waste management - biodiversity south...
TRANSCRIPT
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental education
for secondary schools and Eco-clubs
MANUAL
AVOID – REDUCE – RECYCLE!
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INDEX
1. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION .............................................................................. 4
2. BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS ......................................................................... 5
2.1 General aspects ................................................................................................. 5 2.1.1 What does waste mean? ............................................................................... 5
2.1.2 The waste problem ...................................................................................... 6
2.1.2.1 Types of waste ..................................................................................... 6
2.1.2.2 General problems ................................................................................. 8
2.1.2.3 Sustainable waste management .............................................................. 8
2.1.3 Direct impact of waste to ecosystems .......................................................... 10
2.2 The waste situation and improvement options ................................................. 11 2.2.1.1 Food waste and wasting food ............................................................... 11
2.2.1.2 Paper and Cardboard .......................................................................... 13
2.2.1.3 Plastic waste ...................................................................................... 14
2.2.1.4 Compound and Blister packaging ........................................................ 15
2.2.1.5 Glass waste ....................................................................................... 16
2.2.1.6 Electronic waste ................................................................................. 16
2.2.1.7 Hazardous waste ................................................................................ 17
2.2.1.8 Garden waste ..................................................................................... 18
2.2.1.9 Textile waste ..................................................................................... 18
2.2.1.10 Metal waste ....................................................................................... 19
2.2.1.11 Bulky waste ....................................................................................... 19
3. THE SITUATION OF ARMENIA ............................................................................... 19
3.1.1 The current situation .................................................................................. 19
3.1.2 Strategies to limit the impact of waste to the environment.............................. 21
3.1.2.1 Large-scale strategies ......................................................................... 21
3.1.2.2 Strategies applicable by the individual .................................................. 21
4. EXPERIENCING WASTE ........................................................................................... 22
4.1 Security advice ............................................................................................... 22
4.2 Activities ........................................................................................................ 22
4.2.1 Tracking the waste .................................................................................... 22
4.2.1.1 Don`t waste - make a gift .................................................................... 22
4.2.1.2 Investigating a day`s waste .................................................................. 23
4.2.1.3 Establishing a compost heap ................................................................ 23
4.2.1.4 Movement “Let`s do it! Armenia!” ...................................................... 25
4.2.1.5 Flea market ....................................................................................... 25
4.2.2 Games ...................................................................................................... 25
4.2.2.1 Garbage quiz ..................................................................................... 25
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4.2.2.2 Waste Memory (Mnemonic game) ....................................................... 27
4.2.2.3 Waste relay ....................................................................................... 28
4.2.3 Creative approaches .................................................................................. 28
4.2.3.1 Paper ideas ........................................................................................ 28
4.2.3.1.1 New sandals for all! ........................................................................ 28
4.2.3.1.2 Paper cup ....................................................................................... 30
4.2.3.2 Waste is music! .................................................................................. 31
4.2.3.2.1 Bottle piano .................................................................................... 31
4.2.3.2.2 Crown cap rattle ............................................................................. 32
4.2.3.2.3 Jingle stick ..................................................................................... 33
4.2.3.3 Tetra Pak ideas .................................................................................. 34
4.2.3.3.1 Tetra Pak flower pot ........................................................................ 34
4.2.3.3.2 Tetra Pak Moneybag! ...................................................................... 34
4.2.3.3.3 Tetra Pak Shopping Bag .................................................................. 35
4.2.3.4 Miscellaneous ideas ............................................................................ 37
4.2.3.4.1 Tin can storm light .......................................................................... 37
4.2.3.4.2 Straw Man / Boogie / mobile ............................................................ 38
4.2.3.4.3 Plastic bag mattress ......................................................................... 39
4.3 Further reading .............................................................................................. 40 4.3.1 Organisations involved in waste management:.............................................. 40
4.3.2 Useful videos, available online: .................................................................. 40
4.4 WASTE INVENTORY - CHECKLIST ........................................................... 42
Text, photos and illustrations: Martin Gabriel, Geographer MSC
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1. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Environmental education focuses on raising awareness in environmentally related issues. One
of these issues is the waste problem, which is more than obvious in Armenia. The country
faces serious problems concerning waste in every respect, starting from a lack of
consciousness about these problems at home. For this reason the waste issue forms an ideal
framework both to communicate resource, pollution and ecological issues and to offer
respective activities at school.
Children as the makers of a nation`s future are one of the most important target groups for
propagating awareness about the waste problem. Primary and secondary schools, as well as
eco-clubs are the right place to step into this topic.
Environmental education is based on a functional chain of emotion – experience – reflection
– action. In other words, the personal attitude and consciousness, which leads to a change in
behaviour is achieved by personal experience. But, as everybody knows, experience can`t be
taught.
Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), renown Italian philosopher and naturalist, once said: “We
cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves”. This
timeless statement is certainly valid still today, especially when talking about the
development of environmental consciousness and awareness for environmental sustainability.
The personal and direct experience with the waste problem, the possibilities of avoiding,
reducing and recycling waste, as well as gaining the knowledge about all different threats
caused by waste - all these leads to an intense and positive attitude towards environmental
issues.
Environmental education contributes greatly to achieve such consciousness at school:
“Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's knowledge and
awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and
expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to
make informed decisions and take responsible action” (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).
Experiential education plays an essential role in the environmental education. Not only with
your mind and soul, but also by personal action, the process of internalisation is strongly
supported. For this reason the combination of environmental education with experiential
education is probably the most effective way to create a long-lasting environmental
consciousness at school.
Waste covers a wide range of environmental issues: children shall experience, that waste is
something valuable and recyclable, that the environment and man`s health face threats due to
waste, and that there are ways to avoid or reduce waste – at home, as well as on a large-scale
level.
Waste is “available” and visible everywhere, produced daily and by everybody. Therefore
every individual is concerned directly with the waste issue. Moreover, in many cases it is very
easy to improve the personal situation by just changing some habits, which can be taught in a
playful way.
The understanding of the complex web of waste management can easily be supported at
school providing activities like games, contests, playful projects and especially creative and
artisan approaches. Therefore, the waste issue forms an ideal framework for environmental
education in Armenian primary and secondary schools.
Issues to be communicated at school:
What does “waste” mean, what does “sustainable waste management” mean?
Introduction to the waste issue, overview of different types of waste
Impact of uncontrolled dumping and pollution
Origin and avoidance of waste, especially at home
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Strategies to avoid negative impacts on the environment and ecosystems:
Waste disposal, recycling, waste segregation and consumer behaviour
Scope of activities:
Enlarge knowledge by games focusing on comprehension and experience
Conduct „surveys“
Learn about different types of waste:
Determination, origin, avoidance, impact etc.
Investigate alternatives
Enjoy artisan approaches
Use waste for producing new items
Combine existing skills with new experiences
A combination of the above mentioned issues and activities aims to achieve a better
understanding of environmental issues and create a lasting consciousness about sustainable
management of natural resources and related issues.
With the help of this manual and the respective seminars conducted by the GIZ, background
information and suggestions for implementing environmental education in Armenian
secondary schools will be provided.
2. BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS
2.1 General aspects
2.1.1 What does waste mean?
Before getting into the complex issue of waste and waste management and to avoid
confusion, one should think about what the term “waste” actually means.
Considering the huge differences in peoples` living standards around the world, it is clear, that
one and the same item or material may be considered as waste in one culture, while nobody
would think about discarding it in another culture. Just think about empty tin cans; they are
commonly considered as waste and thus thrown away in any big western city, while in poor
countries tins may be used for a number of purposes: they serve as containers, as building
material for walls or (adding some wheels and a cord) make a nice toy or musical instrument.
So, it is easy to understand, that the definition of “waste” depends greatly on a culturally
linked valuation of the respective item or material. Furthermore, the importance/impact of
“waste” and waste management seems to depend on the “development status” of a country or
culture. The more “developed” a country or culture is the more problems of waste seem to
arise.
According to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, the western world defines “waste” as “…materials
that are not prime products (that is products produced for the market) for which the initial
user has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation or
consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose. Wastes may be generated during the
extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into intermediate and final
products, the consumption of final products, and other human activities. Residuals recycled
or reused at the place of generation are excluded."
Contrary to this definition, one could assume that indigenous cultures basically may not even
be aware, that there is a term like “waste”.
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Usually waste is understood as “material”, consisting of solid parts, including liquids and
gases in containers. (Open liquids and gases affecting the environment refer to the closely
related issue of air and water pollution, but are not considered as waste in a strict sense).
However, between waste and pollution there are of course tight interrelations.
In this manual we are focusing mainly on solid waste, caused by modern civilisation.
