Purpose

The purpose of this lab was to be mindful of my disposal habits and how much I throw away that could be recycled at the local recycling plant. A log was kept over a 24-hour period, beginning at 2 pm on the 20th and ending at 2 pm on the 21st, indicating the various items that I throw away and whether they are recyclable. The log serves as an indication of how much waste is added to the junk yard that could actually be recycled in an effort to help the environment.

Methods and Materials

The materials needed for this lab were a simple log used for recording data and a recording instrument (pen, paper, or computer). I used a computer to record my disposal habits in the log. Anytime I threw away something over the 24-hour period, I made a note of it on the log that I posted beside the trash can. The log was taped to the refrigerator for easy access. Whenever an item was deposited in the trash, a note was made on the log. The log was then typed up on the computer for the sake of tidiness.

Once the log of all the materials I disposed of was completed after 24 hours, I went to the local recycling plant and obtained information about what materials could be recycled there. I took this information and analyzed my log with it. If the material I threw away and recorded on the log was included in the list of things that could be recycled at the local plant, I wrote “yes” in the “Was it recyclable?” column. If it was not recyclable, I wrote “no.”

Results

The results of this log are seen here. (No...
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I alone recorded the entries.

Discussion

What I observed when I looked at the log was that everything I threw away over the 24-hour period could have been recycled at the local recycling plant. This shows that I could be recycling a lot more than I currently am doing. Every item that I recorded on the log was one that fit the description of items that could be recycled at the local recycling plant. Not a single item listed was one that could not be recycled. The majority of the items were paper items. This indicates that I need a recycling bin at my house so that I can place recyclable materials in it.

What I Learned

What I learned from this lab was that I waste a great deal of materials and send them to the junk yard unnecessarily when so many of them could easily be recycled at the local recycling plant. I need to be more proactive about what I throw away and start being mindful about my disposal habits. This was a good exercise because it showed me that I need to be smarter about my recycling habits—or rather my lack of recycling habits. Obtaining a recycling container would be a good first step in making a better go of recycling and helping the environment to be less polluted. I may need two recycling containers since so much of what I throw away is recyclable. I could substantially cut down on the amount of trash I send to the junk yard if I just start recycling materials that are recyclable.

Why This Was a Really Good Experiment

This was a good lab because it helped…