It is divided into sections to help students develop their ideas regarding trash, hazardous waste, environmental safety and social justice. Each activity contains objectives, time required, materials, and procedures. Teachers can find notes related to the special concerns or requirements of the activity as well as background information relating to the activity's focus. Embedded assessments and evaluations are outlined. In one activity called Burning Cans students learn the effects of incineration on the volume and weight of trash, as well as the production of emissions and ash.
Students construct a box of measured cardboard, fill it with trash, and weigh it.
They calculate the volume of the trash and then burn it. Their description of the burning trash and its emissions is recorded on a handout as well as the trash's final weight and volume. The students discuss what components of the trash are gone, the risks and benefits of incineration as a means of waste disposal, and how their incinerator compares to a real one.