2.1.2 The waste problem
Waste is a global issue with an increasing significance in terms of environmental pollution,
resource management and health risks. Therefore waste management is not only a political
challenge, but an issue for all individuals as well. While the political framework,
infrastructure and appropriate facilities have to be initialized by the authorities, trade and
industry, it appears to be a basic issue to communicate the waste problem in the population at
the same time. Everybody can acquire environmental consciousness and change his consumer
attitude, step by step and as a small step towards changing the situation in a large scale. As a
rule of thumb, the waste issue can be reduced to three words: Avoid – reduce – recycle!
2.1.2.1 Types of waste
There are many different types of waste generated by human civilisation. According to their
origin, they can be grouped in three major classes:
Mineral waste:
Soil, sands and stone, construction/demolition waste, ashes and slags from power stations
and other combustion processes.
These wastes are mainly generated by mining, gravel and sand stripping, smelting,
construction and demolition of roads and buildings. They build about two thirds of all
generated waste in western countries.
Municipal waste:
This type of waste is generated either by commerce or by consumers (i.e. private
households including municipal institutions etc.). It consists of bio-waste, waste paper,
glass waste, electronic waste, hazardous waste, garden waste, textile waste, metal waste,
plastic waste, bulky waste and several types of packages.
All these types of waste may be generated in a private household.
Commercial, industrial and clinical waste:
Municipal-like industrial waste, radio-active waste, production waste, slaughterhouse
waste, toxic waste, clinical waste.
These wastes are generated by industry and medical facilities like hospitals and surgeries.
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Energy Sector
5%
Other
8%
Agriculture,
Forestry
3%
Waste and Water
Management
11%
Households
13%
Manufacturing
19%
Mining Industry
41%
Illustration 1: Total waste generation in the EU by economic activity
(Source: European Commission 2008)
Metallic waste
13%
Household and
similar waste
28%
Animal and
vegetal waste
15%
Paper and
cardboard wastes
8%
Wood wastes
9%
Combustion
wastes
21%
Sorting residues
6%
Illustration 2: Total waste generation in the EU by waste category in 2008 – Mineral
waste excluded (Source: European Commission 2008)
Illustration 1 and 2 display some interesting facts concerning waste generation in the EU:
Illustration 1 shows clearly, that manufacturing and mining are amongst the biggest
generators of waste, while households contribute to a small proportion only in the whole.
Illustration 2 however indicates that within all non-mineral waste, household waste plays an
important role!
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2.1.2.2 General problems
It is essential to communicate all negative impacts of waste and generating waste at school,
since any further teaching of waste management makes sense only, if the negative effects of
waste are clear to all pupils.
Generating waste produces several problems and challenges:
Waste requires space, i.e. capacities for dumpsites or waste-processing plants
Waste might be directly hazardous or toxic to the environment, soil, water or air and for
living creatures including man.
Waste may produce toxic substances when deposited, burnt or recycled.
Generating waste consumes natural resources.
Recycling and disposal of waste consumes energy.
Uncontrolled and illegal dumpsites, which are not professionally secured, may cause
serious water and/or air pollution.
Waste produces a lot of methane (and other dangerous gases), which contributes to the
global warming.
Waste disposal in the sea and in other waters has reached dangerous levels.
Quality of life decreases, if the environment is polluted by uncontrolled waste.
Generating waste means spending money for it, which could have been spent otherwise/in
another way.
“Wasting” food or other resources unnecessarily causes the need for production of more
food or material.
It is useful to know about the decomposing times of some common material and to compare
the times needed for decomposition and to highlight, that different material needs different
times for decomposition:
Banana peel: 3 to 4 weeks
Leather boot: 40 to 50 years
Newspaper: 1 month
Tin can: 80 to 100 years
Aluminum can: 200 to 500 years
T-Shirt: 5 months
Wool sock: 1 year
Plastic jug: Unknown
Cigarette butt (synthetic): 2 to 5 years
Glass bottle: unknown, forever?
2.1.2.3 Sustainable waste management
Generating waste without considering the subsequent consequences and feedbacks, is a
situation, which needs to be ameliorated. Sustainable waste management tries to change the
waste situation to a better one including the following efforts:
Trying to reach a high degree of exploitation of natural resources
Non-avoidable waste has to be converted into a new raw material or neutral material,
which can be deposited without harm to the environment.
Therefore waste management means waste segregation, waste collection and
recycling of waste with the aim of producing new materials or neutral waste.
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Modern waste plants are highly sophisticated facilities and allow to segregate all different
types of wastes for further processing: Food waste is segregated for further processing in
compost plants and even produces energy (inflammable gas), which can be used during the
segregation process. Plastic waste is set apart and will be converted into new plastic material,
glass is separated and will make new bottles and so on. Waste segregation and processing has
become an industry in many countries and therefore is an important part in economy.
Most countries have dedicated themselves to applying some kind of sustainable waste
management to achieve the above mentioned goals. A lot of different conventions, treaties
and declarations have been signed in the last decades, all of them focusing on the avoidance
or at least reduction, a better management of generated waste and recycling of waste. Ireland
for example has an established system of a plastic bag levy and reduced the plastic bag waste
at a rate of 90%!
However, waste management should not be conducted by the authorities alone, but by the
consumers in particular. Along with a change of consumer attitude and behaviour, waste can
be reduced straight forward, and, in the long term, by exerting an influence to the industry.
Again, the issue of waste management can be reduced to the rule of thumb:
Avoid – reduce – recycle!
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2.1.3 Direct impact of waste to ecosystems
Apart from land loss and fragmentation of habitats, climatic changes, intoxination, pollution
and exploitation of resources, the natural environment and its biodiversity faces serious
problems caused by man-generated waste.
Methane and carbon dioxide gas: Bio-waste produces methane gas when anaerobically
decomposed. Methane gas contributes to speeding up the global warming effect, thus
changing the living conditions in the ecosystems seriously. The effects of the global
warming cannot be discussed here largely, but keep in mind, that generating waste
contributes to it. Other notable methane emissions are generated by cattle farming and rice
cultivation, to mention just the most important ones. Apart from methane gas, carbon
dioxide is produced, for example when burning plastic waste.
Additives from plastic and other synthetic material: Chemical substances emerging
from plastic and other synthetic material is dangerous to most living creatures. They can
favour the development of cancer, impact the natural hormonal balance, limit fertility,
destroy cell structure etc.. For this reason some of the most toxic substances have been
banned from children’s toys in the European Union. The substances emerge from
dumpsites as well as from plastic waste, which is littered uncontrolled in the environment,
accessing soil and groundwater, thus contaminating it.
Other toxic substances: Waste often contains toxic or hazardous substances, either
within itself, or by decomposing or by altering them. The range of harmful substances is
very wide, not allowing a detailed listing of all. Chemicals from enamel, lacquer,
pesticides, pharmacy, medicine, which are not deposited or recycled properly, are an
unquestionable danger to all living creatures and ecosystems.
Solid plastic waste: Plastic waste, especially plastic bags, bottles and containers
including caps have become a serious problem for the environment and effect a lot of
animal species directly. Many animals try to or do eat plastic items, as they consider them
to be eatable. This situation effects both land and sea-living creatures and of course, this is
a problem for respective species. However, even more serious problem is created by
plastic parts driving in or on open water. Bottle caps, plastic lighters, parts of ball pens,
styrofoam particles, cigarette buds etc. are eaten by fish and birds. For example, some
albatros populations are facing extinction as a result of high mortality rate in their chicks
due to plastic particles in their digestion system. Fish, which is fed to the chicks, is often
filled with plastic parts, which cannot be digested by the albatros chicks and thus make
them die in a very cruel way. It is estimated, that about 500 tons of plastic end up dumped
in the sea PER HOUR!
Another example of plastic waste is synthetic fishnets. Many seabirds are killed by
abandoned fishing nets, as they are using them as an inadequate nesting material. Adults,
as well as chicks, get entangled in the nets and die subsequently.
Another effect of floating plastic parts on the seawater surface is the explosion of insect
species, the water strider Halobates sericeus. This species profits from the increasing
amount of plastic in the ocean, as it lays eggs on them. The number of this species rises
continuously according to the increasing number of plastic particles. At present the
consequences due to these changes are not yet clear, but ecologists call it an alarming
situation.
Apart from directly killing living creatures, uncontrolled littering produces ugly landscape
scenery. Littered plastic also creates problems for mankind, for example if plastic litter
plugs up sewage drains, it can cause flooding of settlements. Another effect of littered
plastic bags, especially in tropical countries, is the fact, that rain water is collected in
littered plastic bags, making them an ideal place for malaria breeding.
Loss of land space: Dumpsites and recycling plants claim more and more space, which
might be built in areas, not suitable for human settling, but exactly for this reason they are
often ecologically important ecosystems like wetlands, abandoned stone pits etc.
