Wastes—Educational Materials
You can help protect our planet and make a difference in our future. The EPA offers resources to increase awareness of solid waste issues, encourage and increase waste-reducing behaviors, and inspire participation in environmental outreach activities.
Students (Grades 6–8)
By taking a few steps to create less trash every day, you can make a big difference!
Don't just teach the ABCs—teach the RRRs! Access materials to help your students learn how to reduce and better manage waste.
- Use products made with recycled materials
- Use energy-efficient light bulbs and rechargeable batteries
- Shop with cloth bags
- Reuse plastic bags, cups, containers, etc.
- Repair items instead of throwing them away.
- Compost your food and yard waste.
Did You Know?
- More than 95% of food scraps that could be composted end up in landfills. Learn how to compost at home.
- The average person creates about 4.43 pounds of trash every day—2.4 pounds of which ends up in landfills. Find out what happens when you throw trash away.
- Reusing items is one of the most effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment, and save money. Find out how to donate used items.
- Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 U.S. homes in one year. Find out where you can donate or recycle electronics in your area.
- Paper makes up nearly 30% of all waste Americans throw away each year—that's more than any other material. Learn how easy it is to recycle.
- By recycling 10 aluminum cans, you can save enough energy to power a laptop for almost 52 hours. Check out how much energy you can save by recycling.