Q1.
Make a list of things that we throw into the waste bin at home or school. If these things were thrown into a river or a pond, how would each of these items harm the animals, plants and people who live nearby, and use this water?
Answer
How to do it:
- For two days, note down everything that goes into the bin at home and at school. Do not touch the waste — just look and write.
- Sort your list into three groups: things that rot (kitchen waste), things that do not rot (plastic, glass, metal), and harmful things (batteries, medicines, broken bulbs, leftover paint).
- For each item ask three questions: Does it float or sink? Does it rot away? Does it mix into the water?
- Then write the harm it would do. The filled table below shows what a complete answer looks like.
| Thing thrown in the bin | Harm it would do in a river or pond |
|---|---|
| Plastic wrappers, carry bags, bottles | Do not rot for years. Float and cover the water. Fish, turtles and cows swallow them and their stomachs get blocked. They choke drains and cause flooding. |
| Kitchen waste — peels, leftover food | Rots and uses up the air dissolved in the water, so fish find it hard to breathe. The water starts to smell. It also attracts flies and rats. |
| Glass pieces and broken bulbs | Sink and stay sharp for ever. They cut the feet of people, cattle and birds walking in the shallow water. |
| Old batteries, medicines, paint, pesticide tins | The most dangerous of all. They release chemicals that dissolve in the water and cannot be seen. They poison fish, and people who drink the water fall ill. |
| Soap water, detergent, floor cleaner | Dissolves completely, so the water looks clean but is not. It harms fish and makes plants grow in the wrong way. |
| Paper, cardboard, old notebooks | Soak up water, sink and rot slowly. They make the water muddy and cover the plants at the bottom. |
| Cloth, rubber slippers, thermocol | Do not rot. They collect at bends and near bridges and block the flow of the water. |
| Metal tins and cans | Sink, rust and leave sharp edges. Rusty metal spoils the water quality. |
| Puja waste — flowers, cloth, oil, ash | Comes in large amounts together. Flowers rot and use up air; the oil spreads a film on top and stops air from entering the water. |
| Sanitary and medical waste | Carries germs. It makes the water unsafe to touch, and is dangerous for the people who clean the river. |
The idea behind the activity: A bin at home has a bottom. A river does not. Everything you put in a river stays in it or travels down it to somebody else. The waste that leaves your hand is drunk by an animal or a person somewhere downstream. That is why the river in the chapter says, “I wish I could tell them to help keep me clean.”
What to do instead: keep two bins — wet waste (peels, food) and dry waste (plastic, paper, metal). Wet waste can become compost for plants. Dry waste can be given for recycling. Batteries and medicines should never go into either; they need a separate collection point.