Process and Resources
Task
February 28, 2023Evaluation
February 28, 2023
Are you ready?! Well…. Let’s start!!!
To help reduce the amount of plastic food and beverage waste, the first step is to identify what type of plastic they are packaged in, in order to be able to recycle them correctly and, possibly, choose foods with packaging that decomposes quickly.
How can you identify this kind of packaging?!By following the instructions below…
Step 1:
KIND OF FOODS/DRINKS RELATED TO THIS TYPE OF PLASTIC
You should find the 3 most common foods/drinks associated to the kind of plastic you are responsible for. Possibly, one of them has to come from the fast food sector.
-Types of Plastic Food Packaging and Safety: A Close-Up Look: https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/types-plastic-foods/drinks-packaging-safety-close-look/
-Plastic: It’s Not All the Same: https://plasticoceans.org/7-types-of-plastic/
-7 Types of Plastic that You Need to Know: https://waste4change.com/blog/7-types-plastic-need-know/
-The 7 Different Types of Plastic: https://www.plasticsforchange.org/blog/different-types-of-plastic
Also, you should find some IMAGES related to those foods/drinks, to use as an illustration in the brochure to make it more appealing!!
You should find the 3 most common foods/drinks associated to the kind of plastic you are responsible for. Possibly, one of them has to come from the fast food sector.
-Types of Plastic Food Packaging and Safety: A Close-Up Look: https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/types-plastic-foods/drinks-packaging-safety-close-look/
-Plastic: It’s Not All the Same: https://plasticoceans.org/7-types-of-plastic/
-7 Types of Plastic that You Need to Know: https://waste4change.com/blog/7-types-plastic-need-know/
-The 7 Different Types of Plastic: https://www.plasticsforchange.org/blog/different-types-of-plastic
Also, you should find some IMAGES related to those foods/drinks, to use as an illustration in the brochure to make it more appealing!!
Now that you and your group have identified the type of plastic associated with some type of food/drink, it’s time to find out how long is the process of decomposition of the type of plastic assigned to you.
Useful links are:
– The lifecycle of plastics: https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/the-lifecycle-of-plastics
-Does Plastic Decompose? How Long Does It Take? https://maesindopaperpackaging.com/does-plastic-decompose-how-long-does-it-take/
-How Long Does Plastic Take to Degrade? https://promotherapy.com.au/blogs/news/how-long-does-plastic-take-to-degrade
Well done!! You and your classmates found out how long it takes for plastics to decompose, based on their composition/type. But, before we delete them, maybe we can reuse them for other types of activities! … mmmh… but, how many times???
Let’s find out through the following links:
– Plastics by the Numbers: https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/plastics-by-the-numbers/
– How Many Times Can Plastic Be Recycled? https://www.treehugger.com/how-many-times-can-plastic-be-recycled-5184396
– Is It OK to Reuse Food Containers? https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/is-it-ok-to-reuse-foods/drinks-containers/
Did you see?!!!…Not all plastic is recyclable!…that’s really bad news, isn’t it?!
So, your task now is to check whether the assigned plastic type can be recycled or not and if so, what is the recyclability percentage.
– 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Plastic (and Recycling) https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/04/04/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-plastic-and-recycling/
– Know Your plastic: Seven Plastics for Seven Recycling Possibilities https://www.coda-plastics.co.uk/blog/know-your-plastic-seven-plastics-for-seven-recycling-possibilities
– TYPES OF PLASTIC – A complete plastic numbers guide https://yesstraws.com/blogs/news/types-of-plastic-plastic-numbers-guide
Now that you’ve become a plastic recycling expert, it’s time to find out how we can reduce our plastic consumption, especially in relation to food and beverage products.
Within your group, you should identify from 1 to 3 alternative ways to avoid or reduce the use of your type of plastic…
You should also find some images associated with those alternatives.
Links:
-7 Plastic-Free Alternatives to Food Wrap https://treadingmyownpath.com/2017/06/22/7-plastic-free-alternatives-to-foods/drinks-wrap/
-10 worst single-use plastics and eco-friendly alternatives https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/10-worst-single-use-plastics-and-eco-friendly-alternatives
-Your guide to a plastic free back to school https://elephantbox.co.uk/blogs/blog/plastic-free-back-to-school
-11 Ways to Keep Your Food Safe and Toxin-Free – Green Hive https://www.greenhive.io/blog/toxin-free-and-plastic-free-food-storage-containers
Now let’s prepare a brochure with your classmate and your teacher!
The brochure of 5 pages maximum, will contain all the results reported in the table used during the task process and will be printed in a few copies (1 per student) to be shown at home, and converted into pdf for further dissemination.