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Air pollution: Any waste, which is burnt outside an incineration plant with an emission-
filtering-system, causes air pollution. Along with many other toxic substances, carbon
dioxide and carbon monoxide are emitted in the air.
Many of the above mentioned threats could be avoided, if waste was collected in a properly
secured dumpsite. A proper dumpsite should at least meet the following requirements:
The ground must provide a geological barrier to avoid toxic material reaching soil or
groundwater, its thickness depending on the type of dumpsite.
The dumpsite must be fenced to avoid waste – especially light material like plastic bags
etc. – to be carried away be the wind. A fence is also a protection against uncontrolled
dumping.
The area must be covered for the above mentioned reasons and to avoid rain water to
penetrate into the waste material.
Leaking water must be collected and processed and analyzed before it is allowed to flow
freely.
A reception for controlling the incoming material and a laboratory for analysis of
produced gases and liquids is a major component of any dumpsite.
2.2 The waste situation and improvement options
Wherever people are living, waste is produced. The most obvious site of generated waste
therefore is the direct surrounding of the personal living and working environment. Waste
produced at home is called consumer or household waste. Usually one doesn`t reflect about
the origin, amount and kind of waste, which is generated. Considering the fact, that (in
Western Europe) each individual produces nearly 500 kg of waste per year, it is well worth to
have a closer look to the origin and composition of this huge amount of waste.
While a lot of waste can be avoided by personal action in a private household, a lot of waste
generation can be avoided only in a long-term change of consumer attitude, consciousness
and valuation. However, it is possible to effect those changes by spreading knowledge about
those issues.
2.2.1.1 Food waste and wasting food
Situation:
Since mankind has evolved to a “modern species”, alimentation has changed dramatically.
Food is used to prepare meals using a number of ingredients, food is preserved and with
globalisation the supply of food has become extremely diverse and is often brought from far
away. It is clear, that in western countries there is an excess supply of food.
Apart from the various problems arising from packaging food, a lot of food becomes waste
itself, so in the case of food, the term “wasting” fits perfectly to the issue! Waste generation
starts from the production process already. Agriculture and stock breeding generates waste
from the very beginning, but consumer attitude has lead to serious wasting of food even more.
On the way from the field to the market a lot of valuable food is lost already. Fruit and
vegetable is sorted out according to standards of beauty, form and size, although there is no
difference in content, taste or healthiness, thus producing waste. Buckled carrots or
cucumbers, same like (too) small, not perfectly coloured or dented apple and other fruit will
never get into the market, since the consumer is spoilt with “perfect” quality. The FAO (Food
and Agriculture Organisation) estimates, that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted per year due
to missing quality standards in the Western world.
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In less developed countries a high number of valuable food is lost as well, when adequate
means of harvesting, transport or preservation are missing.
During the production and trading process a high quantity of food is thrown away already due
to the following reasons:
Products are sometimes removed several days before meeting the expiration date from the
supermarket offer, although they are still in perfect condition.
The consumer claims a full assortment even shortly before shops are closing: it is for this
reason that about 10% of the daily bread production is thrown away, for instance. Apart
from that, the daily demand is not easy to plan in a big city.
Aberrances from quality standards
Excess production and misplanning
Failure during the production process including mislabelling and spilling
Wrong storage, transport damages
Misestimation of needed packaging sizes
Once food has reached the end consumer, still more than 20% of untouched food is thrown
away for several reasons:
Lack of valuation of food, caused by permanent availability
Bad planning, mispurchase lacking overview about stock
Wrong storage
Exceeding expiration date
Due to their nature fresh vegetable and fruit build about 44% of all food waste in private
households.
In Germany the average citizen throws away 81,6 kg of food per year. 65 % of this waste
amount could be avoided, at least to a high percentage. The value of avoidable waste is
estimated to 235 Euro per citizen per year, which sums up to 940 Euro per household per
year! This means, that in Germany about 21.6 Billion Euro are spent for food, which is
thrown away! One can assume that the situation is similar in other European countries.
Food waste generation per year
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Private
households
Food industry Restaurants,
cantinas, clinics
etc.
Trade
Origin
tons
61%
61%61%
17% 17%
5%
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Illustration 3: Origin of food waste in western countries
(Source: Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz/
http://www.focus.de/wissen/mensch/tid-25258/lebensmittelabfaelle-die-wegwerf-republik-
_aid_723531.html)
Apart from wasting valuable food, which means a serious waste of money, natural resources
and energy, wasted food generates a number of further problems.
Food waste forms a big proportion of the so-called bio-waste, which is defined as animal and
vegetable waste arising from households, commerce and the food manufacturing industry.
Apart from food and food production waste, it comprises garden waste and waste from
slaughtering and hunting as well.
As bio-waste degrades in landfills it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. About 70%
of the global microbiotic methane emissions are generated by the activities of mankind (39%
of those by cattle farming and 17% by rice cultivation).
Improvement options:
While we cannot not have a direct impact on the food production chain, food waste can be
avoided or at least influenced by different approaches at home:
A better valuation of food: Food is money!
A better planning of shopping and overview of the food supply
Correct storage and consuming food in time
Think about quality standards: do you really need to consume “perfect” food?
Furthermore, think about the content, nutrition value and healthiness of food, which is
produced in a large industrial scale (accompanied by the use of potentially hazardous
chemicals) compared to home- or biologically grown food, which is much more healthy,
tasty and much more efficient.
Leftover
14%
Partially fractured
without package
23%
Partially fractured
package
26%
Original, unpacked
22%
Original packaging
11%not classified
4%
Illustration 4: Composition of food waste in central Europe
(mixed sources, average values)
2.2.1.2 Paper and Cardboard
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Situation:
Paper serves as raw material for writing or printing in offices, institutions and households, for
newspapers, magazines, adverts, books and cardboard packages, to name the most important
usages. Apart from that, a lot of paper is used for the production of hygienic articles.
Every day about one million ton of paper is consumed. The average global consumption of
paper is about 58 kg per year and citizen – with a wide range from 20 kg (Indonesia) to more
than 300 kg (Finland). In Germany the consumption is 251 kg per citizen, of which 40% are
packages and about 47% graphic papers for newspapers and ads (source: www.pro-
regenwald.de).
Paper is produced from cellulose, which is a natural component in trees. Trees are natural
resources, especially considering, that the vast amount of needed paper per day cannot be
extracted from plantations. So one has to keep in mind, that paper production still consumes
vast areas of pristine rain forests and other forests. Paper production also needs a lot of energy
and water, and the production process contributes to water pollution as well. Producing
environmentally friendly paper has become quite popular in western countries – however,
reducing paper consumption is still better!
Improvement options:
Try to consume as little paper as possible
Share newspapers, books and magazines with friends and family members
Buy environmentally friendly paper
Browse your household for possibilities of reducing paper consumption (reuse paper in
printer, etc.)
Tell friends about your ideas of reducing paper
2.2.1.3 Plastic waste
Situation:
Plastic has become a very popular and seemingly indispensable material of the civilized
world. It is not only used for packaging of all different kinds of goods, but seems to have
reached all sections of the modern world, from construction to medicine, from electronic
science to mechanics and so on.
Unbelievable, but true: every year 500 billion of plastic bags are produced. This is just a
portion of 125 million tons of plastic, which are produced every year. Some 10.000 tons of
plastic end up uncontrolled in the environment every year, making plastic to the most
dangerous threat of pollution in the world. Even a tankship disaster seems less dangerous to
the environment compared to these numbers.
The popularity of plastic is due to its structural stability, which on the other hand means that
plastic does not decompost, at least not in reasonable times. Plastic remains in the
environment for an extremely long time.
The problem is, that for making plastic usable, some dangerous components are added,
mainly phtalates and bisphenols, so-called softeners, both toxic to man and other living
creatures. These chemicals have proved to impact hormonal balance, fertility, development of
embryo and children, as well as it is definitely cancerogenic (it is for this reason, that these
components have been banned as parts of children’s toys since 2005 in the EU). When
littering plastic, these components are set out to the environment and therefore contaminate
soil and water.
The chemicals cannot be reduced by microorganisms, i.e. that both plastic litter in unsecured
dump-grounds as well as uncontrolled plastic litter, contributes to poisoning the environment
enormously!
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Even recycling plants cannot split up plastic without producing toxic components. If burnt at
too low temperatures (which is always the case, if home-burnt), benzole, biphenyle and
carbon monocyde is set free, as well as carbon dioxide.
While waste segregation includes plastic litter in most western countries nowadays, the bigger
part of plastic ends up as residual waste or uncontrolled litter in the rest of the world.
Improvement options:
Whenever you buy food or anything else, it is wrapped, packed, tinned or filled in /into
plastic, glass or composite material. All this packing generates waste of course. However,
there are differences between a traditional weekly market and the modern supply of food, like
in supermarkets of course. An individual will not change plastic production in the short term,
but you can point a way:
Bring your own bag for shopping.
