95677–Poster_R1.

qxp 1/12/06 12:19 AM Page 1

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reduce waste?

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Call the RCBC

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Recycling Hotline
at (604) 732-9253

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for waste reduction
and responsible
disposal ideas.

Since 1990,
Greater Vancouver residents
have reduced garbage by half!

ReThink to reduce waste, every day!

Where will you start on the path to less waste?
How does consuming wisely
reduce waste and demand
for Earth’s Composting kitchen
$476.87
scraps and yard

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resources?

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trimmings can reduce

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$476.87 waste by up to
21%! How much

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can you compost?

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! packing a litter-less lunch?
Where does your garbage go
? (flip over to find out!)
95677–Poster_R1.qxp 1/12/06 5:56 PM Page 2

ReThink to reduce waste, every day!

ReThink to reduce waste, every day!
BACKGROUND
Every day we make choices about what More than two million people in the Greater Vancouver
Where does your garbage go
we buy and use and how we dispose of Regional District (GVRD) create garbage every day. Approximately
3.1 million tonnes of solid waste are generated every year –
?

5000, 01/06
the waste we produce. Our daily choices Beyond the bin...
enough to fill BC Place twice. That’s a lot of garbage!
have both local and global impacts. Follow the journey of garbage from
OVERVIEW your school or home to a transfer
The materials we use are made from To conserve resources and decrease our disposal costs, we need to generate less garbage. Through station, the Waste-to-Energy Facility
Earth’s resources. By rethinking our participation in the activities on this poster, students will explore the impact that each of us has on or to one of the landfills.
the environment and discover how our choices can reduce waste at school and at home!
point-of-purchase and disposal choices How close are waste management
we can reduce the amount of waste facilities to your home?

we produce and make better

Life cycle of a product What else do you notice about
the location of these facilities?
use of Earth’s Follow the life story of a product
Why does managing waste cost
resources. A product passes through a series of stages during its lifetime including extracting, money? Who pays for it?
processing, manufacturing, transporting, selling, using, reusing, recycling and finally How does waste reduction lower
disposing. Exploring the life cycle of a product can reveal good the cost of managing solid waste?
reasons to make wiser choices about what we buy and use.
Pick a product to investigate. Conduct research and present

Greenhouse gas emissions reduced: 258 kilograms

your findings.

How does your product Can the product be In the Greater Vancouver
fit into the “Life cycle reused or recycled? Regional District,
of a product” diagram? What happens when it
garbage from homes and
What raw materials is disposed?
are used? How is it Which product life story
businesses is taken to GARB
AGE
manufactured? surprised you the most? transfer stations and
What factors determine How might you change
when a product is no
then to a landfill or the
your use of that product?
longer useful? Why? Waste-to-Energy Facility.

Solid Waste Landfills Waste-to-Energy

Waste diverted from landfill: 133 kilograms

Transfer Stations Approximately 75% The Waste-to-Energy
GRADE 3 – PROCESSES OF SCIENCE GRADE 2 – ENVIRONMENT Garbage is delivered to of garbage from GVRD Facility in Burnaby receives
demonstrate understanding of their responsibility to local and describe their responsibility to the local environment For more connections one of seven transfer stations in the municipalities is hauled to the about 25% of the waste from GVRD
global environments and teacher resources
GRADE 5 – SKILLS AND PROCESSES region where it is screened for Vancouver Landfill, located in municipalities. The waste is incinerated
GRADE 4 – LIFE SCIENCE on solid waste and other unacceptable waste or large recyclables.
implement a plan of action to address a selected school, community, Delta, or the Cache Creek Landfill, which produces steam and electricity,
determine how personal choices and actions have environmental consequences
or national problem locally relevant topics, The remaining garbage is loaded into located 330 kilometres northeast a viable source of energy.
GRADE 5 – EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
GRADE 6 – ECONOMY AND TECHNOLOGY large trucks and hauled to a landfill site of Vancouver.

Science
describe potential environmental impacts of using BC’s living and visit our website:

MATCHES
evaluate effects of technology on lifestyles and environments or the Waste-to-Energy Facility.
non-living resources

CURRICULUM
Social Studies
www.gvrd.bc.ca/education

Water saved: 10,467 litres

Acting on waste reduction Comic relief for less waste
Less is more!
Where does our garbage Back to the future – waste management A comic strip can tell a story! What story does this one tell? Create a comic strip to tell a story which encourages readers

