute the worksheet before class so that students can prepare well.
The role of a teacher is to monitor the whole debate, revise and correct the question and state the
concluding statement in clarity to reinforce the correct concept.
Teachers are provided with the following two web sites for more information about local solid
waste generation:
1. Environmental Protection Department, HKSAR. Waste, Data & statistics, Monitoring of
Solid Waste in Hong Kong, Monitoring of solid waste in Hong Kong 2000, web address:
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/data/monit_sw2000.html
2. Quality Education Fund and the Hong Kong Institute of Education. IT in Education Network,
Green school, Recycle_main, http://itied.ied.edu.hk/~gschool/Recycle_main.htm
Introduction
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Solid waste loads have risen steadily with the growth in human population in Hong Kong.
Various types of municipal waste and construction waste contribute significantly to these loads.
There are inadequate waste separation and recycling facilities in Hong Kong, most of the solid
wastes generated are sent to the landfill sites that are nearly exhausted in the carrying capacities.
Students’ Works
1. Students are required to count the quantities and type of solid wastes generated at home for
particular week. Work in groups (about 3 – 5 students a group) to discuss the data (in table
form) and suggest methods to reduce these wastes.
2. Individuals could contribute in waste reduction at home and school. Please discuss the
methods to treat the recyclable wastes (include plastics, aluminum cans, etc.) at home.
3. Besides landfilling, what other strategies can be used for treatment or management of solid
wastes? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these strategies?
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Suggested Answers.
1.
Students are required to count the quantities and type of solid wastes generated at home for
particular week. Work in groups (about 3 – 5 students a group) to discuss the data (in table
form) and suggest methods to reduce these wastes.
Type of solid waste
Approximate weight of Approximate percentage of the waste
the waste
against total weight of wastes
Plastic
Metal
Paper
others
Methods to reduce these wastes: reuse the materials (e.g. fill plastic bottle with drinking
water), reduce waste (e.g. write on both two sides of the paper), any appropriate
suggestions.
2.
Individuals could contribute in waste reduction at home and office. Please discuss the
methods to treat the recyclable wastes (include plastics, aluminum cans, etc.) at home.
Methods to treat the recyclable wastes:
Waste papers:
 Ensure that the waste papers are recyclable (e.g. newspaper, paper in notebooks, etc.
are recyclable; fax paper, used tissue, etc. are not recyclable.)
 Remove the sundry items in the waste papers
 Keep the waste paper clean and try
 After collecting a certain amount of waste papers, put them into appropriate recyclable
box.
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Aluminum cans:
 Remove the sundry item such as packing bag/papers and drinking plastic tube.
 Wash the can to prevent the growing of mosquito and other insects.
 Flatten the can to decrease the size.
 After collecting a certain amount of waste cans, put them into appropriate recyclable
box.
Plastics:
 Ensure that the waste plastics are recyclable (e.g. Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC); also,
biodegradable plastics is recyclable.
 Remove the sundry items in the plastics such as metals and papers.
 Wash the waste plastics to prevent the attraction of mosquito and other insects, etc.
which are potential disease vectors.
 Flatten the plastics to decrease the size.
 After collecting a certain amount of waste plastics, put them into appropriate recyclable
box.
3. Besides landfilling, what other strategies can be used for treatment or management of solid
wastes? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these strategies?
Advantages
Incineration
Recycling
Greatly reduce volume;
Saving of resources;
Highly effective even for the most
Reduce land demand for dumping
toxic compounds
Disadvantages
Good design needed to remove
Costly if sorting is needed for a
emission of air pollutants;
heterogeneous waste and/or cleaning
Potential health risk to the
is needed to recover the raw material;
neighbourhood;
Technology-dependent
High investment cost
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