NCERT Book Class 7 EVS Waste in the market

17. Waste in the market: Where does it go? 

Background

Garbage or waste is the natural byproduct of human activity. Many  types of garbage modern societyproduce cannot be burnt and are thrown off indiscriminately. However, for many, especially the urban poor, these wastes are a source of livelihood. In India over a million people find livelihood opportunities in the area of waste collection (popularly known as rag picking) and recycling through well-organised systems. It is important to understand issues of waste disposal in this context. The informal sector dealing with waste is engaged in various types of work like waste picking, sorting, recycling and at the organised level, door-to-door collection, composting and recycling or recovery. The municipalities do not do muchof recycling or recovery on their own. Recycling of only some types of material like plastics, paper and metals is not enough. Besides, there are serious issues of poor occupational safety provisions for the waste pickers as well as workers.

Methodology

1. Go to a nearby market and observe the types and amount of wastes that are generated in different shops. Trace where these wastes are finally dumped.

2. Find out what amongst the wastes can be recycled or reused.

3. Find out if anybody is picking the wastes and why do they pick.

Conclusion

Classify the data, organise, tabulate and analyse it and write a report.

Follow-up

1. Talk to the people who run the market about recycling and reuse of wastes.

2. Find out the possible health hazards that can be caused due to improper dumping of wastes.

Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 7 EVS Waste in the market