Don`t throw away your plastic bag, use it several times.
Use plastic bags to produce convenient things (see chapter 4.2.3.4.4.).
Use cotton bags instead of plastic or use a basket for shopping (see chapter 4.2.3.3.3.).
If possible, use natural material instead of plastic (paper picnic plates and cups, for
example).
Buy glass instead of plastic bottles, where (or once) there is a deposit system.
NB: In many cities in the USA plastic bags have been banned from the stores, as in Los
Angeles and in San Francisco. The stores are not allowed to give away free plastic bags any
more. However, one can purchase a paper bag for a few cents or bring his own bag.
2.2.1.4 Compound and Blister packaging
Situation:
A number of different compound materials have become very popular for packaging, like
Tetra Paks and blister packages as an example: a clear or opaque plastic or metal-foil seal
holds the product (capsules, tablets, or other types of small items) against a sheet of card. In
the case of Tetra Paks a beverage, like milk or juice, is filled in a box, which is composed of a
cardboard and an attached plastic and/or aluminium foil, making the package air- and
waterproof. In Germany about 4.8 billion (!!!) Tetra Paks are consumed every year.
The problem in these materials is, that they are one-way-products, which means, that
production and recycling consumes a lot of energy and resources – if recycling takes place at
all. There are actually ongoing discussions about the possibilities and actual rate of recycling
of these packages. Certainly it is not easy to make estimation about the environmental
soundness of these products.
Improvement options
Avoiding compound and blister packaging in Armenia is still difficult at present, since there
are few alternatives only. One alternative would be to replace these packages by deposit
bottles in the case of beverages. However, as long as there is no deposit system and no
recycling of glass and plastic bottles, these packages remain a problem. In the case of
compound packages trade and industry are asked to create better ecological-sound
alternatives. However, it is not always easy to compare a complex process of production with
a system of collecting, cleaning and recycling with respect to eco-balance.
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2.2.1.5 Glass waste
Situation:
Glass is a very valuable material, which is known for about 3600 years. Its origins are said to
be in ancient Mesopotamia. The raw material is mainly siliceous sand (SiO²), a natural
resource and some other components, which are mixed and melted in a specific process.
Nowadays a high proportion of used glass is used for glass production. About 60% of the raw
material used for bottles and other glass containers is used glass today, with a significant high
percentage of 90% in green glass. Apart from the economic and ecologic aspects, broken
glass melts much easier than the mixture of natural components.
The glass production process consumes a lot of energy, as the components must be heated to a
temperature of 1.480°C.
Glass, which is spoilt in the environment, cannot be decomposed and will last for ever
(nearly). Furthermore, glass bottles bear the risk of forest fire ignition, broken glass is a health
risk for man and domestic stock. Also, glass sherds are one of the main causes for punctures
in tyres.
Improvement options:
Talking about glass avoidance basically means avoiding the production of new glass, which is
highly energy-consuming. Apart from breaking, glass is a very resistant and durable material.
So the most effective way to reduce glass production is using a glass product (bottle or other)
as long as possible. This is an easily achievable target by introducing a deposit system for
bottles: whenever you buy a bottle or any glass container, you have to pay a certain amount of
money as a deposit, which is returned when the empty bottle or container is returned.
As long as there is no deposit system for glass, one should at least try to return any used glass
to the recycling cycle.
2.2.1.6 Electronic waste
Situation:
Electronic waste is largely generated due to rapid changes and fast obsolescence in
technology and media types (tape CD mp3-file), i.e. that the physical life of these
materials has become quite short and therefore become waste within a short period. Electronic
waste includes discarded computers and other office electronic equipment, entertainment
device electronics like TVs and music players, mobile phones and refrigerators.
Up to 60 elements plus many synthetic components can be found in electronic equipment,
causing a complex situation:
1. On the one hand electronic waste contains a number of valuable and scarce materials
like lead, copper, nickel, lithium and gold, as well as some scarce trace elements like
americium, barium, cobalt, germanium, vanadium etc.
2. On the other hand electronic waste contains a variety of hazardous materials, which
are dangerous to man and environment. These are notably lead, cadmium, sulphur and
americium.
3. Eventually recycling or dumping causes a number of further problems, since most of
the electronic waste is exported to underdeveloped countries, where health and
security regulations might be low. Often electronic devices are just burnt down to
remove synthetic and mantling parts (including epoxy resins, fiberglass, PVC etc.),
which in turn produces toxic emissions, dangerous to man and environment.
Especially CRTs (and circuit boards) are considered to be amongst the hardest types
- 17 -
of waste for recycling, as they contain high concentrations of lead, phosphors,
cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame retardants.
Each year about 50 million tons of electronic waste is generated, of which 30 million
computers are discarded in the USA alone. 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each
year. It is estimated, that only 15-20% of electronic waste is recycled, the rest of these
electronics go directly into landfills and incinerators.
Improvement options:
The best way to avoid electronic waste is using the respective items as long as possible – this
at least prolongs the lift span and reduces the amount of waste for the moment. Before
purchasing new electronic equipment, think about the need to do so. Maybe you can just
borrow it from your neighbour.
Once an electric or electronic item is not usable any more, you should never give it to the
household waste, but always make sure it can be recycled: If there are no facilities for
recycling at your place (or not yet availiable), make sure, electronic devices never end up in
the normal waste collection system – better keep it for while, until recycling facilities are
available in your place.
An ideal electronic waste recycling plant combines dismantling for component recovery with
increased cost-effective processing of bulk electronic waste.
Maybe you will be surprised, that apart from recycling some computer components for use in
new electronic devices, some metals of computers can be reused in applications as varied as
construction, flatware, and jewellery!
2.2.1.7 Hazardous waste
Situation:
Apart from a lot of hazardous waste generated by the industry, there is quite a number of
different types of hazardous waste, which may be generated in a private household. It is not
always easy to make a difference between hazardous waste and other related types of waste.
In any case, it is important to communicate, that hazardous waste is a serious health risk and
that it is toxic to the environment and therefore needs to get a special treatment:
Most synthetic liquids like paints, glue, cleaning agents and detergents, dissolvers etc. are
basically toxic and need to be treated separately when discarded. Pesticides and artificial
fertilizer are another group of toxic chemicals. Unconsumed medicine needs to be discarded
separately as well. Some material like batteries, thermometers and fluorescent lightings
contain mercury, which is extremely toxic to mankind. A lot of different hazardous waste also
origins from automobiles, i.e. petrol, engine oil, antifreeze, etc. Some electronic devices like
computers and cell phones can also be listed as hazardous, although there is a lap-over with
electronic waste, of course. Even gases like propane gas, used at home may become
hazardous waste. Finally, even ammunition and radioactive waste might be generated at
home: Some smoke detectors contain the radio-active element Americium, however in small
amounts.
Improvement options:
When using any potentially toxic liquids, always think about the dosage and frequency of
application. Only use these materials, if it is really necessary to apply them. Whenever you
have the opportunity, use biodegradable material.
Also think about your parents’ car – a car wash should be done in a car wash or without using
chemicals. Engine oil as well as petrol may not reach the environment at any time. VERY
IMPORTANT: Thermometers and especially the so-called “eco-friendly”, modern energy-
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efficient lamps contain mercury. When broken, both are very toxic to man, especially to
children! Of course these items have to be discarded separately. Furthermore you should
always collect used batteries and never give them to the normal waste collection system, as
they contains hazardous AND valuable elements like cadmium, silver, zinc and nickel.
Generally treat all potentially hazardous material with care and always discard it with special
discernment.
2.2.1.8 Garden waste
Situation:
Garden waste is generated in private gardens, parks and other communal open (green) areas.
It comprises cut grass, tree-cut, collected fall leaves etc. Garden waste is one of the least
harmful sectors of waste, as it is 100% decomposable. However, often garden waste is
disposed next to the road, in forest edges, at parking lots and so on. Garden waste which is
disposed this way, contributes to an ugly landscape and causes costs for the municipal waste
collection system. Uncontrolled burning of garden waste contributes to air pollution and CO²
emission.
Improvement options:
The best use of garden waste is to compost it. A compost heap is a natural way of recycling
biological material and produces a very good fertilizer, which can be used in the garden and
saves money as well. Bigger amounts of garden waste should be composted in a compost
plant.
Establishing a compost heap in the schoolyard or garden can also be a nice activity for the
whole class (see chapter 4.2.).
2.2.1.9 Textile waste
Situation:
Textile waste comprises all kinds of textiles, which are not used for their original purpose any
more, i.e. discarded clothing and curtains, material for the production of these, and shoes.
