RECYCLING STUDY SHEET

Name:_______________

Date:__________

1. It is estimated that the average American, in a lifetime, generates ___ times his or her weight in garbage.

2. The 150 pound person would generate __,___ pounds or __ tons of garbage during their lifetime.

3. One place where we put garbage is a ________.

4. A landfill is a _______ ____ ____ where garbage is buried under layers of ____.

5. In 1981, Louisiana had ___ landfills. In 1991, we had only __ landfills remaining. Today (2000) we have only __ remaining landfills.

6. The _____________ _________ ______ (___) is the federal governmental agency which protects our land, water and air.

7. The EPA monitors the ____ and _____ near landfills. If the EPA finds a landfill to be unsafe, it can order the landfill to be _______ __ or ______.

8. The cost of cleaning up a landfill can be as high as $__ _______.

9. The EPA must also approve the ____________ of all new landfills to be sure that they are _______________ ____.

10. The reason why we are running out of landfills is that so many have been found by the ___ to be ______.

11. _____ _________ in soil and water have caused the EPA to close many landfills.

12. NIMBY means ___ __ __ ____ ____.

13. Old landfills were made by using a _________ to dig a hole, filling it with _______, then pushing ____ on top of the _______.

14. Today, landfills must have a primary liner made of _______, a primary ____ liner, a secondary _______ liner, a secondary ____ liner, ________ ________ for the plastic liners, ____ _________ systems between each liner, and at least two _____ to monitor underground _____.

15. The law of conservation of mass states that matter cannot be _______ or _________--it can only change in ____. This means that when we place garbage in a landfill, it will not _________ _________. This garbage will, however, _______ or _________.

16. To degrade or decompose means that garbage will _________ into _______ _____.

17. ______________ means that it will breakdown by bacterial means when it is exposed to ________ and ___.

18. _______________ means that it will decompose when exposed to the ___________ _________ of the sun.

19. If an item decomposed into components which are _______ or ________ to the environment, decomposition is a good thing. However, many items decompose into components which are _______ to the ___________. These components work their way into the ___ that we ______ and into our _____ supply and can do harm to ______ and other ______ ______.

20. A partial answer to the garbage problem is _________.

21. At least __% of today's garbage is recyclable. If we recycled to this potential, the amount of ________ _______ would be reduced by __%.

22. Some of the things which can be recycled are: ________, ____, ______, _____, _____, ___, ________, and car _________.

23. In addition to saving landfill space, recycling also saves ______.

24. It requires __% less energy to make steel from recycled scrap iron than from ____ ___.

25. It takes __% less energy to make aluminum cans from recycled cans than to make them from _______.

26. It takes __% less energy to make paper from recycled paper than from ____ ____.

27. It takes __% less energy to make glass bottles from recycled glass rather than from ____.

28. It is usually less expensive to _______ rather than to ____ in a landfill.

29. Recycling creates less __________ than does production from ___ _________.

30. Recycling conserves _______ _________.

31. If recycled paper was used just to make Sunday newspapers in America, it would save ___,___ _____ each Sunday.

32. While the question of degradability is important for all _____ _____, it is most controversial for ________.

33. Plastics are ____________ products made from _____ ___.

34. In the process called _________, ____________ are converted into ________.

35. Plastics vary in the time required for them to degrade--from about a ____ to _________ of _____.

36. Plastic _______, the cord-like plastics used as stitches after surgery, can be made to degrade in about a ____.

37. Plastic milk cartons, styrofoam, plastic six-pack holders, plastic garbage bags, and some plastic diapers require _________ of _____ to _______.

38. Today many plastic _______ ____ and _______ are being made so that they are _______________.

39. Most beverage maker have stopped using _______ ___-____ holders.

40. The plastics used in association with ____, ______ or ________ cannot be ________ for this same use at the present time because recycling methods cannot guarantee the same ______ as new plastics. However, these plastics can be ________ and used for other things, such as: _________, _____, _____ and __________ _____, __________, ___________, _______ ____, _______ ______, _______ _____, _______ _____, _____, ____ ____, _______, ____, _______, ____ _____, etc.

41. For the recycling of any product, there are four phases which must be successfully coordinated: 1. __________ 2. _______ 3. ___________ 4. ___ ___

42. To ____ plastics for recycling, the Society of the Plastic Industry, Inc. has developed _____ which are now placed on all recyclable plastics. These codes consist of a ______ surrounded by _____ ______ ______.

43. The number one indicates a type of plastic called ____________ _____________, or ___. This is a ___-________ type of plastic used to make ____ _____ _______. ___ can be recycled into _____ fill for pillows, ___________ for ski jackets and ________ ____, into _______, building __________, and _________.

44. The number two is for ____ _______ ____________ (____), a plastic which does _____ and is used to make ____ ____ and _________ bottles. ____ can be recycled into ______, _______ _____ and ________, kitchen _____ ______, ____, ____, and _____ ____.

45. The number three is for _______, which are used to make _______ _______ and _____ ________ bottles.

46. The number four is for ___ _______ ____________ (____), the type of plastic used to make ________ ____.

47. The number five is for _____________, a plastic used to make ______ bottles and ______ cups.

48. The number six is for ___________ (_________), a plastic used to make ______ ____ and plastic ______, _____ and ______. ___________ can be recycled into ______ ________, ______ ________, ____, _____, __________ for _____ and _________, _______ _____, and ___ ________.

49. The number seven is for _______ other forms of _______, which can be recycled into such products as ______, ____ _____, ______ ____, and __________ equipment.

50. The number codes on plastic enables _______ to rapidly ____ different types of plastics into ___________ ______.

51. Presently, about __% of our garbage is deposited in _________.

52. ____________ means burning garbage. If ____________ is not done correctly it ________ the ___. It can cause the release of _______, an often toxic family of ____________ chemicals created by the __________ __________ of ______ __________.

53. If incinerators are build _________ and are properly ________, this can be a ____ and ___ way of disposing of waste, and the ____ energy produced by incineration can be used to ________ ___________.

Recycling Notes
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