Discussion Starters

Garbage Solutions
Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. Do you feel guilty when you throw out garbage? How have your recycling habits changed in the past ten years? What do cities do when landfills fill up? What are some alternatives to dumping garbage?

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Task

Match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. frequent 2. restrictions 3. curb 4. compost 5. eliminate 6. landfill 7. profitable 8. obsolete 9. mined 10. treasures 11. reverse effect

a. the cement edge at the end of a property b. waste material turned into reusable soil c. completely remove d. searched underground e. a large space in the ground where garbage is placed f. often g. achieves the opposite of the goal h. no longer necessary or in use i. limits j. able to make money k. items with value

Garbage collection is less frequent than it used to be. Many cities have restrictions on how many bags you can put out at the curb. Recycling and compost programs reduce the need for garbage collection. In some cities you can even recycle diapers. The goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for landfills. Did you know the garbage industry is profitable? 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 mined for treasures such as metal. Nobody wants to live near a landfill, though. 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.

M A

Garbage Solutions

E L

Dont throw your junk in my backyard.

Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact info@esl-library.com for complete details.

Discussion Starters
Garbage Solutions
Comprehension Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

How has garbage collection changed in recent years? Why does the reading mention diapers? What does New York do with its garbage? Why might old landfills be reopened in the future? What is implied about using clear garbage bags?

Vocabulary Review
A. Fill in the blanks with words from the list. Some words may not be used.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

We are only allowed to put out two bags of garbage at the__________ . You can __________ a lot of waste by starting a __________ bin. The children searched city parks for ___________ like bottles and cans. The latest ____________ say that we can only water the grass once per week. Composting has the __________ if animals get into the bin and spread garbage around.

B. Where does the additional word belong in the sentence?

landll

1. Residents are a)_________trying to stop the b)________city from building a new c)________ in the area. miners.

protable 2. The government a) __________thinks it will be b)___________ to reopen c) _______ the old landll to frequent obsolete 3. The a) ________garbage truck makes b)__________ stops along the c)________main street. 4. Wasteful a) _______ items like paper towels b)________will be c)_________ in the near future.

Class Opinion
Student Name

Do you think garbage will ever be 100% reused or recycled?

Discussion Questions 1. 2. 3. 4.

M A

E L

mined restrictions treasures eliminate reverse effect compost curb obsolete

Name one wasteful habit you have.

Does your country have a landfill problem?

Do you think garbage solutions will have reverse effects? How do you feel about people who pick through garbage? What do you think people will find if closed landfills are reopened? What is the best solution to reducing or eliminating garbage?

Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact info@esl-library.com for complete details.

Discussion Starters
Garbage Solutions

ANSWER KEY

Pre-reading Vocabulary Task 1.F 2. I 3. A 4. B 5. C 6. E 7. J 8. H 9. D 10. K 11. G

Comprehension Questions 1. Garbage collection is less frequent now and there are often bag restrictions. 2. The reading mentions diapers to show that recycling programs have come a long way. 3. New York sells its garbage to other countries. 4. Old landfills could be reopened and mined for things like metal. 5. The reading implies that people might be more environmentally responsible if garbage bags were clear. Vocabulary Review
A. Fill in the blanks

1. curb

2. eliminate, compost

3. treasures

4. restrictions

5. reverse effect

B. Where does the additional word belong?

1. C

2. B

3. B

4. C

Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact info@esl-library.com for complete details.