While unusable textile waste causes moderate problems only, it is still an issue, since the
textile industry accounts for a lot of resources. Actually, textile waste in western countries
should be called “second-hand textiles”, since there is quite an established system of textile
collection, both by charitable and commercial organisations. This means, that used textiles
usually do not end up in the household waste, but are collected separately.
The textile industry represents itself quite bidirectional: The bigger part of all textiles are
produced in third world countries. In western countries the bigger part of all new textiles are
consumed, while nearly all textile waste is than exported back to less developed countries.
In Germany about 750.000 tons of textile waste (“second hand textiles”) have been collected
(2007), which account for 70% of all textile waste in Germany. Of these two thirds are sorted
by hand and one third remains unsorted. All these textiles are exported to Eastern Europe and
Africa.
About 40% of collected cloths are used again as such, 35% are used for the production of
cleaning cloths, 15% go into the cloth- and paper industry. Only 10% end up as unusable
waste.
Improvement options:
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As with many other material, you should always think about the need for purchasing new
clothing, before you discard old ones. Think about trading usable cloth with friends or give
away discarded cloth to people in need of such.
Furthermore you can use discarded clothing as cleaning cloth.
2.2.1.10 Metal waste
Situation:
In a private household you are usually generating metal waste as well. Usually it comprises of
tin cans and bottle caps, plus some metal parts from furniture, office and facilities. This
material will be iron to the most part, which is a valuable raw material. Furthermore, a lot of
tinfoil and blister packages contain aluminium, which is a valuable raw material as well. So,
the main aspect in metal waste refers to saving and reducing natural resources.
Improvement options:
You can reduce metal waste by reducing or avoiding tinned food. Try to consume more fresh
food (which is also much healthier). It gets more difficult to avoid metal crown caps or screw
caps. Always try to avoid purchasing small, bottled quantities of beverages or other material
containing metal in the packaging.
2.2.1.11 Bulky waste
Situation:
Bulky waste is generated due to the limited lifespan or discarding of many different materials
in a private household. Usually bulky waste consists of discarded furniture like chairs,
cupboards and beds, as well as carpets, mattresses and other bigger items from facilities at
home. A portion of these items is built of wooden parts, but many of them contain synthetic
or even hazardous components, at least emerging when being burnt. While bulky waste will
be a random issue in the poorer population only, it can become a serious issue amongst the
more wealthy people, discarding a lot of still usable things due to the “need” of new items.
Improvement options:
As with many other articles of daily use, think about discarding them twice, before you
replace them by new items. Often you will find, that most material is still usable, even if not
in the original purpose. Maybe you can even trade selected items.
3. THE SITUATION OF ARMENIA
3.1.1 The current situation
The waste situation in Armenia must be called very serious.
There is no nation-wide system of garbage collection, not to mention any established waste
segregation system for consumer waste. In some marzes of Armenia, the issue of waste
management, with a special emphasis on plastic recycling has been treated with the help of
foreign organisations. A number of baseline studies and short-term pilot activities have been
implemented by more than 10 national and international projects starting from 2004.
However, there is unfortunately no complex management system established yet.
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Apart from the evident problem of plastic waste, other issues like recycling of green waste
and paper have been treated as well. Remarkable activities include the flower recycling event
at Tsitsernakaberd (since 2008), the production of bio-humus by worms and the creation of
"second-life" products like christmas trees, music instrumets and eco-bags made from waste
material. These activities are conducted within a number of events, competitions, workshops
and other campaigns, working on the basis of cooperations between national and international
organisations.
Also, on an industrial level, remarkable steps have been made towards a better waste
management: in 2009 two sorting plants (in Gyumri and Vanadzor) and one recycling plant
for plastic waste have been established in Armenia. The PET bottle sorting and washing plant
is located in Yerevan and is capable of processing 2000 tons of post consumer bottles per
year. The washing line is fine tuned to deliver high quality flakes for fiber production.
Containers for collection of plastic waste have been installed in several cities since 2009.
They provide the "raw material" for the recycling plant in Yerevan.
Apart from some low developed kind of collecting waste by private people or small
enterprises, waste is disposed directly and uncontrolled in the environment, the beautiful
landscape largely spoilt with waste, while the visible part is largely composed of all kinds of
plastic litter, especially plastic bags and bottles. Plastic bottles, food packaging and
cellophane bags appear to account for the major part of visible waste in Armenia, i.e. that
these PET (polyethylene terephtalate products) seem to be the major source of land and
waterway pollution.Rivers, lakes and their banks are partly, sometimes completely covered
with waste. The ground of those waters is certainly not in any better condition. Apart from
that, many informal dumpsites are filled with all kinds of unsorted waste, creating a
dangerous situation to the environment.
A lot of waste, originating from private households is burnt next to the living place without
any control of air and water pollution. Waste containing hazardous components is usually not
treated separately, therefore being an immanent threat to the health of man and environment.
It must be assumed, that a high percentage of hazardous components goes directly and
unfiltered into the air and groundwater. These circumstances provoke a situation, which must
be considered dangerous both to the environment and to all living creatures.
While the problem of uncontrolled disposal of waste including its threat for man and
environment, the problem of waste generation, avoidance and reduction starts much earlier in
the production chain, the consciousness about natural resources and intoxination, as well as in
consumer awareness and attitude.
There is a law on waste in the Republic of Armenia adopted in 2004, which regulates waste
collection, storage, transportation, processing, recycling, removal and volume reduction of
waste. Besides, there is a law on local self-government which allocates the implementation of
waste collection, street cleaning to the local government bodies and a number of other laws
and sub-normative legal acts regarding waste state inventory, waste removal, passportization
of waste, etc.. However, this large legislative and regulative package has be improved,
covering diverse aspects of Waste Management in Armenia.
While in most western countries there are directives for the trade to provide waste containers
for the packaging of sold products, now there is no comparable system in Armenia. This in
turn does not encourage the trade or industry to reduce packaging waste. Furthermore, there is
no deposit system, as for bottles in Armenia (only small-scale glass bottle deposit activities
exist mainly in Yerevan), If implemented on a large scale, such a system would easily reduce
glass and plastic waste. However, the consciousness and willingness for waste segregation is
of course still poorly spread about the country, since appropriate facilities for collection and
recycling are just not yet established in a large scale.
So the waste issue must start in a nationwide mind shift, starting at school, while this
approach must not be limited to children.
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3.1.2 Strategies to limit the impact of waste to the environment
3.1.2.1 Large-scale strategies
Needless to mention, that there must be a consent both in politics, trade and industry to
engage in waste avoidance, reduction and recycling. Only, if a nation-wide system of waste
management can be established, this issue can be treated successfully.
Therefore the authorities, trade and industry must commit themselves to work on the
following aspects of waste management:
Building up a nation-wide, effective system of waste collection
Building up a system of recycling facilities or at least take care for a proper means of
export of waste material, which cannot be recycled in the country
Building up a deposit system, at least for bottles
Stopping uncontrolled dispersal of plastic bags
Stopping uncontrolled dumping and littering – if necessary including the implementation
of fines
Enforcing and supporting campaigns to spread awareness about the waste problem
3.1.2.2 Strategies applicable by the individual
There are many ways of personal action focusing on avoidance and reduction of waste. Your
private waste management could mean….
a collective use of things like games, electronic equipment, private transport
trade and make presents (books, music, games)
buy second-hand articles
buy refill and multi-pathing packages, make use of existing deposit systems
use self-made products
avoid using small-scale packages (packing units with very few content only)
bring your own shopping bag instead of consuming a new plastic bag
a better planning of your food supply
rent instead of purchase
repair instead of discard
use packaging for other purposes (see chapter 4.2.3.)
keep useful packages, containers and bottles and use them again
think twice: Do I really need to buy this new thing?
change your consumer attitude in general and discuss it with friends
Once a waste collection system is established in your living place, make sure you participate
in waste segregation, whenever waste cannot be avoided or reduced!
Again, as a rule of thumb, keep in mind:
Avoid – Reduce – Recycle!
Tomato puree mindgame: Sometimes it is not easy to find the right evaluation of what is
more ecological sound: By way of example you are thinking about buying tomato puree.
The question is: Tinned, bottled in glass or compound packaging?! The answer is difficult. So
if you do not consider to reuse the container, you should not buy the glass, since it is the
heaviest container of all – therefore consuming a lot of energy for transport and production.
The situation is different, if the puree is bottled in a deposit bottle! If not, you have to make a
decision between the tin can and the compound package. So what is more eco-friendly?
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Maybe the right answer is taking the tin can, if you intend to use the can as a flowerpot later
and the compound package, if you don`t. Maybe you do not have to make any decision about
the packaging at all, if fresh tomatoes are for sale at this time of the year?
