1
GRADE 11 RESEARCH PROJECT:
WASTE GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT IN YOUR HOME
NAME :
DUE DATE: _____________
TOTAL: 100
Dealing with the huge amount of waste we produce is one of the biggest problems facing
people of planet Earth. In urban areas, waste is collected and taken to landfill sites and this
causes many problems. There are better ways to deal with waste other than dumping it at
landfill sites. We live in a ‘throw- away society’. Without thinking about it, we continuously add
to the huge amounts of waste that people on Earth throw away each year.
(From Life Sciences Explained Grade 11)
You are required to write a report on the generation and management of waste in your
home.
AIMS: A. To compare the amount of waste produced in different categories in a middle to
high income area (the households of Danville pupils) and a low income area.
B. To compare the amount of waste generated that can be recycled or re-used in a
middle to high income area (the households of Danville pupils) and a low income
area.
A. REPORT:
1.
Formulate TWO hypotheses, one for each of the aims above.
(4)
2.
Draw up a detailed written plan as to how you are going to monitor and
measure the amount of each type of waste (in selected categories) collected in
your household over the period of a week. Your waste must be weighed and
expressed in Kg. The categories of waste that you must use are outlined below.
(8)
2
-
Plastic and polystyrene,
Paper (includes cardboard, magazines, paper packaging),
Glass,
Cans and metal,
Organic waste (fruit and vegetable waste only),
Other waste (anything that does not fit into the other categories) that can be
recycled and re-used,
Other waste that cannot be recycled or re-used.
ALL your waste must be accounted for.
3.
All the data collected in point 2 must be presented in a table (table 1) (not
provided).
4.
A. Make a list of all the items that you put into each of the two ‘other’ waste
categories above.
(9)
(2)
B. List the categories of waste that can be re-used or recycled.
5.
(2)
Bring the data tabulated in point 3 to school. This must be done by the end of
the July holidays.
6.
Teachers to do:
Collect the results from all the Grade 11 Life Sciences classes and calculate the
average amount of waste produced in each category per household for a year.
You will be given this data.
7.
You will be given data from a low income area to compare with your data.
8.
Record the average amount of each type of waste collected per year AND the
average amount of each type of waste that can be recycled or re-used per
household per year in a middle to high income area and a low income area in the
table provided (table 2)
(8)
Record the average amount of waste (in kg) in each category collected per
household over a year for a middle to high income area and a low income area in
a bar graph. (see rubric)
(11)
Calculate the percentage of total waste collected that can be recycled or re-used
in a middle to high income area and a low income area. Show your calculations.
(4)
Provide evidence of your investigation by taking photographs of your waste
collection bins/ waste collected in the different categories. Include your name
badge in your photos.
(5)
Write a suitable conclusion for each hypothesis of your investigation.
(4)
9.
10.
11.
12.
3
B. ANALYSIS:
Record or research your answers to the following:
1. Draw up a detailed plan that your family could use to reduce the amount of waste they
generate.
(10)
2. Discuss five of the problems caused by landfill sites.
(10)
3. Evaluate your study using the data collected and provided. Discuss whether you think
Danville households (on average a middle to high income group) are an accurate reflection
of the average waste generated by ALL South African families.
(4)
4. Suggest at least three ways to improve on your research project. Explain each one fully.
(3)
