Taking Charge of Waste – Class 3 The World Around Us Chapter 12 Notes & NCERT PDF

Introduction

The chapter opens with a picture of children and their teacher cleaning a park on National Cleanliness Day. It asks: Why are they cleaning? How is waste created? What do we do with it? Children learn that managing waste is in our own hands, and that we can learn from people and places that manage waste well.

What's in this Chapter

1. How is waste created? In our everyday activities we throw away old clothes, tins, bottles, paper, vegetable and fruit peels, plastic wrappers, pencil shavings, old batteries and much more. Sometimes it ends up in garbage piles around homes, schools and neighbourhoods.

2. Why garbage is harmful. Cows and other animals can die by eating plastic mixed with food. Burning plastic releases harmful gases. Puddles and waste water on roads increase mosquitoes, which spread diseases, and waste water may carry germs. In some places, people have worked very hard to keep their houses and surroundings clean.

3. Reduce. The first rule is to reduce the waste we create. Avoid food and drinks in wrappers or plastic bottles, and use cloth bags instead of plastic bags. "The more things we buy, the more things we throw away." Buy what you need and use it until it is no longer usable. Share old toys and books with those who need them.

4. Reuse. The second rule is to reuse things. Our grandparents made quilts from old sarees and bags from old clothes, and gave clothes to people in need. We can wrap gifts in newspaper or old cloth, use one-side-used paper for rough work, and refill a steel or copper bottle instead of buying water bottles. Children make a paper bag from newspaper: "No scissors! No Glue! Just paper!" They also make a gift from waste material for the person who helps keep the home or locality clean, and say a big "Thank You".

5. A place of pride. Silluk in Arunachal Pradesh has clean, tree-lined roads with no trash. It won an award and is called a "zero waste village". Chhota Narena was one of the first villages to become waste-free, and Indore and Mysuru stand out as clean cities. Children ask elders about the Swachh Bharat Mission.

6. Separate different types of waste. There are two coloured dustbins:

Villages and towns that separate and recycle their waste keep their surroundings clean. Sharp things like broken glass and needles should be wrapped in cloth or paper so that sanitation workers are not hurt.

7. Keeping our surroundings clean. On National Cleanliness Day (30 January), take a pledge to keep yourself and your surroundings clean, create less waste, and dispose of waste properly. "Want not, Waste not."

Key Ideas

Words to Learn

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Common Mistakes