Human Impact and Waste Project
Environmental Studies 2014-2015
Instructor: R. Medina-Ovando
Introduction
As the human population increases, so does the use of resources. With that, countries like China and India are
growing rapidly and moving along the transitional stages, meeting with the level of industrialized western
powers like the United States and many western European countries. As we advance in technology and size, we
create waste and utilize more resources, some we have as already limited commodities. We will see an increase
in refuse, electronic waste, toxic and hazardous chemicals, and potential new solutions to make recycling
programs more effective. It is our job as stewards in this society to be mindful of what we utilize and how much
we use, and use that knowledge to make ourselves more environmentally conscious.
Key concepts: recycling, reusing, repurposing, refuse, human health impact, hazardous waste; chemical,
physical, biological breakdown of hazardous chemicals, incineration, plasma torch, storage of hazardous waste,
environmental justice, biodiversity, items subject to change at instructor’s discretion.
Purpose: This project’s purpose is to develop student awareness of the utilization resources and understanding
on how lifestyle can impact the environment. Students will document and inventory their trash and observe how
much they collect. Students will then be able to repurpose the materials they have collected into an item that
represents the student in an artistic form. This project will also allow for students to use a hands-on approach
into conducting their investigation.
Your Project
You will be collecting data for approximately 1 week by collecting garbage that you make and sorting it into
specific categories. Please do not include food or hygienic materials that may pose a potential health hazard, but
you may include packaging/wrapping if any. You will also be measuring the weight of your total collection and
the weight of 4 separate components: paper, plastic, metal, and glass. You will also be responsible for
determining the ratio/percentage of each component in your pile of trash by using the weight. In addition, you
will also list what recyclables you have in your pile. You will have the following worksheet attached to the rest
of this document to fill out and turn in at the end.
Lastly, you will be making a garbage collage with the materials you collect throughout the week. Please
be creative, as this is your chance to use what other talents you all possess! We will be holding an exhibit the
day of the project due date and have other individuals from other classes come and view your art
product. These individuals will also assess the quality of your work as part of your grade. During this
gallery walk, you will be expected to present your data findings (how many pounds of trash, what percentage
plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, and recyclables) to an audience.
This project is due May 29th
You may always EMAIL me if you have questions. I HIGHLY recommend you do this to avoid any delays or
potential point loss.
ms.mobioscience@gmail.com
Logistics
A) Trash Collection and Calculation
a. In this section you will be measuring and weighing out how much trash total you have. You MUST
do this calculation in grams NOT pounds. Simply weigh your bag of trash over a traditional scale—if
possible, you may convert this into g or kg depending on your scale (or even go to a recycling center and
ask to use their scale) and record that data on the sheet provided in this packet.
b. You will need to measure the proportions of each of the following
i. Plastic (g of plastic/total weight of trash)
ii. Aluminum (g of aluminum/total weight of trash)
iii. Paper (g of paper/total weight of trash)
iv. Glass (g of glass/total weight of trash)
B) Collage Art-work
a. In this section, you will create a piece of art to reflect the amount of garbage you have collected.
Requirements include:
i. Putting artwork on large poster paper (may be trifold if desired or regular poster paper.
Must be larger than regular 8.5X11 paper).
ii. Make sure artwork is NEAT and there are no products that are hazardous to health (food,
personal hygiene products).
iii. Make artwork representative of YOU: make it colorful, you may add paint or other items that
might enhance your product.
iv. Prepare an index card with the following information: mass of trash/ percent
plastic/percent glass/percent/aluminum/percent other (if necessary). This will be displayed
alongside your artwork.
v. Prepare a 2-minute speech giving your audience background information on your artwork
provide: what it is, why it is important, how it relates to the importance of the environment,
what did you learn throughout this process.
1. This speech is to be TYPED AND SUBMITTED BEFORE PRESENTATION FOR
PROOFREADING.
C) Completion of handout questions
a. In this section, you will complete the questions in the handout (this includes hypothesis and
questions at the end)
b. Questions must be TYPED AND ANSWERED IN COMPLETE AND FULL SENTENCES. Cope
the question and answer below it.
Point Distribution
Component
Completion of hypothesis questions
Completion of inventory (all 5 MANDATORY portions)
Points
6
25
CORRECT calculations (percent
glass/aluminum/plastic/paper/recyclable)
Questions answered on worksheet (thorough and complete
answers)
Art Project product (collage rating based on rubric)
25
Speech for submission
10 points
TOTAL POINTS
114 points
8
40
Personal Solid Waste Inventory
Procedure:
 Collect and store all solid waste material, including items that may be recycled, for a 7 day period. DO NOT
collect anything that might pose as a health hazard- hygiene items and food waste are not to be collected.