4. EXPERIENCING WASTE
4.1 Security advice
Most of the suggested activities include a direct contact with waste material. So always make
sure, you are wearing appropriate clothing – including gloves, if necessary. Never try to
dismantle any material, with the purpose of demonstrating hazardous or toxic components!
Do not work with any dangerous liquids or gases! When collecting and working with waste,
keep in mind, that some waste parts may cause harm: Avoid being cut by metal parts (tin
cans, crown caps etc.) and other sharp material. Always have an open eye on what you are
dealing with. Of course do not try to use (cook or eat) any food waste within any activity.
4.2 Activities
All of the following activities focus on the issue of waste management in different ways.
Some of them are more playful, some of them are more serious and “project-like”, awakening
the “researcher” in the pupils. Others provoke creative or artistic skills of the actors. In any
case the development of a consciousness about the impact of waste and the importance of
waste management is supported. Implementing different approaches to the issues shall lead to
a growing awareness about the importance of waste segregation, consumer behaviour, waste
avoidance and recycling.
Some of the activities can be combined or extended according to available time and favoured
intensity. Of course all suggestions may be altered according to your individual ideas. Feel
free to modify!
4.2.1 Tracking the waste
4.2.1.1 Don`t waste - make a gift
A first approach towards creating awareness about the waste problem could be the following
activity, which provides benefits for all participants and reduces waste in a very pleasurable
way:
Ask the pupils to make a present to another pupil – any useful item, which otherwise the
donator would have discarded. Make sure, the children really care about browsing through all
potential material. The next day the presents are given as a present to the neighbour.
A variety of this game could be a game, which in Germany is called “Secret Santa”:
Again, every pupil has to bring a properly packed (in old newspaper for instance) present
from home, not allowed to show it to any other person. All presents have to be collected in
one place.
Now the names of all pupils are to be written separately on slices of paper, than collected in a
box. Every pupil takes out one of these slices - blindfold and not allowed to show it to any
other child. (If the own name has been taken, let the pupil try again.) Each pupil is now asked
to choose a present from the present heap for the respective person written on the piece of
paper and to write or fix its name on the present secretly. After that all presents are collected
again. When all presents are ready, it`s “Christmas time” and everybody goes ahead for
his/her present and is allowed to open it.
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You will see, that - although there will be a lot of funny laughing – many things will still be
appreciated!
You can continue the game by throwing a pair of dices, rotating the dices clockwise:
Who throws a pair of 2, 4 or 5 may ask anybody to exchange presents. The fun about it is, that
the asked person may decide, if he or she will do so or not.
Who throws a pair of 6, can choose any other present from anybody and exchange it without
permission of the other person!
Who throws a pair of 3, must exchange the present with the neighbour sitting to the left –
exchange it with the neighbour sitting to the right if you throw a pair of 1.
The game ends after a defined time, which is agreed on beforehand.
(Of course the children are allowed and welcome to trade after school…)
4.2.1.2 Investigating a day`s waste
Material required: Work gloves for everybody
Containers for collected waste
Plastic foil, 2 x 2 m
Waste inventory checklist (see chapter 4.3.)
This activity aims on the analysis of all waste, which is generated in the course of one school
day.
Equip all pupils with containers and work gloves. Then send them out pairwise with the
instruction to collect all generated waste in different places of the school area including all
waste which is littered. It is not necessary to collect every single item, but at least every
different type of waste. The pupils shall also note any waste, which they cannot bring along.
After collecting is finished, all material (and notes) is spread out on a big plastic foil.
Now the waste is fractionized in different respects:
According to the origin of waste:
Waste generated during lectures, due to packaging or alimentation….
According to different types of material/resources:
Plastic, paper, compound material, food etc.
You can restrict the activity to one of the mentioned aspects or include both. In any way, the
findings shall be analyzed in detail and ways to avoid, reduce or recycle the material shall be
discussed together. Use the checklist for noting down all findings and try to make an
evaluation of the situation. You will see that working with the checklist will evoke very
interesting discussions.
As an extension or modification of this activity you can create a collage using the collected
material, construct a waste pyramid or create a waste sculpture.
4.2.1.3 Establishing a compost heap
Material required: 20 wooden planks of equal length (at least 80 cm long)
and width (about 10 cm)
Wood saw
some twigs
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Gap = 1/3 of width deep
The establisment of a compost heap contributes greatly to the recycling of bio-waste into a
very good compost or natural fertilizer.
First, you need some space in the garden or in the backyard. The place should be open to the
ground, allowing soil organisms like worms to enter the material to be composted. You can
either decide to establish an open compost heap, which does not require any material for
construction. In this case you should make sure, that the place is somehow protected against
disturbance of any kind. Otherwise you will find your bio-waste all around the spot within a
short time. Or you can decide to establish a proper compost heap, which consists of a framed
cube, preferably made of wooden planks.
Instruction:
You will need to saw gaps into one half of the planks. So if you have 20 planks, 10 of them
are needed for the following action:
1. Saw four gaps near the ends of the planks: The gaps should be as wide as the plank`s
thickness and about one third of the planks width deep – see illustration.
2. Once you have prepared the planks, start with a pair of untreated planks and place
them at opposite sides directly on the ground.
3. Now insert two of the planks with the gaps perpendicular into these.
4. Next you insert a pair of the untreated planks into these and so on – see illustration.
5. Once you have inserted all planks, the compost cube is ready to be filled!
6. Now fill in a layer of twigs (maximum thickness = thumb or a little bit more), about
15 – 20 cm high at the bottom.
7. Add material suitable to be composted: Kitchen slops, grass cut, leaves and other raw
organic matter. DO NOT add meat, cooked material and any other material, which
- 25 -
will attract rats and foxes!
8. Allow air and moisture to circulate in the composted material, so do not compress any
material. Add some loose material (twigs or similar material) from time to time. Add
some water, if the compost becomes too dry.
9. After one year you can open the cube and use the material. The lowest layer should be
best composed.
10. Ready!
4.2.1.4 Movement “Let`s do it! Armenia!”
Material required: Work gloves
Waste collecting containers
In many countries of the world there is one day of the year which is dedicated to a cleaning up
of the environment. In Armenia, as well, there was such a day or movement in 2012, aiming
to unite everyone around the idea of cleaning up Armenia’s nature and historical-cultural sites
from waste in a one day with joint efforts.
Under the slogan “Armenia without garbage” Armenia carried out the biggest Panarmenian
volunteer initiative on September 15 (in 2012).
“The movement aims to unite everybody’s strength in order to clean Armenia’s nature and
historical and cultural sites from waste in a day with joint efforts. In order to raise the
awareness among society we also plan to organize educational and informational activities
about waste sorting and recycling during the campaign.”
Hopefully this movement will continue in the future! If, so, think about joining this movement
– children are an ideal group of people to contribute to this campaign!
You will find more information about this campaign in the internet: www.letsdoit.am
4.2.1.5 Flea market
Material required: Some salable “waste” or second hand material and a place for the
flea market, maybe some tables
Another pleasurable (and profitable) way of making use of otherwise discarded “waste” is
organizing a flea market. Just ask all pupils to bring whatever is still of some use, like books,
clothes, games etc., organize some tables and care for some promotion. A flea market should
bring some money and is big fun for the pupils to act as a market barker.
If you like you can combine the flea market with some promotion towards spreading
awareness about the waste problem – maybe supported by some self-made musical
instruments (see chapter 4.2.3.2.)
4.2.2 Games
4.2.2.1 Garbage quiz
Material required: Cardboard or paper, pencil
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This game focuses on acquired knowledge about waste, recycling und consumer behaviour. It
can be applied as an ordinary part of the school lesson, or as a funny game for a number of
pupils. If you like, you can write the questions on a number of individual cardboards and
spread the cards amongst the players. Every player receives the same number of cards. The
player who knows the correct answer first, receives the respective card, collects it and chooses
the next question from his set of cards. The winner is the one who has the highest number of
cards after the last question.
Some interesting questions are presented below, but you can also think about further ideas.
Examples/Suggestions for questions, correct answer underlined:
Which garbage is the best garbage?
Bio-waste
Cans
Wastepaper
garbage, which is not generated at all
Which of the following substances is not a harmful substance?
Break fluid
Pesticide
Lacquer
Cooking oil
How do you call the idea of separating different types of waste?
Waste segregation
Crazy idea
Environmental policy
Family planning
What are you doing with old, but fully functional clothing?
Throw it on the compost heap
Just forget about it and buy something new
Wear it! Why not?!
Use it as a cushion filling
Which of the following containers contribute to waste avoidance?
One-way-bottles
Beverage Cans
Deposit bottles
Tetra Paks
What is the biggest advantage of deposit glass bottles?
Waste avoidance
Recycling of glass
Better appearance
Better Price
To which fraction of waste do cigarette butts belong to?
