Chapter 12: Taking Charge of Waste
Learn how to manage waste responsibly and keep surroundings clean!
🗑️ Chapter Summary
This chapter teaches children about the creation, impact, and responsible management of waste. It focuses on the importance of cleanliness, methods of reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, and the role each person can play in keeping surroundings clean. Students are introduced to real-life examples of clean towns and initiatives like Swachh Bharat, emphasizing respect for sanitation workers and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
Let Us Answer
Page 150–151: Introduction to Waste
What are the children doing?
Ans: Cleaning the park with their teacher.
Why are they cleaning the park?
Ans: To keep it clean and hygienic.
Have you seen waste lying around?
Ans: Yes, near dustbins, on roads, in empty plots.
How is waste created in daily life?
Ans: Through food wrappers, plastic, vegetable peels, paper, and old items.
Page 152: How Waste Affects Us
Effects of unmanaged waste:
Ans:
- Animals eat harmful plastics
- Garbage attracts mosquitoes
- Causes diseases and pollution
Page 153–154: Reduce Waste
How can we reduce waste?
Ans:
- Use cloth bags
- Avoid packaged items
- Don’t buy unnecessary things
Ways to help reduce waste:
Ans: Share toys/books, avoid disposables, reuse items till they wear out.
Page 155: Reuse Waste
Examples of REUSE:
Ans:
- Old sarees → quilts or bags
- Used paper → rough work
- Old bottles → storage or crafts
Page 157: Real-Life Examples
Examples of clean places in India:
Ans:
- Silluk (Arunachal Pradesh) – Zero-waste village
- Chhota Narena – First waste-free village
- Indore and Mysuru – Clean cities
Page 158–159: Segregation of Waste
Segregation of Waste:
| Green Dustbin (Biodegradable) | Blue Dustbin (Recyclables) |
|---|---|
| Fruit/vegetable peels | Plastic bags |
| Leaves | Paper |
| Eggshells | Glass |
| Rotten food | Metal cans |
Page 160: Cleanliness at Home and School
How to keep surroundings clean?
Ans:
- Tidy your room
- Don’t litter
- Use bins properly
- Keep desks and floors clean
Tools used in cleaning:
Ans: Broom, dustpan, mop, bucket, cleaning sprays
Activities
Page 152: Observe Surroundings
Activity: Observe surroundings and identify dirty/clean areas.
Instructions: Walk around your school or neighborhood, note down areas with litter or cleanliness, and discuss findings in class.
Page 155: Make a Paper Bag
Activity: Make a paper bag from newspaper (no glue/scissors).
Instructions: Fold and tuck newspaper to form a sturdy bag, following teacher guidance, and use it for carrying light items.
Page 155: Gift Idea Activity
Activity: Make a recycled gift for a sanitation worker and thank them.
Instructions: Use old paper, bottles, or cloth to create a gift (e.g., pen holder, card) and present it with a thank-you note.
Page 157: Ask Elders
Activity: Ask elders about clean towns or Swachh Bharat Mission.
Instructions: Interview a family member about local cleanliness initiatives and share their response in class.
Page 158–159: Segregation Activity
Activity: Write/draw what goes in each dustbin.
Instructions: Draw or list items for green (biodegradable) and blue (recyclable) dustbins in your notebook.
Page 160: Draw Cleaning Tools
Activity: Draw tools used at home/school for cleaning.
Instructions: Sketch and label tools like broom, mop, and dustpan, then color them.
Let Us Reflect
A. Discuss
How is waste created?
Ans: Through daily activities like eating, packaging, writing, etc.
How can we manage waste?
Ans: By reducing, reusing, recycling, and disposing of it properly.
B. Write
List plastic items and replacements:
| Plastic Item | Replacement |
|---|---|
| Plastic bottle | Steel/copper bottle |
| Plastic bag | Cloth bag |
| Disposable plate | Banana leaf/metal plate |
Things for dustbins:
| Green Dustbin | Blue Dustbin |
|---|---|
| Apple peel | Plastic bottle |
| Eggshell | Paper |
| Rotten fruit | Glass jar |
C. Draw in Notebook
Draw: A poster of a clean town or village with a slogan like “Clean Today, Green Tomorrow”.
Instructions: Create a colorful poster showing a clean environment with bins and greenery, and add a catchy slogan.
D. Enact in Pairs
Activity: One student plays a clean town, the other a dirty town — discuss how they feel and what they do differently.
Instructions: Role-play in pairs, describing the town’s appearance and actions, then share feelings with the class.
E. Think, Reflect, and Share
Zero-waste birthday party:
Ans:
- Avoid plastic decorations
- Use reusable plates/cups
- Give handmade return gifts
- Avoid balloons and glitter
Waste in nature:
Ans:
- Leaves decompose into soil
- Animal waste becomes manure
- Nothing is wasted in forests — nature recycles!
Concepts Covered
- Creation and impact of waste
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3Rs)
- Waste segregation (biodegradable vs. recyclable)
- Importance of cleanliness at home and school
- Real-life examples of clean towns and Swachh Bharat
- Respect for sanitation workers
- Hands-on activities: Making paper bags, creating recycled gifts, drawing posters
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