Bibliography: You will be expected to refer to at least three references for your report. These
must be correctly cited. (Ask your teacher if you need help)
(4)
Presentation: You will be given marks for presentation (see rubric).
(12)
 You will be marked according to the rubrics. Make sure that you hand these in with your
project.
4
C. MARK RECORD SHEETS AND RUBRICS
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF MY FAMILY
NAME: _________________________________
A. Report:
1. Two hypotheses (point 1)
MARK
ALLOCATION
4
2. Your detailed plan (point 2)
8
3. Results – Table 1 (point 3) (see rubric)
9
4. Results – List of items put into the two ‘other’
categories of waste (point 4A)
5. Results – List of categories of waste that can be
recycled or re-used (point 4B)
6. Results – Table 2 (point 9) (see rubric)
2
7. Results – Graph (point 10) (see rubric)
11
8. Results – Calculation (point 11)
4
9. Evidence – Photos (point 12)
5
10. Two Conclusions (point 13)
4
LEARNERS
MARK
2
8
B. Analysis:
1.
Plan to reduce amount of waste - (5 well explained
ways to reduce the amount of waste produced)
2. Problems caused by landfill sites (5 well explained)
10
3.
Evaluation of study
4
4.
Improvement of research project
3
10
Bibliography
4
Presentation (See rubric)
12
TOTAL
100
Comment ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Signature:_______________________________________
Date:_______________________
5
TABLE OF RESULTS (TABLE 1):
CRITERIA.
MARK ALLOCATION.
Informative title.
2
Column headings.
1
Row headings.
Units
2
Design of table
1
Amounts of each type of waste collected
per week
2
LEARNER’S MARK.
1
TOTAL:
9
TABLE OF RESULTS (TABLE 2):
CRITERIA.
MARK ALLOCATION.
Informative title.
Amounts of each type of waste collected per
year (expressed as amount and percentage)
Total amount of waste produced
TOTAL:
LEARNER’S MARK.
2
4
2
8
GRAPH – DESIGN SKILLS:
CRITERIA
Informative title
MARK ALLOCATION
2
X axis and X axis label
2
Y axis and Y axis label
2
Points correct
2
Correct type of graph
2
Key
1
TOTAL
11
LEARNER’S MARK
6
PRESENTATION
ACCEPTABLE NEEDS
Learner’s
IMPROVEMENT mark
4
3
2
1
Very
Interesting,
Fairly
Not interestingly
interesting,
correctly
interesting,
presented with
correctly
presented,
mostly
some/ no,
presented,
numbering
correctly
correct
numbering
technique
presented,
numbering
technique
correct.
relatively
technique.
correct.
correct
numbering
technique.
Colours used
Colours do not Colours do not Colours are
form a
detract and are detract but are actually
consistent,
consistent.
not consistent. distracting and
pleasing
disjointed/ not
palette.
used.
8 or more,
At least 6 good At least 4 good Pictures, if
high quality,
quality,
quality,
present, are
relevant
relevant
relevant
poor choices
pictures with
pictures with
pictures with
and don’t help
suitable
suitable
suitable
our
captions
captions
captions
understanding.
enhance our
enhance our
enhance our
understanding. understanding. understanding.
TOTAL
12
CATEGORY EXCELLENT
Max marks:
Contents
Page
Colour
Pictures
VERY GOOD
7
MODEL ANSWER:
A. Report:
1. Hypothesis:
E.g. More waste will be generated in Danville households (middle to high income households) 
than in low income households
AND
More waste produced in low income areas can be recycled  than the waste produced in
Danville households (middle to high income households).  (or any other suitable for either)
(4)
2. Detailed plan:
Must include the following:
 The 7categories of waste that waste was sorted into - plastic and polystyrene, paper, glass,
cans and metal, organic waste, other – recyclable, other – non-recyclable, where will it be
sorted into (e.g. separate collecting bins) 
 How will you measure the waste(scale)  What units will you use (express as kg) 
Will you weigh per day, or at the end of a week 
 Instructions to members of your household (Brief here)
(8)
3. A. List of items in two other categories of waste:

Other – recyclable – batteries, globes, tetra-pak cooldrink packaging, ink cartridges, ewaste…….
 Other – non-recyclable – cooked food leftovers (although it could be reused to feed the dog),
used tissues, wet or very dirty paper or cardboard (food wrappings, paper plates, cups),
disposable nappies, chip packets….. 
(if they have nothing in a category, they must say
so)
(2)
B. List of categories of waste that can be recycled:

Plastic and polystyrene, paper, glass, cans and metal, organic waste, (other – recyclable). 
(Pupils must not try and sort out which types of e.g. glass can and can’t be recycled – e.g.
laboratory glass , drinking glasses, sheet glass cannot – see list at end for interest. Must just
assume that all plastic, glass etc can be recycled )
(2)
4. Table1: (see rubric)
Table showing the amount of waste produced in each category  in my household for a week
Categories
of waste
Plastic and Paper
polystyrene
Glass

Waste
collected
for 1 week
 (kg) 
Design of table  (any suitable design)
Cans
and
metal
Organic
waste
Other Other –
recyclable nonrecyclable

(9)
8
5. Table 2: (see rubric)
Table comparing the average amount of waste in each category collected in a middle to high
income area and a low income area (per household) for a year.
Categ
ories
of
waste
Plastic
and polystyrene
Paper
Glass
Cans and
metal
Organic
waste
Other –
recyclable
Other –
nonrecyclabl
e
Total
kg
82
%
17,2
kg
138
%
28,9
kg
54
%
11.3
kg
30
%
6,3
kg
101
%
21,1
kg
28
%
5,9
kg
45
%
9,4
kg
478
75
18,2
122
29,6
35
8,5
10
2,4
130
31,6
15
3,6
25
6,1
412
Location
Middle to
high income
area
Low income
area
(8)
6. Graph: (see rubric)
Average amount of waste produced per year
(kg)
Bar graph showing the average amount of waste produced in different categories in a middle to
high income area and a low income area per household for a year. 
160
140
120
100
80
Middle to high inc area
60
Low inc area
40
20
0
Plastic + Paper Glass
poly
Cans + Organic Other- Other metal
recy non r
Categories/ type of waste
Heading – 2
X axis and X axis labels – 2
Y axis and Y axis labels – 2
Points correct – 2 (2 for each set of data)
Key - 1
Correct type of graph – 2 (1 mark for bar graph – spaces between bars; 1 mark for 2 bars being
compared kept together with no gap)
(11)
9
7. Calculation:
Calculate the percentage of total waste collected that can be recycled or re-used for Danville
households (middle to high income household/area) and a low income household/area.
Middle to high income area:
(ADD ALL CATEGORIES TOGETHER EXCEPT FOR OTHER NON-RECYCLABLE)
Sum of paper + plastic + glass + cans + org + other recy
Total waste produced (kg) 478 kg
= 90.6 (91%)%
433 kg
X 100 
Low income area:
Sum of glass + plastic + glass + cans + org + other recy 387 kg X 100 
Total waste produced (kg) 412 kg
= 93,9 (94)%
(4)
8.
Evidence:
Photographic evidence must be included. (Excellent evidence – 5
Fair evidence – 3
No evidence – 0)
(5)
9.
Conclusion:
Must relate to hypothesis:
E.g.:
Since 412 kg of waste was produced in the low income area and 478 kg in the middle to high
income area, it can be concluded that the middle/ high income area produces more waste
AND
Since 91% of waste produced in the middle to high income area and 94% of waste produced in
the low income area can be recycled it can be concluded that most of the waste produced in all
households (low and middle to high income areas) can be recycled.  / slightly more waste in the
low income area can be recycled.
(4)
10
B. Analysis:
1. Plan to reduce the amount of waste: (any 5 x 2 = 10) (if not well explained 1 mark each
only)
Where possible, use re-usable/ returnable packaging.  Consider returnable packaging as it
may be more economical (e.g. coke bottles). Use liquid concentrates or refills where the original
bottle can be used over and over. 
Don’t buy products that need to be replaced regularly;  this reduces the energy necessary
for manufacturing. Cloth nappies, razors with replaceable blades and glassware, for example, are
durable products. Avoid disposable and convenience products, where possible. Maintain and
repair whatever you can, to extend its lifespan. 
Buy products such as washing powder, toilet paper and cereals in bulk, to save on packaging,
petrol and money. If you live alone, consider splitting bulk purchases with friends and neighbours.

Avoid buying over-packaged goods.  Consumers, have the power to influence the type and
amount of packaging that manufacturers use. If you complain, marketers will adapt to what you,
the consumer, demands. Buy loose fruit and veg to avoid all the packaging here.
Buy recycled or recyclable goods made from recycled materials e.g. toilet paper. If we
demand more of these, their prices will decrease. Wherever possible, buy goods in containers that
can be recycled e.g. glass, cans, paper. 
Buy only what you need e.g. food items to avoid having to throw food away if it goes off before
you can eat it. Reduce unnecessary waste by avoiding those pointless purchases. Items that
rarely get used can be borrowed or shared with others. 
Buy all-purpose household cleaner instead of buying many different ones for each cleaning
role. 
Repair goods (e.g. appliances) and do not buy new ones just because they have gone out of
fashion (cell phones!!) 
Use durable, reusable, cloth shopping bags; buying fewer bags from the tills and refusing
unnecessary layers of wrapping. Reuse and thus refuse any more plastic carrier bags. Even opt
for a basket, perhaps. 
Sell or give away unwanted items.  Reduce waste by donating unwanted items to family,
friends or neighbours. You could even sell your possessions in a car-boot sale and earn some
extra cash. 
Reduce paper waste by cancelling unwanted mail  You can unsubscribe to many national
mailing lists by contacting the Direct Marketing Association. 
By re-using and recycling we are reducing the amount of waste produced. 
(any other suitable)
(10)
11
2. Problems caused by landfill sites: (any 5 X 2 = 10)