- 27 -
Bio-waste
Residual waste
Bulky waste
Waste paper
How do you recognize environmental friendly products?
By an extensive packaging
By small packaging units
By a solid plastic packaging
By no or a natural packaging
Which of the following items has the most natural packaging?
A walnut
A piece of meat packed in plastic foil
A grilled fish wrapped in newspaper
A can of white beans
I am doing the following with my old toys:
Throw them away
Store them anywhere and just forget about them
Make a gift to someone or trade it with someone
I don`t care what happens to them
Where do you dispose your old exercise books?
Residual waste
Waste paper
Compost heap
In a nearby river
4.2.2.2 Waste Memory (Mnemonic game)
Material required: a set of small (at least 30), same-sized pairs of waste
an equal number of identical caps for hiding the items
(yoghurt mugs or similar containers)
glue
This game combines three valuable aspects: The collective reflection about waste, the
production of a game and the activity of the game itself.
First think collectively about different waste material, which is same-sized and can easily
be obtained. The material should not exceed a certain size, i.e. make sure, it fits below the
hiding containers.
Instruct the pupils now to set out individually and find pairs of these items or to bring
them the next school day. Then fix the items inside the yoghurt mugs and turn them
around (you can also give a pair of containers to the pupils and let them bring them back
with the content, which makes it more exciting the next day).
The game now works just like any other mnemonic game: Turn around all containers and
mix them. One pupil starts and turns around two of the mugs. If there is a pair of identical
items, it can keep it and try again, until he fails to find a pair. Now it`s the turn for the
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next player. The game is about keeping in mind the items as good as possible, allowing to
find pairs, when it`s your turn.
The winner is the one who has collected the highest number of containers, when no containers
are left.
4.2.2.3 Waste relay
Material required: ~ 50 different waste items or cardboard pieces of postcard size,
~ 5 different buckets or boxes, some transparent plastic bags
This activity is about allocating different items of waste to a specific type of waste. It requires
quick reaction and knowledge and it enforces teamwork.
The teacher will need to look for a number of different waste items first. If you are including
smelly or dirty waste you can give these items in a transparent plastic bag. Alternatively you
can make drawings of the respective item, take photos or even just write down the name of
the item on a postcard-sized piece of cardboard.
Two teams of players have to be built first. In front of the school room different containers for
bio-waste, glass, waste paper, residual waste, plastic and/or metal are waiting to be filled with
the different items.
The items (or drawings, photos or just their names on the cardboard) are hided to equal
numbers in two big containers in a certain distance (about 5 -10 metres) from the front
containers - one for each group. Behind each container the team members are building a
queue.
With the starting signal (use a whistle, this makes it more “sporty”) the first team member of
each group grabs any item from the container, captures the item and places it as fast as
possible into the correct container in front. Once he has done this, he rushes back to the group
and claps the next team member in front of the row, who grabs any item of the container now
and so on.
The group who has emptied the first container first, has won. However, if the winning team
has made more than 3 mistakes, the game has to be played again…
4.2.3 Creative approaches
4.2.3.1 Paper ideas
4.2.3.1.1 New sandals for all!
Material required: 2-3 old newspapers per pupil, some straps of adhesive tape,
about 1 m of masking tape per pupil
This activity will take about 1-2 hours and is a lot of fun! The production of a set of fully-
fledged sandals is described below. This activity focuses on the issues of recycling and
valuation of material.
Instruction:
- 29 -
1.
Place two double pages of a newspaper one upon the
other and start to fold a 2-3 cm wide strap beginning
from one edge.
2.
Fix the end in the middle with a small piece of adhesive
tape.
3.
Tightly roll up the strap in longitudinal direction,
folding the first part inwards to about 7 cm,
producing an oval this way. Fix the end of the oval with
a piece of adhesive tape.
You will have to produce more straps to finish the front
part of the sole, until it fits to your foot size.
4.
For the heel part you will have to produce another roll,
this time folding the first part of the paper strap inwards
to about 3 cm only. You will get a more rounded shape
for the heel part this way.
5.
Connect the oval and the heel part with another strap,
which you push beneath the outmost strap of the oval
and the heel roll.
6.
Bring both parts of the sole in one plane. Cut off both
ends of the connecting strap, leaving 5 cm of the strap
pointing upwards on each side.
7. Fix both ends tightly on the sole, using the masking
tape. Turn around the work now.
8.
Fold another strap for the lace – a little bit wider, if you
like. Push it through the outer edge of the front part and
direct it over and under the sole.
Cut off the strap, leaving about 5 cm on each side. Fix
it with masking tape.
- 30 -
9.
Using the masking tape you can board and tighten the
lace finally.
Ready!
Note: Avoid walking in wet environments!
4.2.3.1.2 Paper cup
Material required: 2 pages of newspaper
1 litre of water
1 tablespoon of starch
mixer
1 big cooking sieve
1 small cooking sieve
1 big bowl
1 pot
decoration (optional)
food colouring (optional)
Instruction:
Tear the newspaper into small shreds and give the shreds into the mixer.
Add water and starch (plus colouring, if you want to obtain a coloured cup).
Mix the ingredients until you have an even pulp.
Pour the pulp into the sieve and let it drain
Now press out the water from the pulp using the small sieve, forming an even form of a
cup in the big sieve at the same time.
The more water you press out, the shorter it will take for drying later.
Now you have to be patient: Place the sieve on top of the pot and bring it to a warm, dry
place. Once the edge of the cup is dry (after 2 or 3 days or some hours in the oven),
carefully take out the cup from the sieve and place it on an even pace, flattening the
bottom a bit. This gives stability to the cup.
If you like, you can cut the edges of the cup now to make them more even.
Once the cup has dried out completely, you can add some painting. Ready!
2.
3.
- 31 -
1.
4.
5.
6.
7.
10.
8.
9.
Instruction paper cup
4.2.3.2 Waste is music!
Waste makes some wonderful musical instruments, so just try out some new approaches.
Producing musical instruments is fun and with some commitment it is easily possible to
manufacture really nice tingling instruments.
Below you find instructions for building a bottle piano, a crown cap rattle and a jingle stick.
Apart from these, you will certainly invent additional ways of making musical instruments.
Why not organize your own waste music festival?
4.2.3.2.1 Bottle piano
Material required: 1 rectangular wooden block, 3 x 3 x 100 cm
4 rectangular wooden blocks, 3 x 3 x 40 cm
6 angle brackets
24 woodscrews, 3 x 25 mm
8 screw hooks
8 (preferably same-sized) bottles
nylon cord
screw driver
- 32 -
scissors
water and watering can
Instruction:
Take two rectangular wooden blocks and two angle brackets and screw them together,
thus producing a symmetrical T-shaped form.
Take the other two angle brackets and fix the long wooden block at top.
Turn around the frame and screw in the hooks in equal distance now.
Fix some nylon tape at the top of each bottle.
Turn around the frame now and hang in the bottles.
Fill all bottles with water using a watering can.
Tuning of the bottles is done by littering an appropriate amount of water from the bottles –
use a metal item for this purpose (spoon or fork for example). Ready!
Hint: Of course you can hang up the piano bottles in any other frame as well.
Bottle piano
4.2.3.2.2 Crown cap rattle
Material required: 1 crotch, distance of the wing arms about 15 cm
12 crown caps
(binding) wire
drill, 3mm
hole puncher or any other dure, pointed item
(pocket) knife
acrylic paint (optional)
Instruction:
drill a hole in both ends of the crotch
- 33 -
use the hole puncher to make a hole in the middle of each crown cap
(do this on a suitable surface!)
you can now paint the crown caps, if you like
plug the binding wire through one end of the crotch
bead now the crown caps on the wire
plug the other end of the wire through the other end of the crotch and tighten both ends of
the wire. Ready!
Hint: Bead the crown caps, facing the flat sides of each pair one to each other – this makes a
better sound!
Crown cap rattle
4.2.3.2.3 Jingle stick
Material required: 1 rectangular wooden block, 2 x 2 x 120 cm
(or a nice wooden stick from the forest)
ca. 80 crown caps
ca. 20 pins, 4 cm
1 big pin, 8 cm
hammer
Instruction:
Punch a hole in the center of each crown cap, using the hammer and the big pin
Nail sets of 4 crown caps into the stick. Make sure, the pins fit in tightly, but allow the
crown caps to move. Ready!
Hint: The more crown caps you use, the louder the jungle stick gets!
- 34 -
Jingle stick
4.2.3.3 Tetra Pak ideas
4.2.3.3.1 Tetra Pak flower pot
Material required: 1 Tetra Pak
Scissors
Instruction:
Cut off the upper two thirds of a Tetra Pak or cut out one of the longer sides. Leave a
margin of about 1 cm, if you do so for better stability.
Clean the Tetra Pak properly.
