_)UCED WAS(__)E. 

 J(__)B!

D T

O

_ _ _ ( _ ) _ _ _ _. 

Reduce

_ _ _ ( _ ) _. 

d

R

E

S

S

O

U C

P

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United States Environmental Protection Agency

EPA530-K-98-002September 1998 1EPAwww.epa.gov/osw

Solid Wasteand Emergency Response (5305W) 
through each of t

activities to learn more

about reducing waste

and conserving resources. 

All you need is a 

pencil and your ace

detective skills to solve

the puzzle at the end.

If you need help, turn

to the answers in the

back. Don’t let the

Garbage Gremlin slip

away!
 loops

he sun, becoming older each

bling back into the earth and nourishing the soil.

se every day have life cycles. Manufacturers turn natural resources,

ood, into products like plastic toys or newspaper. People buy, use, and reuse these 

items before recycling them. Manufacturers then use recycled materials to make brand new 

items that people will buy again. The life cycle is broken when an item that could be reused or

recycled ends up in the trash.

The Crime: The Garbage Gremlin threw valuable resources in the trash instead

of reducing, reusing, and recycling. This broke the loop. He also forgot to 

dispose of some items, like paint and cleaners, properly. He didn’t make a

clean getaway, though. He leaked some scrambled information to 

R.C. Headquarters.

Assignment: Headquarters has given you all of the pieces of the puzzle. To fix the

loop, you must decode each piece of evidence. Then use the underlined clues to

solve the riddle at the end and accomplish your assignment.

Final note: Begin with the first file, called Detecting Definitions. Then proceed

through Waste No Words, Recycled Scramble, Crack the Code, Hidden Hints, and

Raw Materials Lineup, decoding along the way. Once you reach the last of the

files, you will receive instructions on how to complete your assignment. Without

your sleuthing skills, the loop will remain broken—and resources will be wasted.

Good luck!

1
____Resources B. A specially constructed site for disposing of garbage. The less garbage we

throw away, the less we need this.

____Conserve C. Made from raw or recycled materials, consumers buy these every day.

____Products D. Although it protects products before they are bought, some products, like

fresh produce, don’t need any. Look for products with less of this.

____Recyclable E. This can be collected in your community and made into a new product by

a manufacturer. 

____Composting F. Nature’s way of recycling food scraps and yard trimmings. 

____Landfill G. Something that can harm people or the environment if not disposed of

properly is called this.

____Toxic H. To use wisely, avoiding waste.

____Packaging I. Metal comes from this mineral or rock in the ground.

____Ore J. Food scraps, soiled paper, and other things you throw away.

2
2. If you buy one large bag of potato chips instead of five small bags, you are buying in ----. Many

supermarkets have ---- food sections where you can scoop out the amount you want and therefore

reduce waste and packaging. 

3. Your world, surroundings, and source of life and health. Made up of air, water, land, plants, animals,

and people.

4. Many items found in your ----- can be recycled into valuable new products.

5. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which are used to manufacture products and heat our

homes, come from the -----. Aluminum, iron ore, and other minerals used to make brand new products

come from the same place.

6. What more than 3,000 communities do with their newspapers, bottles, cans, and other items.

9. To decrease the amount of trash you throw away. 

Answer the clues above and place the

correct letter in each box of the puzzle.

3
4

D OAS TTLBOE: This plastic product can be ground up into small pieces and made into soft

fabric used in sweaters, jackets, long johns, and gloves.

RPP AE: Many different kinds can be recycled from your parents’ offices and your

home.

SHC I R A : These and other pieces of furniture can be given to someone else if you

don’t want them anymore.

T SEL C OH: When you are through with them, you can tear them up into rags for

cleaning, use them for play, or even make a quilt.

GBS A : Whether plastic or paper, you can use them again until they fall apart.

Then they can often be recycled!
Crack the Code

A=I E=Z K=C Q=A W=L

B=Q F=G L=Y R=M X=E

C=V G=J M=T S=H Y=N

H=X N=P T=B Z=R

I=U O=D U=O

D=K J=F P=W V=S

Decode these secret messages. These are all

helpful hints for things you can do in your

home to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

5
Hidden Hints

gg

Energy

Paper

Look across, up, and down to find

words in the word box.

6
is usually made

of wood, but

you can use this

for drawing, too!

pg

sand through an

hour _ _ _ _ _,

which itself is made

of sand!

rocks in the

ground, ore

turns into a can

in your hand.

soil can become

new soil, right

in your own

backyard!

7
MI(__)SION AC(__)OMP(__)ISHED. 

YOU HAVE CLO(__)ED THE L(__)OP AND RE(__)UCED WAS(__)E. 

YOU ARE AN (__)CE R.C. SLEUTH! G(__)EAT J(__)B!

Raw materials

make

___(_)____.

Reduce

___(_)_.

Reuse

_____(_)and

__(_)____.

Recycle (_ )___,

____ (_ ),and _(_ )______ (_).

Buy

_____(_)__.

It’s just as plain as the

nose on your face...

___________

___________

Fill in who closes 

the loop and solves

the case!

8
Toxic G

Packaging D

Ore I

X

g

Crack the Code, Page 5

Don’t waste food by taking

more than you will eat.

Use reusable plates and cups at

picnics.

Reuse bags instead of throwing

them away.

Share your old magazines with

friends.

Try to buy items that are

recyclable in your community.

Buy products that are made

with recycled materials.

Learn about different types of

composting.

10

11

N

T

E

D

U

C

E

O A T E

B A T T R I E S

Hidden Hints, Page 6

Continued on back...
_)UCED WAS(__)E. 

 J(__)B!

D T

O

make

_ _ _ ( _ ) _ _ _ _. 

Reduce

_ _ _ ( _ ) _. 

d

R

E

S

S

O

U C

P

D

T

T

W A

United States Environmental Protection Agency

EPA530-K-98-002September 1998 1EPAwww.epa.gov/osw

Solid Wasteand Emergency Response (5305W)