Trees saved: 3
come from? The best way to decrease ReThinking reduction to rethink, reduce, reuse or recycle! For great 4R ideas, use the front of this poster or call the RCBC Recycling Hotline.
Residential waste garbage going to our landfills It’s 100 years into the future. Technology has advanced.
Industrial / Commercial / (waste from
households) is to REDUCE what we use in Examine the poster. Identify all of the waste reduction Predict five ways that garbage will be dealt with and
Institutional waste HMM, WHAT SHOULD I DO For responsible disposal and
activities that you can. Are the activities you selected WHERE CAN YOU CAN TAKE
(includes waste from the first place. That means present these new techniques through a skit. WITH THIS OLD PAINT? waste reduction ideas, call
31% I TAKE MY IT TO A PAINT
factories, offices, retail, buying only what we need and rethink, reduce, reuse or recycle activities? ... OH YEAH! the RCBC Recycling Hotline at
How will life be different in the future? OLD PAINT? PRODUCT CARE
hotels, restaurants, Which activities reduce the most waste? Why? I CAN CALL (604) R-E-C-Y-C-L-E (732-9253).
DEPOT NEAR
hospitals, choosing products with little or no THE RECYCLING
schools, etc.) YOU.
packaging. The next best thing we Examine the inverted triangle. Packaging outside the law HOTLINE TO I’M GLAD I CALLED!
FIND OUT.
34% can do is REUSE as much as possible. Why is there a waste reduction hierarchy? Suppose all packaging were outlawed. Identify five
We can rent, repair, share and use things pros and five cons of this new law. List five interesting
What other waste reduction activities can
in other ways. RECYCLING is what many consequences. Present your ideas through a skit.
be added?
of us are already doing well. By recycling Can you think of any laws related to waste or
How are 35% Where will you start on the path to less waste?
and composting, residents, businesses and waste reduction? How can laws help to reduce
Demolition / RCBC
we connected builders can continue to reduce garbage. waste?
Land clearing /
to the institution, Construction
business and industry sectors? Same, same, but different
Select a variety of props such as toys, books, tools, etc.
What are we throwing away? Form a circle around these items. Take turns selecting
an object. Present a skit to demonstrate innovative ways GVRD Teachers!
What’s in your garbage? On the path to less waste to use your item. ReThink –
take action for Integrate sustainability concepts into
Materials going to the waste stream are shown in the table Identify ways that packaging is connected to each of the What creative reuse ideas did you like the most?
CHOOSE TO REUSE How can rethinking the way we use objects big change your classroom...
below. Brainstorm five items from each of these categories activities featured on the front of this poster.
Over 24,000 tonnes of plastic bags are (e.g., dish soap containers are found in the plastic category). reduce waste?
Why is packaging used? What choices can we
Visit our website for information about:
disposed by GVRD residents each year – Devise a strategy to encourage rethinking and reduction in
Which category is Which category is What factors do you make about packaging your class, school or community. There are many things you • free teacher workshops
that’s over 2% of the total waste stream,
the biggest? Why? the smallest? Why? consider when making to reduce the amount could do such as: create waste reduction posters using reused
or 11 kilograms of plastic bags per person! E-waste
of waste we create? materials, start a litter-less lunch program, or set up a “Reuse • unique and local teaching land
Choose to reuse your bags. purchases?
Conduct a waste audit. Record what is thrown into the The volume of electronics such as Centre” and/or improve the recycling program at your school. tools and ideas WA S T E
garbage at home, in class or at school. Compare your results. computers, VCRs and TVs that we put into
What will you do? Who will do it? • teacher resources,
WHAT DOES GARBAGE Were you surprised? What could have been the garbage has quadrupled in recent years. water
reduced, reused or Why do you think this is happening? Is it manageable? Will it make a difference? connections and
HAVE TO DO WITH CLIMATE CHANGE? How did your predictions
recycled? Brainstorm all of the electronic items that How will it work? How will it be measured?
learning destinations air
Anytime you manufacture something, transport it or compare to your findings?
you have bought in the last year.
put it into a landfill, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are quality of life
produced. GHGs contribute to climate change which How long will these Why is disposing

We printed this poster on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. How did this choice result in the following environmental savings?
can lead to poor air quality or extreme weather items last? and recycling electronic What’s cool at your school?
patterns and events such as droughts, ice storms
www.gvrd.bc.ca/education
What will you do with waste challenging? Share your waste reduction success story with us.
and increased flooding. By reducing the amount of them when they are no What are some Send a description and pictures of the project, idea,
garbage we produce, we can lower our GHG longer useful to you? creative ways to reduce or initiative so that we may help others benefit from CONTACT US
emissions and lessen our environmental impact. electronic waste? your success. Email gvrdteacher@gvrd.bc.ca (604) 432-6200
Where should these
items go? gvrdteacher@gvrd.bc.ca

(Materials that are currently going to landfills or to the Waste-to-Energy Facility)

ReThink to reduce waste, every day! ReThink to reduce waste, every day!