Punch holes of about pencil-size in the bottom for drainage. Ready!
Hint: Think about other containers, which you can use as a flower pot. There are many!
Tetra Pak flower pots
4.2.3.3.2 Tetra Pak Moneybag!
Material required: 1 empty Tetra Pak
10 cm of self-adhesive velcro strip
- 35 -
scissors
tacker
Instruction:
Cut off top and bottom of a Tetra Pak und straighten the edges.
Fold two of the longer sides inward. The nicer side should point forward, so don`t fold
this side.
Flatten the box tightly.
Fold the lower and the upper third of the box to the middle: The lower and middle part
will make the cases for the money, the upper part will make the flap.
Cut the flap along the outer back folds on both sides up to the bend in the middle of the
Tetra Pak.
Cut off the inner parts of the flap now: Now you will have four cases for money.
Use the tacker for attaching the two middle parts together – try to push in the tacker as far
as possible for this purpose.
Now round the flap with the scissors.
Finally attach the velcro strip to the flap and the opposite part of the money bag – Ready!
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8.
Instruction Tetra Pak money bag
4.2.3.3.3 Tetra Pak Shopping Bag
- 36 -
Material required: 20 empty Tetra Paks
2 pieces of belt (or any material making a belt), 2 x 80 cm
1 roll of self-adhesive tape
Instruction:
1.
Cut away head and bottom of 20 Tetra Paks, as well as the
portion, where the material is fixed together along the
long side (overlapping part).
Cut straps of 2 cm width from all the Tetra Paks.
Eventually you will need up to 162 straps, depending on
the Tetra Pak size.
2. Fix the straps with the adhesive tape along the short sides:
The overlapping area should be about 2 x 2 cm.
3.
You will need
21 sets of 4 attached straps and
26 sets of 3 attached straps
4.
Place 15 of the sets-of-4 side by side on the table or the
ground.
Now weave in 6 of the sets-of-4 in the middle of the 15
sets-of-4. Make sure, you are weaving them in tightly, not
leaving any space between the straps: This middle part
will make the bottom of the bag later.
5.
Weave in 24 sets-of-3 above and below the already
weaved-in sets-of-4 (12 on each side): This will make the
broad sides later.
6.
Turn around the work now. Place a set-of-3 on the 12th
strap on each side – one on each side.
The length of the overtop straps should be at least 4 cm –
if not, just remove one or two of the sets-of-3.
- 37 -
7.
Weave in the overlapping straps of the broad side parts
now towards the bottom: The broad side parts and the
bottom are ready now!
8.
Fold up the side parts now – weave together the straps of
the narrow side with the straps of the broad side. Weave
in all overlaying parts now into the inside.
Use the adhesive belt, if length of the straps does not
allow weaving up to the top.
9.
Fix any belt or cord to the bag at
both broad sides –
Ready!
4.2.3.4 Miscellaneous ideas
4.2.3.4.1 Tin can storm light
Material required: 1 empty tin can
hole puncher
hammer
waterproof marker
towel
tea light
(freezer)
Instruction:
Clean the tin can and remove any paper cover
Paint a nice or funny pattern of on the tin can with the marker – preferably just speckle the
pattern, as this makes placing the holes easier later.
(If a freezer is available, you can fill the can with water and let it freeze overnight – this
makes punching of the holes much easier.)
Place the tin can on a towel and make holes in the markings, using the hammer and/or the
hole puncher,
Place the tea light inside, lighten it – ready!
- 38 -
Hint: Add some wire as a handle, if you want to walk around with it. Just make two opposite
holes at top of the can and punch the wire through it. The wire should be at least 40 cm long
to avoid burning your fingers.
Tin can storm light
4.2.3.4.2 Straw Man / Boogie / mobile
A straw man does a good job against unwanted birds in the garden or fields, or may serve as
a warning plate in the forest, as the surface of the CD reflects both sun- and artificial light.
Material required: 8 discarded CDs
wooden stick, thumb-sized, ca. 70 cm long
2 rectangular wooden sticks, 2 x 2 x 40 cm
1 wood screw, 5 cm
nylon cord
wool, bast, feathers, etc. for decorating
all-purpose glue
Philips head screwdriver
Overhead markers in different colours
Saw and drilling machine (optional)
Instruction:
Take one of the CDs and add some glue to the upper third of the flat side. Hairdress is
added with some bast fibers, straw or similar material on the glue. If necessary, add some
more glue now and fix the second CD on the first one, thus fixing the hair between them.
Make sure, the hair will be visible, when the second CD is fixed on the first one.
Now you can paint a face on the CD or add some eyes, eyelashes, beard, tatoos and so on.
Pull a 50 cm long nylon cord through the hole of the CD and knot it at the hairline
Drill a hole in the middle of the two short sticks and at the top of the long stick and screw
them together
Knot the four CDs at the four ends of the frame – Ready!
Hint: For better wind protection, make a notch at the end of the short sticks, thus holding the
nylon cord better.
- 39 -
Straw Man / Boogie / mobile
4.2.3.4.3 Plastic bag mattress
Material required: plastic bags – many of them!
Scissors
crochet hook
Instruction:
1. Cut plastic bags into narrow loop-shaped straps.
2. Lead one end of a strap through another one and then through itself.
3. Tighten the two straps and add the next strap the same way and so on.
4. Now use the crocket hook and start to crochet a wonderful, weather-resistant mattress.
Ready!
1. 2. 3.
Instruction plastic bag mattress
4.
Hint: You can think about a lot of other items to chrochet with plastic wire, like a stable
“plastic bag bag”, a curtain, fly-screens etc.
- 40 -
4.3 Further reading
4.3.1 Organisations involved in waste management:
4.3.2 Useful videos, available online:
A short film by ATP titled “Something New”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fTnmC03xsc
A video on musicians from Paraguay, who play on instruments constructed from waste: http://www.1tv.ru/news/world/247354 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiYFcuIkBjU
Processing of plastic bottles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyF9MxlcItw
Initiatives already implemented in Armenia:
Name of company/organisation Contacts:
URBAN FOUNDATION
9 Alex Manoogian Street, room 104 0070 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone:(+37410 )51-20-70,Armine [email protected] www.urbanfoundation.am
ATP CHARITABLE FOUNDATION 57/5 Arshakunyats Street, Telephone: (+37410 )44-74-01Armine www. armeniatree.org
FOUNDATION FOR THE “PRESERVATION OF WILDLIFE AND CULTURAL ASSETS
20 Myasnikyan Street 0025 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone: (+37410 )55-52-09Hripsime(+37493 )80-65-56 [email protected] www. fpwc.org
“ARMENIAN WOMEN FOR HEALTH AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT” NGO
24 Baghramyan Avenue, room 609 0019 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone: (+37410 )52-36-04,Lilik [email protected]
“ECO ENGINEERING” LLC 13 Khanjyan Street, 0019 Yerevan, Armenia
“CLEANLAND” LLC Telephone: (+37410 )44-15-08 Astghik [email protected]
ECO-CLUB “TAPAN”
Vardanants 14/1, Apt. 19 0010 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone:(+37410 )52-32-49,Ani(+37494 )41 -13-99 [email protected]
AARHUS CENTRE IN YEREVAN
Charents 46, 0002 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone: (+37410 )55-13-64, Silva [email protected] [email protected]
“GREEN LANE” NGO www.greenlane.am
“GHOGHANJ” NGO
0010 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone:(+37410 )52-86-18, Karine(+37455 )92-82-20 www.childrenscenter.am, [email protected]
“POKRIKISHKHAN” EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX
132 Sevani 0026 Yerevan, Armenia Telephone: (+37410 )44-25-45, Ruzanna www.pogrikishkhan.am
"OHANYAN" EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX
Avan, Isahakyan District Yerevan, Armenia Telephone: (+37410 )61-76-83,Sona(+37477 )07-02-05 www.ohanjan.eiu.am
“YOUNG BIOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION” NGO [email protected] [email protected]
“LIFE COLORS”NGO Telephone: (+37494 )30-82-49 [email protected]
- 41 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fziAabysZp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BgxuCrlPgI
- 42 -
4.4 WASTE INVENTORY - CHECKLIST
---------------------------- Make an "X" where applicable ----------------------------
ORIGIN MATERIAL / RESOURCE
GENERATED
WASTE
(description)
Fo
od
Pa
cka
gin
g
Lec
ture
s /
Off
ice
Oth
er
Fo
od
Pa
per
/ C
ard
bo
ard
Pla
stic
Co
mp
ou
nd
/ B
list
er
Gla
ss
Ele
ctro
nic
al
Ha
zard
ou
s
Meta
l
Oth
er
Estimated
Percentage of all
generated waste
(%)
Avoidance or
reduction possible?
(Y/N)
Recycling possible?
(Y/N)