Garbage Solutions: Pre-Reading

Discussion Starters
Garbage
Solutions
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions
1. Do you feel guilty when you throw out garbage?
2. How have your recycling habits

changed in the past ten years?
3. What do cities do when landfills fill up?
4. What are some alternatives to dumping garbage?
B. Vocabulary Preview
Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.
1. frequent a) the cement edge at the end of a property
2. restriction b) waste material turned into reusable soil
3. curb c) to completely remove
4. compost d) to search underground
5. eliminate e) a large space in the ground where garbage is placed
6. landfill f) usual
7. profitable g) the opposite outcome of a goal
8. obsolete h) no longer necessary or in use
9. mine i) a limit
10. treasure j) able to make money
11. reverse effect k) an item with value
Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T / V E R S I O N 3 . 0) 1
Garbage Solutions
Discussion Starters
Reading
GARBAGE SOLUTIONS
Don’t throw your junk in my backyard.
1. Garbage collection is less frequent than it used to be. Many cities “There is no such
have restrictions on how many bags you can put out at the curb. thing as ‘away.’
Recycling and compost programs reduce the need for garbage
collection. In some cities, you can even recycle diapers. The goal
When we throw
is to reduce or eliminate the need for landfills. anything away, it
2. Did you know the garbage industry is profitable? Some cities, such must go somewhere.”
as New York, sell their garbage to other countries. Garbage pickers —Annie Leonard,
make a living out of sorting through trash. Many people think old creator of The Story of Stuff
dumps should be reopened and mined for treasures such as metal.
Nobody wants to live near a landfill, though.
3. Environmentalists hope that landfills will one day become obsolete.

One alternative to dumping is to use garbage as fuel. This might have
reverse effects. Would you bother to recycle if it wasn’t necessary?
What if all garbage bags were clear? Perhaps our habits would
change if everyone could see our trash.
Comprehension
Discuss these questions in pairs, and write the answers in your notebook.
1. How has garbage collection changed in recent years?
2. Why does the reading mention diapers?
3. What does New York do with its garbage?
4. Why might old landfills be reopened in the future?
5. What is implied about using clear garbage bags?
Garbage Solutions
Discussion Starters
Vocabulary Review
A. Complete the Sentences
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.

You may need to change the word forms.
1. We are only allowed to put out two bags of garbage at the .
2. You can a lot of waste by starting a bin.
3. The children searched city parks for like bottles and cans.
4. The latest say that we can only water the grass once per week.
5. Composting has the if animals get into the bin and spread garbage around.
B. Place the Word
Where does the word in bold fit in each sentence? Circle the correct letter.
1. l andfill
Residents are a trying to stop the b city from building a new c in the area.
2. p
rofitable
The government a thinks it will be b to reopen c the old landfill to miners.
3. f requent
The a garbage truck makes b stops along the c main street.
4. o
bsolete
Wasteful a items like paper towels b will be c in the near future.
Garbage Solutions
Discussion Starters
Discussion
1. Do you think garbage solutions will have reverse effects?
2. How do you feel about people who pick through garbage?
3. What do you think people will find if closed landfills are reopened?
4. What is the best solution to reducing or eliminating garbage?
Class Opinion
Walk around the class and ask your classmates questions.
Write their answers in the chart below.
Do you think garbage Does your

Name one wasteful
Classmate’s name: will ever be 100% country have a
habit you have.
reused or recycled? landfill problem?
Garbage Solutions
Discussion Starters
Listening
 http://blog.esllibrary.com/2010/04/21/podcast-garbage-solutions/
Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording.
GARBAGE SOLUTIONS
Don’t throw your junk in my backyard.
1. Garbage collection is less than it used

to be. Many cities have on how many
bags you can put out at the . Recycling
and programs reduce the need for garbage
collection. In some cities, you can even recycle diapers. The
goal is to reduce or the
need for .
2. Did you know the garbage industry is ?

Some cities, such as New York, sell their garbage to other countries.
Garbage pickers make a living out of sorting through trash.
Many people think old dumps should be reopened and
for such
as metal. Nobody wants to live near a landfill, though.
3. Environmentalists hope that landfills will one day become

. One alternative to dumping is to use
garbage as fuel. This might have . Would
you bother to recycle if it wasn’t necessary? What if all garbage bags
were clear? Perhaps our habits would change if everyone could
see our trash.

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Discussion Starters

1. Do you feel guilty when you throw out garbage?

2. How have your recycling habits

3. What do cities do when landfills fill up?

4. What are some alternatives to dumping garbage?

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

1. frequent a) the cement edge at the end of a property

2. restriction b) waste material turned into reusable soil

3. curb c) to completely remove

4. compost d) to search underground

5. eliminate e) a large space in the ground where garbage is placed

6. landfill f) usual

7. profitable g) the opposite outcome of a goal

8. obsolete h) no longer necessary or in use

9. mine i) a limit

10. treasure j) able to make money

11. reverse effect k) an item with value

3. Environmentalists hope that landfills will one day become obsolete.

1. How has garbage collection changed in recent years?

2. Why does the reading mention diapers?

3. What does New York do with its garbage?

4. Why might old landfills be reopened in the future?

5. What is implied about using clear garbage bags?

Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.

2. You can a lot of waste by starting a bin.

B. Place the Word

2. How do you feel about people who pick through garbage?

4. What is the best solution to reducing or eliminating garbage?

Do you think garbage Does your

Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording.

1. Garbage collection is less than it used

2. Did you know the garbage industry is ?

3. Environmentalists hope that landfills will one day become

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