Hazardous Waste Sources/Disposal
Hazardous wastes are a major concern of our modern industrial society. These hazardous chemicals can have hanmful effects on our health and or the health of plants and animals. Hazardous wastes come from a variety of sources. The greatest quantities of these wastes are produced as by-products of manufacturing. Hazardous wastes can be produced by some service industries. However, some hazardous wastes are in our homes, and we often fail to dispose of them properly. Ideally, these wastes are reused or recycled.
The following activity is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn where hazardous wastes are located in their community and where they are disposed.
Objectives
1. Identify some of the sources of hazardous wastes in their communities.
2. Identify approved disposal areas for the hazardous wastes.
Materials
A map of the City of New Haven or local community
Four colored markers (blue, yellow, red, green)
Poster board, paper, pencil, crayons
Procedure
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1. Begin a class discussion about the use of chemicals in your community (include chemicals produced by local industry and those used by individuals).
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2. Inform students that they are going to identify the producers, consumers, and disposal location of these chemicals.
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3. Circle the location of your school on the map in
blue.
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4. As a group, have the students identify and locate on the map sources of hazardous wastes in their community. Possible sources may include: gasoline stations, anto repair/paint shops, dry cleaners, hospitals, garden supply stores, farms, fast food restanrants etc. Locate these sources on the map in
red
.
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5. Locate where the waste is disposed of in
yellow
(landfills, recycling centers).
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6. Trace the most direct route of transportation in
green
between the sources of hazardous waste and the location of the waste disposal site(s).
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7. Have the recorder from each group list
ten
potentially hazardous materials they or their families use around the house.
Questions for Extra Credit
:
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1. Write a one-page account of how these possible sources dispose of their hazardous wastes.
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2. What could be done to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous wastes in your community?
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3. What could be done to reduce the amount of business and household hazardous wastes in the community?
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4. What can you and your family do to prevent hazardous waste problems?
Extended Activity
Students will create a poster to be displayed in the classroom depicting various hazardous waste sites and the different types of clean up methods used on the sites. Also the students will show the movement of hazardous wastes once it is released in the environment.