Age to Degradation Board
What happens to the things we put in the garbage? In this activity, participants will learn how long it takes common everyday materials to degrade in a landfill and ways they can reduce the amount of waste they produce.
This activity was inspired by an activity submission “Age to Degradation Board” by Dalhousie University.
This workshop discusses topics, which can lead to feelings of eco-anxiety among volunteers, educators and youth if not presented in a thoughtful manner. The most important things to remember are to be honest, hopeful, developmentally appropriate, and action oriented. This workshop was created with these guidelines in mind. For more details, refer to the volunteer resource, Being Conscious of Eco-Anxiety.
What You Need
- Poster board with a list from 6 weeks to 2 million years listed on the left-hand side of the board (see Answer Page).
- 12 pieces of Velcro placed according to the answer page (see Answer Timeline)
- 12 Image Cards, laminated with Velcro attached to the back
Guide:
Additional:
What To Do
- Have participants place the pictures of the items in order of how long they think each item will take to degrade in a landfill on the poster board.
- If they are having trouble, ask them “What material(s) is this item made out of?” “Have you ever seen this material start to degrade?”.
- Once complete, use the answer sheet to move the items to the correct order.
- Ask the following questions:
- “Do any of the results surprise you?”
- “How often do you use each item?”
- “Is there something else you can do when you are done with this item? Can you dispose of it differently?”
- Discuss alternatives and/or different ways to divert waste from landfills.
- Go through the 6 R’s of Sustainability page. Ask each participant what each tier means.
- Reflection question: “What does the order of each tier in the pyramid represent?”.
- Go through the 6 R’s of Sustainability page. Ask each participant what each tier means.
Discovery
Degradation is the process of materials breaking down into its separate parts or elements.
In a landfill, the garbage is placed in layers, compacted, topped with a layer of dirt or clay and covered with a plastic barrier. This makes the inside of a landfill very dark and without much air or oxygen. Depending on the type of material, it can take a really long time for it to degrade in these conditions. See table in attached guide for information on some of the problems that certain materials have in landfills.
As the garbage in landfills degrade, they produce toxic waste (leachate) and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket in the atmosphere; they trap heat from the sun. Human activity, such as landfills and the use of fossil fuels, is emitting too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing the Earth to heat up faster than it should. This is resulting in long-term changes to the weather, temperature and precipitation patterns around the world, otherwise known as climate change. While there are methods to limit the effect of landfills on the environment, such as methane capture and monitoring groundwater, the best thing we can do is limit the amount of waste we produce. This also helps to protect wildlife, which may end up eating or being tangled up in the waste that doesn’t make it to landfills (litter).
By reducing the amount of waste we produce, reusing items and composting waste, less items end up in landfills, we take less resources from our planet and help make the world a cleaner place for all living things.
With the help of the 6 R’s of Sustainability, we can work to ensure that we can meet our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including # 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities, # 12- Responsible Consumption and Production and # 13 – Climate Change.
- Alternatively, this activity can be set up as a horizontal timeline using a piece of string with less items for younger audiences or for larger crowds.
- Encourage a conversation about the pros and cons of bioplastics – should we be replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable versions?
- Visit Plastic Action Centre – Breaking Down Bioplastics webpage or infographic.
What is Happening?
Degradation is the process of materials breaking down into its separate parts or elements.
In a landfill, the garbage is placed in layers, compacted, topped with a layer of dirt or clay and covered with a plastic barrier. This makes the inside of a landfill very dark and without much air or oxygen. Depending on the type of material, it can take a really long time for it to degrade in these conditions. See table in attached guide for information on some of the problems that certain materials have in landfills.
Why Does it Matter?
As the garbage in landfills degrade, they produce toxic waste (leachate) and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket in the atmosphere; they trap heat from the sun. Human activity, such as landfills and the use of fossil fuels, is emitting too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing the Earth to heat up faster than it should. This is resulting in long-term changes to the weather, temperature and precipitation patterns around the world, otherwise known as climate change. While there are methods to limit the effect of landfills on the environment, such as methane capture and monitoring groundwater, the best thing we can do is limit the amount of waste we produce. This also helps to protect wildlife, which may end up eating or being tangled up in the waste that doesn’t make it to landfills (litter).
By reducing the amount of waste we produce, reusing items and composting waste, less items end up in landfills, we take less resources from our planet and help make the world a cleaner place for all living things.
With the help of the 6 R’s of Sustainability, we can work to ensure that we can meet our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including # 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities, # 12- Responsible Consumption and Production and # 13 – Climate Change.
Investigate Further
- Alternatively, this activity can be set up as a horizontal timeline using a piece of string with less items for younger audiences or for larger crowds.
- Encourage a conversation about the pros and cons of bioplastics – should we be replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable versions?
- Visit Plastic Action Centre – Breaking Down Bioplastics webpage or infographic.