 Record a running inventory of all solid wastes collected through out the week with a final tally at the end of items
that fit each major category (paper/cardboard, plastic, aluminum, glass and unidentifiable/misc).
 You do not have to carry your trash with you for the 7 day period (It will be easier to collect your trash if
you bring your trash bag with you). This will help you in accuracy.
 Hypothesis:
1. Of the 7 categories listed above, which do you think you will have the highest mass of?
2. Of the 7 categories listed above, which do you think you will have the lowest mass of?
3. What percentage of mass do you think you will be able to recycle?
Solid Waste Inventory
***Paper***
Item
School-related
Pages of
magazines/catalogs
Pages of newspaper
Number of Pieces
Item
Paper bags
Mail
Number of Pieces
Store Receipts
Paper towels/napkins
*ESTIMATE* squares of
toilet paper
Weekly Total Paper
(g or kg):
Percentage Paper from
Total:
%
***Plastics***
Item
Beverage
containers/lids
Non-food packaging
Number of Pieces
Item
Forks/Spoons/etc
Straws
Food wrappers
Weekly Total
Plastic
(g or kg):
Percentage Plastic from
Total:
Number of Pieces
***Aluminum***
Item
Cans
Number of Pieces
Weekly Total Aluminum
(g or kg):
***Glass***
Item
Bottles
Item
Foil
Number of Pieces
Percentage Aluminum
from total:
%
Number of Pieces
Weekly Total Glass
(g or kg):
***Unidentifiable/ Misc***
Item
Number of Pieces
Item
Jars
Number of Pieces
Percentage Glass from
Total:
%
Item
Weekly Total Mixed
Percentage Other from
Metals
Total:
%
(g or kg):
Separate the items into the categories recyclable and non-recyclable.
Mass of recyclable items: ___________
Mass of non-recyclable items: __________
Totals:
1. Total Solid Waste Items for the 1 week period:
2. Total Mass of Solid Waste materials for the 1 week period:
3. What percentage of mass was recyclable?
Number of Pieces
Inventory Check
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Questions
1. Was your hypothesis correct (questions 1 & 2), why or why not?
2.
Statistically, what is the largest component of solid waste (paper, plastic, yard waste, etc)?
3. If your parents completed this same inventory, how do you think theirs would differ from yours in terms of types
and amounts of materials used?
4. How did you alter your choices about the foods you ate or items you purchased during the last seven days due to
the type or amount of packaging?
Rubric for artistic project
5
Score X2
each
category
Component
Neatness
Quality
Full use of
materials
Presenter
knowledgea
ble of work
4
3
2
1
Art product is
clean and neat and
exhibits extreme
care and
preparation time.
All facets of the
project are
carefully made and
well thought out
Product looks
extremely
presentable and
excellent. Has high
aesthetic appeal.
Waste material is
used thoroughly
throughout the
project. Excellent
effort in aesthetic
appeal. Materials
are carefully used.
Art product is
clean and neat and
exhibits care and
good preparation.
The majority of the
project looks
carefully made
Art product looks
generally neat and
exhibits general
effort in execution.
Some aspects of
the project look
incomplete and
somewhat
carefully made
Product is
presentable and
looks of acceptable
quality
Art product is
disorganized and
shows almost no
real effort in
execution. There is
very little care or
thought in
execution
Art product does
not show any
effort in execution.
Product looks put
together very lastminute
Lackluster and
semi-presentable.
Somewhat
acceptable quality
Not acceptable in
quality and is not
presentable
Waste material is
used in project but
not as thoroughly.
Materials were
used with some
care. Some effort
in aesthetic appeal.
0 to very minimal
pieces of waste
material are used.
No effort in
aesthetic appeal.
Materials were not
used with care.
Presenter is
extremely
confident and very
knowledgeable in
their product. They
do not have
difficulty
explaining their
project and all
aspects
(weight/ratios/relat
ion to
environment)
Presenter is very
confident and
understands what
their product
represents. They
can explain their
project and all
aspects
(weight/ratios/relat
ion to
environment).
Almost no waste
material is used in
project. Materials
are sparse with
very minimal
effort in
integration. Almost
no effort in
aesthetic appeal
Presenter requires
more development
in confidence and
has a minimal
understanding od
what their product
represents
(weight/ratios/relat
ion to
environment).
Product is very
presentable and
excellent. Has very
good aesthetic
appeal
Waste material is
used thoroughly on
the project and is
good to look at.
Materials were
used with general
care. Good effort
in aesthetic appeal
Presenter is
somewhat
confident and has a
general
understanding of
what their product
represents.
(weight/ratios/relat
ion to
environment).
Presenter requires
significant
development in
confidence and has
little to no
knowledge on
what their product
represents
(weight/ratios/relat
ion to
environment).