8+Science+2+Turner's+MSW+Project

Turner Banwell Section Yellow March 4,2010

Recycling is an idea that my 8th grade class has dicussed in class, quizes, and tests. Now, in a science project studying municipal solid waste (also known as MSW) I, along with four other group members, have persued recycling even more by coming up with an idea on how to help our school recyle more paper. Our idea was to have a paper recycling competition and reward the winner of it to get people more excited and motovaited to recycle. Our hypothesis: if we hold a grade wide recycling competition then people will be more motivated to recycle is meant to support our idea.
 * CCDS Middle School- Grade Wide Recycling Competition **
 * I. Introdcution:**

1. Scale 2. Red paper recycling bins 3. Calculator (aka Microsoft exel) 4. Paper Trash from students 5. Computer
 * II. Materials:**

Saftey Concerns: If scale is dropped, broken glass. Paper cuts

Rules to Follow:
 * 1) 's 1, 3, 8, 25, 26, 39

1. Weigh recycling bins of paper on Friday the 19th 2. Record data 3. Add data 4. Talk to NJHS not to pick up the recycling bins through the week of the 22nd. 5. Make the speech for the competition at the special Town Meeting on the 22nd. 6. Bring it bathroom scale - Kimberly 7. Weigh and collect data again on Friday the 26th. 8. Record data 9. Add all the data together to determine a winner 10. Compare data to see if there was an improvement in recycling after the competition was announced 11. Announce winner
 * III. Procedure:**


 * IV. Data:**




 * V. Analysis:**

Based on the graph, there were 44.06 more pounds of waste after the competition was announced on Monday, February 22. Every grade's paper waste increased. The 7th grade showed the largest increase in weight with 36.61 pounds of increase.

The hypothesis of my group was that if we encourage people to recycle paper more with awards and competition, than more paper will go into the recycling bins. Our hypothesis was supported by our data. As it shows in the graph and data table, all of the grade levels increased their recycling after our group announced that the competition was going to take place. There were errors in our project that altered our data. One was a human error and it was that NJHS members emptied two of the recycling bins that were for the eighth grade. We also had another speed bump which was a experimental error. This error was that we did not inform the grades about the competition after we first announced it at a Town Meeting. Our group should of made sure that it was repeated by making it heard on the morning announcements. We also had many challenges. One challenge was that we had during our project was having the members of our group having different time periods of when they had science. This mean that communication was vital. Using the CCDS e-mail really helped out with this. Also if we needed to work we had to make sure that we all met during our lunch break. A personal challenge for me was that I was sick for three days of the project. This meant that I had to play catch up with my partners asking them over e-mail and texts what I needed to do to do my part in the project and not putting the whole thing on one group member.
 * VI. Conclusion:**

One part of our project that did not have a solution to the project is that we couldn't prevent kids from cheating by taking paper from other grades bins and putting it in theirs. I have been told by Miss Walthall that one teacher told her that she suspects many children doing that. One way we could solve this if we did it again is that we could get people to watch the classrooms for that happening. Another problem that we couldn't have changed was that kids could have thrown away paper that wasn't even used. This would be the exact opposite of what we wanted, but again it is something that with five students could not control. Putting everything together I believe that our project was a major success. We achieved our goal which was to simply raise awareness about recycling and get people to recycle more.


 * Voicethread:**

http://ccds.ed.voicethread.com/share/941239/