High cost to set up and maintain 
Unhealthy conditions – to human health – people living in close proximity 
Water pollution – poisons leach into water table and/ or wash into rivers thereby
contaminating our ground water 
 Release methane which is highly flammable – leads to fire risk 
 Methane also a greenhouse gas leading to climate change/ deplete ozone layer 
 We are running out of suitable space for landfill sites. which could rather be used for housing,
food etc. 
 High transport costs to landfill sites as they are on outskirts of town
 By not recycling, and dumping  we are using up valuable non-renewable resources (tin…)
 Unpleasant smells  for people living in area (any 5 well explained)
 Landfill sites take up a lot of space that could be used for other purposes/ this is destroying
natural habitats
 Incineration of waste at some landfill sites can release poisonous gases/ CO2 into the
atmosphere (any other suitable)
(10)
3. Evaluation of study: (4)
Answer should be no:
Most Danville pupils come from a middle/ high income family and we probably buy more goods
and especially highly packaged goods that a lower income family. We would therefore produce
more waste  than a lower income family. My estimate will therefore not be a good estimate of the
waste generated by such families which are in the majority in S.A. 
OR
There are a lot more low income families in South Africa than medium and high income families
and if the number of low income families was taken into account,  the average amount of waste
generated in SA would be a lot lower.  This is because low income families generate a lot less
waste that med to high income families. 
(any suitable answer)
(4)
4. Three ways to improve on research project: (fully explained)

Do the study over a longer period of time– at least a month (not just one week) to give a more
accurate account of how much waste is generated. 
 Different households have different numbers of people living in them. Work out the amount of
waste produced per person rather than per household.
 Weighing can give a skewed idea of how much waste is produced as certain items (glass)
weigh a lot more than plastic, so rather determine volume of waste. This may be a way of
getting an accurate amount of waste produced.  (any other suitable)
(3)
Bibliography: (7)
Three references correctly cited. One mark for each reference and another mark if each and
one mark for all in alphabetical order.
(4)
Presentation:
(see rubric)
(12)
12
TOTAL: 100
Data to be used for low income group:
(Taken from a study done in Limpopo on low, middle and high income groups)
Plastic
Amount of 120
waste (kg
per
household
per year)
Amount of 29
waste (%
per
household
per year)
Paper
Glass
Cans
Organic
90
51
62
77
Other Other –
Total
recyclable nonrecyclable
5
10
415
22
12
15
19
1
2
100
13
Recycling > What can and What
cannot be recycled
WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED
Newspapers
Magazines
Boxes
Plain Paper
Food and drinks cans
Paint tins
Light Bulbs, fluorescent tubes and long life,
(Pikitup Garden Sites)
Oil cans
Aerosol cans
All glass bottles and jars
Expanded Styrene
Garden and Vegetable waste can be made into
compost and used in the garden
Some bottles (eg brandy bottles) can be
returned to the vendor for a refund deposit
Check with your local petrol station or waste
disposal site to see if they collect used motor oil
WHAT CAN NOT BE RECYCLED
*Sheet glass
*Light bulbs
*Drinking glasses
*Ceramic dishware
Self adhesive "Post-It" Notes
Carbon paper
Chemically treated fax or photographic paper
Dog food bags
Potato bags
Wax- coated boxes
Food wrappings
Paper towels
Tissues
Plastic or wax- coated paper
Lever arch files
Insulated cups
Meat and vegetable trays
Take-away containers
Toiletry containers
* In essence all glass bottles and jars are
recyclable through the glass packaging
furnaces. Plate/Flat glass is recyclable through
other companies.
Materials that are not recyclable through Consol
are:
Ceramic cups, plates and pottery
Clay garden pots
Laboratory glass
Crystal and opaque drinking glasses
Mirrors, windshields and window glass
Heat-resistant ovenware (for example, Pyrex or
Vision ware)
14
Table 2:
Categories
of
waste
Plastic
and polystyrene
Paper
kg
68
kg
112
Glass
Cans and
metal
Organic
waste
Other –
recyclables
Other –
nonrecyclables
kg
29
kg
99
kg
20
kg
66
Total
Location
Middle to high
income area
Low income
area
%
%
kg
88
%
%
%
%
%
120
90
51
62
77
5
10
Plastic
and polystyrene
Paper
Glass
Cans
and
metal
Organic
waste
Other –
recyclables
Other –
nonrecyclables
kg
68
kg
112
kg
99
kg
20
kg
66
kg
Table 2:
Categories
of
waste
Total
Location
Middle to high
income area
Low income
area
%
%
kg
88
%
kg
29
%
%
%
%
120
90
51
62
77
5
10
Plastic
and polystyrene
Paper
Glass
Cans and
metal
Organic
waste
Other –
recyclables
Other –
nonrecyclables
kg
68
kg
112
kg
29
kg
99
kg
20
kg
66
kg
Table 2:
Categories
of
waste
Total
Location
Middle to high
income area
Low income
area
120
%
90
%
kg
88
51
%
62
%
77
%
5
%
10
%
kg
15