Exploration 3
Waste Management

Daily human activity produces waste. Although zero waste is the ultimate sustainability goal, recycling, reuse, and reduction are three strategies for addressing the human impact of waste disposal on the environment. Students will explore waste management strategies in Berlin and the global impact of waste management.

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Guiding Question

How can waste be managed?

Daily human activity produces waste. Although zero waste is the ultimate sustainability goal, reusing, reducing, and recycling are three strategies for addressing the human impact of waste disposal on the environment.

Present the main problem and inquiry question to students. Ask students to consider what they would need to know to answer the question. Ask students to frame their need to know in the form of a question.

Students will read Exploration 3: Part 1 – Waste Management of the Companion Reader below.

Exploration 3: Part 1 – Waste Management.(PDF, 32 KB)

After the reading, prompt students to discuss the similarities and differences between household waste management in Berlin and household waste management in their community.

Students will read Exploration 3: Part 2 – More about Waste Management in Berlin from the Companion Reader below.

Exploration 3: Part 2 – More about Waste Management in Berlin.(PDF, 38 KB)

To evaluate, students will:

Identify examples of sustainable practices used in waste management.
Explain why their examples represent sustainable practices.
Add examples of sustainability actions that they identified to the Chart of Berlin’s Sustainability Goals.

To investigate, students will:

Research waste management in their community.
Identify examples of sustainable practices.
Evaluate the effectiveness of waste management in their community.

Exploration 3: Activity – Waste Management (PDF, 26 KB)

Students will:

Identify a waste management problem in their school, home, or community.
Develop at least three possible solutions to the problem.
Use scientific principles to evaluate their solutions.

Students should then develop an argument using evidence to support implementation of the solution. Provide examples of arguments for students.

Optional: Invite a community member to come in and speak with the class about waste management in the community.

Students will use the argument that they developed in the activity. They should make a short film highlighting the issue and identifying appropriate solutions. Send the film to local authorities to ask them to make changes for the community.

Provide sentence starters for written and speaking arguments.
Use peer collaboration for research, idea refinement, and development of arguments.
Break writing tasks into chunks that build toward the final piece. Provide example arguments to students as needed.

Explore Germany’s recycling system, Der Grüne Punkt