 |
Trash (or waste) is becoming more and more of a big deal as time goes on. People have always made trash, of course, but with a growing number of people on this planet using a larger number of products, concern over our garbage continues to grow. |
In the last 40 years, the global population has doubled. The US accounts for about 5% of that population, and 30% of the world's waste. The average American
produces between 3-5 pounds of trash per day.
There are different methods for dealing with waste, but Rice County currently uses the landfill method, burying trash in the ground and putting
it out of sight. When it comes right down to it, there is no way around waste and the production of waste, but what needs to
be done is to come up with ways to produce less waste.We need to look at the decisions that we make when it comes to
the use of our goods. |
 |
There are lots of other issues that go along with waste, and pollution
always seems to come up. We often look at other people,
like
farmers, factories, and big companies as being the cause of pollution in
the environment. The average person plays just as
big a role as anyone
else. We all take part somehow in polluting, just as we all have the
ability to reduce how much we pollute.
 |
Point Source Pollution is when you or someone else dumps something that is harmful in a place where it is not supposed to be, or where a certain known pollutant is coming from. Examples of point source pollution might include a pipe where waste is flowing into a river, or a smokestack that is emitting toxic clouds. |
| Non-point Source Pollution is when you can't pick just one point that shows where the
pollutant is coming from. Non-point source pollution happens when we get
acid rain, or when oil runs from the highway into a stream by the road, or when pesticides or fertilizers run off of a yard into a pond. |
 |
When dealing with pollution, it is not as important to find out who polluted, but to take steps to limit it from happening. We all play a very important role in cutting down on pollution and waste, let's work on
it together!
Visit www.recycleminnesota.org to obtain a nice CD for students on waste and recycling.
US EPA student page
Forest Service kids' page |
