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Can It: How Much Energy Can You Save by Recycling? Copy

Toss the aluminum can or recycle it. These are your choices. Toss it and the can ends up in a landfill, but if you recycle the can, the aluminum will be used to make new products and will save energy. Did you know that recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a TV running for three hours? What are the other benefits of recycling aluminum cans? Complete this activity to see how much energy your class can save by recycling cans. Recycle the cans for your school and reap the financial benefits of recycling, too. How does the price per pound of aluminum cans compare in your community with the price in other communities?

Engaging Questions

  • What ore is aluminum made from?

  • What are three benefits of recycling aluminum cans?

  • How many hours of television can you watch with the energy saved by recycling just one aluminum can?

Teacher Goals

  • Solving Math Problems - In solving math problems, students will examine a data chart to answer questions about the benefits of aluminum recycling.

  • Comparing Benefits - Students will share results of an investigation in sufficient detail to compare the benefits of their recycling efforts with the efforts of students from other locations.

  • Listing Recycling Benefits - Students will be able to list three benefits of recycling aluminum cans.

Required Resources

  • Recycling Center for Aluminum

  • One Month of Aluminum Recycling

    Answer each of the following questions to compare your class's recycling results with the results of other classes.
     

  • Recycling Cans Group Rubric

    Each cooperative group will answer the following questions. The number of points possible for each question is found after the question. Turn this rubric in to your teacher when it is completed.
     

Optional Resources

Steps

  1. Recycling Benefits-Mining Ore

    1. Make a list with the others in your group of as many things made of aluminum as you can think of. Your teacher will time you for five minutes.
    2. How many did you list?
    3. Compare your list with the other groups by taking turns reading your lists.
    4. Study the Mining Aluminum Chart below. Answer the following questions about the chart:
      • What ore is aluminum made from?
      • What step in making aluminum uses the most energy?

  2. Recycling Benefits-Recycling Aluminum

    1. Study the Recycling Aluminum Chart below.
    2. Answer the following question using information from both charts:
      • What are some things that can be saved by recycling aluminum?
    3. Discuss the following questions with your group members and record your ideas:
      • What are three good reasons to recycle?
      • What are some reasons people do not recycle?

  3. Solving Recycling Math Problems

    1. Suppose each person in your group recycled one aluminum can a day for a 30-day month. 32 aluminum cans weigh one pound. Recycling one pound of aluminum saves four pounds of bauxite. Recycling one pound of aluminum saves 7.6 kilowatts hours of electricity.
    2. Use the above information to solve the following math problems.
    3. How many aluminum cans would your group have recycled at the end of one week? at the end of one month?
    4. How many pounds would your group recycle in one month?
    5. How many pounds of bauxite could your group save by recycling cans in a month?
    6. How much energy could your group save by recycling cans for one month?
    7. Use the following chart to determine what appliances you could operate for the month by recycling one can per group member during the month. AVERAGE KILOWATT HOURS OF ELECTRICITY USED BY APPLIANCES IN ONE MONTH
      • Hair dryer 2 kwh
      • Vacumn Cleaner 4 kwh
      • Radio 7 kwh
      • Washing Machine 9 kwh
      • Dishwasher 14 kwh
      • Color TV 27 kwh
      • Clothes Dryer 83 kwh
    8. List the appliances and the average kwh that you could operate based on the amount of electricity your group would save in one month by recycling cans.
    9. Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a TV running for 3 hours. How many hours could your group watch TV for one week's recycling effort? How many hours could your group watch TV for one month's recycling effort?

Teacher Notes

  • Procedure Questions Answer Key: Aluminum is made from bauxite. Melting the alumina uses the most electricity. Four things are saved by recycling aluminum cans: bauxite, energy, land (both land that is used in mining and land used for landfills), and money (to buy and transport bauxite). Answers to Recycling Math Problems Questions vary depending on the number of students in the group. Have the students collect aluminum cans for one month before entering data in the GeoWeb Data Entry Form.

  • Two 45-minute periods spaced one month apart.

Learner Notes

  • Encourage relatives, friends and neighbors to help by saving aluminum cans for you. Be sure to collect the cans promptly.
     

Mentor Notes

  • Helping your daughter or son recycle aluminum cans will be very helpful for the following reasons:

    • This activity will be more successful.
    • It will help the environment by saving land and cutting down on pollution.
    • Recycling saves energy.
    • The class will benefit financially.

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