Home Plan - [GR2-L7-U1-LC1-21 Landfills What a Load of Garbage]
The document covers various aspects related to landfills, waste management, and environmental sustainability. It discusses the importance of understanding informational texts about landfills, toxic waste, and biodegradability, providing tips and strategies for guided reading. It emphasizes the significant amount of trash produced in the U.S. and globally, highlighting the challenges of landfill management, including issues with toxic liquids and gases. The document also delves into the closure of the Fresh Kills landfill, the development of bioreactor landfills, and the difficulties the U.S. faces in finding space for new waste disposal sites. It underscores the need for individuals to make sustainable choices to reduce waste and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Contents
- Pages 1—21: Reading informational texts.
- Pages 22—37: Trash production findings
- Pages 38—56: Landfill challenges and solutions.
Pages 1—21: Reading informational texts.
The section provides tips on Guided Reading, learning objectives, focus questions, and words to know related to understanding informational texts about landfills, toxic waste, methane gas, and biodegradability. It highlights the importance of summarizing, sequencing events, and analyzing charts and graphs. There are instructions for students on how to describe pictures, match words to their definitions, and understand terms like organic and groundwater. The document introduces a reading strategy called SAAC for summarizing texts and emphasizes understanding signal words for sequencing events. Detailed information is provided about garbage disposal in landfills, the history of trash management from ancient times to the present, and the waste stream in the US. Students are engaged through reading various texts, answering questions, and interpreting charts.
Pages 22—37: Trash production findings
This section of the document discusses the amount of trash produced in the U.S. and globally. It highlights that the world generates over 2.6 trillion pounds of trash annually, with Americans contributing significantly to global waste despite being only 5% of the population. The document emphasizes that the average American produces 4.5 pounds of trash daily, with paper and paper products being a significant portion. The section also briefly touches on the process of landfill decomposition, the need to bury garbage, the management of landfill gas like methane, and the challenges of landfills leaking toxic liquids. Additionally, it mentions the closure of the Fresh Kills landfill in New York City and its subsequent development into a park due to the leaking issues landfills can face over time.
Pages 38—56: Landfill challenges and solutions.
New York City formerly disposed of trash at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, which was closed in 2001 and is now being transformed into a vast park. While closed landfills can be repurposed, studies indicate that many landfills leak toxic liquids into the environment over time. Bioreactor landfills are a new technology that aids in decomposing garbage faster, extending the lifespan of landfills. The document also highlights how the United States faces challenges in finding space for new landfills due to opposition from local communities concerned about noise, pests, and pollution. Trash is sometimes transported across state lines, leading to increased expenses and environmental impacts. It also emphasizes the importance of individuals making sustainable choices to reduce waste and recycle. The document encourages readers to reflect on their garbage disposal practices and think about the legacy of trash they leave behind for future generations.