Page 15 of Environmental Management Lesson Plan by Indiana Department of Environmental Management

IDEM Lesson Plan: Recycling Page 15 of 24 Additional Activity #4 Where does your homework go? Purpose: To engage students in a class discussion surrounding the steps in the recycling process including the collection of recyclables, manufacturing of new products, and purchasing of new recycled content products. Materials: Homework recycling poster Instructions: 3-5: Have the students discuss why it is important to "close the loop" and have all three parts of the chasing arrows work. The actual collection of recyclables means nothing if they are not turned into new products and put back in stores for us to purchase. 6-8: Older students can also be asked to draw a flow diagram on the board or overhead including all the different steps involved in producing a piece of paper from growing a tree in the forest until it is either recycled and made into a new product, or thrown away. Start with going to the store to buy some paper and end with it being made into something else. Consider these steps: 1. Consumer buys a product made of paper. 2. Paper is used and consumed. 3. Paper is placed in recycling container. 4. Paper is taken to the curb for recycling or taken to a recycling drop-off site. 5. Paper is processed and shipped to a recycling center. 6. Paper is re-processed into something like a roll of paper towels. 7. Someone goes into the store to buy the new paper towel. 8. The recycling cycle is completed!

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