Recycle and Reuse Project
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Learning Objectives
- 1Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable natural resources
- 2Explain the difference between recycling, reusing, and reducing
- 3Plan a project that gives a used material a new purpose
Mini Lesson
Natural resources are materials found in nature that people use to live — such as water, wood, coal, oil, soil, and minerals. Some resources are renewable, meaning they can be replaced naturally. Others are nonrenewable, meaning they take millions of years to form and can run out.
Renewable vs Nonrenewable Resources
- Renewable: solar energy, wind energy, water (hydro), wood (from replanted forests).
- Nonrenewable: coal, oil, natural gas, minerals mined from the earth.
The 3 Rs — Best to Last Resort
- Reduce — use less of a resource in the first place (best option).
- Reuse — use an item more than once without changing it (e.g. refill a water bottle).
- Recycle — break down materials to make new products (last resort, still uses energy).
Project Ideas
- Turn an old bottle into a plant pot.
- Make a pencil holder from a tin can.
- Create art from used newspapers or magazines.
- Build a toy car from cardboard boxes and bottle caps.
When presenting your project, show the original material, explain what it was used for before, and describe how you gave it a new purpose.
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