THE BATTLE TO SAVE EARTH People create a lot of waste especially at schools It's not only all the paper and pen waste from classrooms but also the food and packaging waste from the cafeteria But you can help battle school waste by making a few simple changes Get ready to tackle school waste Waste Warrior The Three Problems with Waste Heaps of Garbage A lot of garbage ends up in landfills When waste breaks down in landfills it can harm our environment For instance when plastic breaks down harmful materials can leak into the soil and air Waste in landfills is squashed together which keeps out oxygen So the waste rots slowly and as it does so it gives off harmful amounts of methane gas Although most modern landfills are designed to stop harmful materials and gas from leaking out the waste is still there and being stored for a future generation to deal with That is why waste warriors avoid creating waste We have created landfills to deal with our huge amounts of waste
Wasted Resources When we get rid of something we might need to buy something new to replace it For example if we get rid of used paper at school we need more paper to write on This means more trees must be cut down wasting our planet's precious natural resources Polluted Planet We create pollution when we burn fossil fuels to power the factories that make things including school supplies When fuels such as coal and oil are burned they release carbon dioxide and other gases that trap the sun's heat around Earth This is causing rising temperatures and changing weather conditions around the world Air pollution from factories is a huge cause of climate change Trees are being cut down without being replaced in a process called deforestation
The Six RS So you think it's time to battle school waste You can use these six weapons in the battle to save Earth Don't worry if you can't master them all Be kind to yourself Keeping just one piece of waste out of a landfill is a step in the right direction A key skill for a waste warrior is to know which materials can be recycled Refuse If you have a choice try to avoid products wrapped in unnecessary packaging Reduce Try to get new products such as pens and backpacks only when you truly need them Reuse Before throwing away products or packaging consider how they might be used again Repair If it's possible to fix something that is broken do that You may need to ask an adult for help Recycle Send unwanted products and packaging made from glass paper metal and plastics to a recycling plant Rot Put your food and garden waste in a compost bin so it will rot away Ripped old T shirts can be upcycled into book covers pencil cases and bags
Used paper and cardboard could get a second life as decorations for a plant pot
