Tracking My Trash | Environmental Waste Data Investigation

The Description

Everyone has an opinion about recycling. Fewer students have actually checked what ends up in their own trash.

In Tracking My Trash, students keep a record of what they throw away, organize it into categories, and use those personal data to look for patterns. Then they revisit their earlier assumptions: which changes would actually affect their waste, and how would they know?

What Students Will Do

• Read about waste systems and terms such as recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable.

• Record and categorize daily waste over several days.

• Use a linked Google Sheet to graph patterns.

• Evaluate realistic opportunities to reduce waste.

Why This Resource Is Different

It's easy to have an excellent opinion about everybody else's waste. Counting what ends up in your own trash is a different kind of evidence.

This investigation turns sustainability into something students can record, categorize, graph, and question. Rather than jumping straight to 'just recycle more,' students work from their own patterns toward practical changes—and have to explain why those changes might matter.

What's Included?

• Tracking My Trash student investigation PDF.

• Complete teacher answer key PDF.

• Teacher directions PDF with editable Google Sheets copy link.

The Details

Grades 7–12; Earth Science, Environmental Science, sustainability; connections to HS-ESS3-3 and HS-ESS3-4.

Start Tasks A–B in one class period; collect trash-log evidence over several days; return for graphing and reflection.