Increase Recycling: Metals

Provided by: Project Drawdown |Published on: October 11, 2023

Articles/Websites

9101112AP

Synopsis

This article explores recycling as a climate solution, offering specific data and information regarding recycling metals.
There are also sections for recycling plastics, paper and cardboard, and glass. Users will need to toggle using the tabs on the data visualizations for metals-specific data.
The article examines the environmental impact of raw material production, the benefits of reusing materials, and how much CO2 equivalent emissions can be reduced if recycling continues to expand.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Economics

Authors: Project Drawdown

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This article also addresses shortcomings and expenses associated with recycling metal, giving students a full spectrum of pros and cons.
With all materials contained in the same article, students will easily be able to compare the benefits of recycling each material.

Prerequisites

Students should know what greenhouse gases are and how they impact the environment.

Differentiation & Implementation

To assess prior knowledge, the teacher can ask the class questions about metal recycling before reading the article.
For this article, it may be beneficial for students to use a graphic organizer or teacher input to ensure comprehension of key concepts.
This article can support a lesson on different types of recycling and their positive impact on the environment.
This article can enhance a classroom discussion or support student-written informative essays about how much metal recycling is happening in America and how the current rate could increase.

Scientist Notes

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.