Waste & Recycling Unit

Paper Recycling/Making
Summary
1. Subject(s): Environmental Science
2. Topic or Unit of Study: Paper Recycling/Making
3. Grade/Level: 9,10,11,12
4. Objective:
a. SWBAT understand recycled paper manufacturing
5. Time Allotment: 45min
6. Date: 2/12, 2/13, 2/14/18

Implementation
Learning Context
Students will be learning about where paper comes from and how it is recycled. Students will also be
creating their own recycled paper by using paper that is collected in the classroom.

Procedure
1. Day 1
a. Opening: Students will be introduced do paper recycling.
b. Start by ripping up paper for 15 mins
c. Then watch video on paper making
d. Next, present questions that they will need to write down in notebooks and take
to computer lab. (Class will end in computer lab).
2. Day 2
a. Opening: Students will get started right into the paper pressing and molding
b. Groups will be blending their paper individually.
c. While groups are blending and molding their paper, teams that are not working
will be completing a series of questions on the paper making process.
d. Students will be able to go to the computer lab to complete this
3. Day 3:
a. Students will checking on the dryness of their papers.

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 b. If papers are dry, allow students to decorate papers for valentines day
c. If papers are not dry, transition into completing paper notes, checking paperless
worksheet, then glass recycling lesson. If time cloth recycling. Can be carried
into following day.
d. Decorating paper will be completed for Fridays lesson.

Differentiated Instruction
a. IEP/504
a. All students will be supported through the hands on activity in class and working in
groups.

Materials & Resources

a. Instructional Materials:
a. Paper, mold?/ deckle, screens, sponges/towels, buckets, water, scissors, paper dying
additives.
b. Could you go paperless worksheet? (Day2)
b. Resources:
c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=ytqEuGQWtFA
d. http://www.paperrecycles.org/home
e. http://tryengineering.org/lessons/paper.pdf
f. How glass is recycled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R8YObQbE88&t=2s
g. Science of glass recycling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhpc0UULjDU
h. Video on textile recycling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBZeJ74GuE

Assessment
Students will be given star grade for completion of “could you go paperless activity?”

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Smartboard Notes

Day 1
1. What can be recycled?
a. Exceptions
2. Where?
a. Costs? Income?
3. Process?
4. After life of recycled paper products?

Day 2: Paper processing

1. Blend wet paper 2:1 (2 parts water, 1 part paper) in blender until it looks like
gravy (at this step you may color paper)
2. Dump pulp into bucket
3. Dip screen frame into vat to gather light coating of pulp, shape paper how
you would like.
4. Next, remove the water from the pulp by applying pressure to the top screen.
Place towel or sponge over paper
5. Let paper dry

Day 3

What types of paper are recycled?

(ask students to look back into notes from first day)

● Cardboard
● poster/mixed
● Newspaper
● Mill waste→ manufactured
● Pre-consumer
● Post-consumer

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Where? Cost? Income?
● Paper Mills- 76% of paper mills use recycled paper
● Recycling Centers
● $50-75/ton (paper is very light, take long time to collect enough paper to
make money)
● Have to pay for recycling

Process of paper recycling

● Sorting
● Pulp/slurry→ Water
● Chemically cleaned
● Bleach
● Dry→ heat press
● Roll

After Life: (students generate list)

Recycling:
● 1 ton of newspaper→ saves 1 ton of trees
● 1 ton of copy paper→ 2 tons of trees
● Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of
oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000
gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water
savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution

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Worksheet-Day 2

Could you go paperless?

1. Why should you go paperless?

2. What steps could you take to go paperless?

3. What barriers might stop people from going paperless?

4. What are two positives of having a paperless school?

5. What are two negatives of a paperless school?

6. Do you think Cobleskill-Richmondville schools could go paperless?

7. Where would going paperless fit in our recycling triangle? (You may draw this)

8. Could you go paperless in your daily life? Why or Why not?