1. (a) Which kind of garbage is not converted into compost by the redworms?
Answer: Garbage substances such as broken glass pieces, aluminum wraps, plastic objects, polythene bags etc. cannot be converted into compost by red worms. These substances are not biodegradable.
(b) Have you seen any other organism besides redworms, in your pit? If yes, try to find out their names.
Answer: Yes other than redworms I have seen white, black or greyish cottony patches. These are fungi. Fungi are saprophytic organisms. The pit also has bacteria which are invisible to naked eye.
2. Discuss:
(a) Is garbage disposal the responsibility only of the government?
Answer: Not only the government, it is also the duty of all of us to help in the disposal of garbage. If garbage is not disposed properly the environment will become polluted and may even cause diseases.
(b) Is it possible to reduce the problems relating to disposal of garbage?
Answer: Yes, it is possible to reduce the problems relating to disposal of garbage only if we adopt the following measures:
3. (a) What do you do with the leftover food at home?
Answer: Generally most of us dump the food leftover at home along with other kitchen wastes. But it is a good practice to collect these materials from the kitchen and put them into the pit to convert them into manure with the help of earthworms. This manure can be used in the kitchen garden.
(b) If you and your friends are given the choice of eating in a plastic plate or a banana leaf platter at a party, which one would you prefer and why?
Answer: We shall choose banana leaf platters are nature friendly. It can be easily degraded after use. Banana leaf can be converted into manure by composting. Though plastic plate can also be recycled, this process it gives out harmful gases. These gases pollute the environment. Moreover, plastic items cannot be converted into manure by composting.
4. (a) Collect pieces of different kinds of paper. Find out which of these can be recycled.
Answer: I have collected papers pieces from newspaper, notebooks, diary and old text books. All these can be recycled. Plastic coated and shiny papers of some of the magazines cannot be recycled easily.
(b) With the help of a lens look at the pieces of paper you collected for the above question. Do you see any difference in the material of recycled paper and a new sheet of paper?
Answer: The surface of recycled paper is rough and on the other hand surface of new sheet of paper is smooth.
5. (a) Collect different kinds of packaging material. What was the purpose for which each one was used? Discuss in groups.
Answer: : I have collected few paper cuttings, thermo Cole, gift wraps, foam sheets, card board pieces and jute. These materials are used to pack articles to protect them during transportation.
(b) Give an example in which packaging could have been reduced?
Answer: Packing could have been reduced for products which would not be much affected even during transport. For example, hard toys, clothes and shoes etc.
(c) Write a story on how packaging increases the amount of garbage.
Answer: Now a days with growing online shopping people can order any product from anywhere around the world. For these products to reach us safely, packing is very important. Packing not protects the product but also makes it much attractive.
For example, when we gift someone on birthday, we nicely wrap the gift in glittery shiny wrap. After use these shiny packing material is dumped into the dustbin. The plastic objects used in the birthday party like the disposable spoons, plates, glasses, aluminum foils are also thrown out after use. Many other things like containers or packets of ghee, refined oil, soaps, detergents and most of eatable goods are sold in small packets. All these packing materials increase the amount of garbage. To reduce the amount created by these kinds of garbage, the packing material must be reused or recycled.
6. Do you think it is better to use compost instead of chemical fertilizers? Why?
Answer: The compost can be produced cheaply with the wastes from the kitchen. Compost production is easy and does not cause any pollution. The production of chemical fertilizers on the other hand is costly and cause lot of pollution. We can recycle the garbage with the help of composting. The chemical fertilizers may even leach out into the water, vegetables, fruits and other plant products. When leaching into the water they may be harmful to the aquatic organisms and when leached into the food products they may be harmful to humans. Hence, using compost is the best option for clean environment and healthy humans.
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