Recycling Facility Design
Welcome to recycling facility design! Your task is to figure out how we will reduce, reuse, and recycle solid waste on Mission 5. This is a larger team that will split into smaller teams at step 1 below.
The steps below will help you figure out what you need and how to get it. Take careful notes in the Design Packet!
When you're done, you will create a design schematic, also called a blueprint, of your system. You should also be able to answer these TEST QUESTIONS without the help of your team. (Yes, these are the actual questions on the test!)
Image from Shel Silverstein's poem "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out"
The steps below will help you figure out what you need and how to get it. Take careful notes in the Design Packet!
When you're done, you will create a design schematic, also called a blueprint, of your system. You should also be able to answer these TEST QUESTIONS without the help of your team. (Yes, these are the actual questions on the test!)
- Which of Earth's systems (biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, or atmosphere) is the recycling facility most closely related to? Why?
- How does the recycling facility interact with the other Mission 5 systems? Discuss inputs and outputs and be specific!
- What do the interactions between the recycling facility and other Mission 5 systems tell you about how Earth's systems interact? Give examples.
Image from Shel Silverstein's poem "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out"
STEp 1 What do we want?
Consider what kinds of things you and your family throw or flush away. Where do they go? What happens to them after they go there?
We need to consider two different types of solid waste, but we don't need to worry about wastewater, urine, or water vapor. The water facility team will take care of those. On Mission 5, we will have two categories of solid waste:
- Compostable waste: This includes banana peels and similar items that will decompose, or break down, with only a little help from us
- Non-compostable waste: These are items that won't break down naturally, like glass or plastic. We'll need to come up with a way to recycle these.
Talk to the other teams and make sure you've included all of their needs.
Step 2: How can we make this work?
Remember, it's your job to make sure we don't let the garbage pile up throughout our long mission.
The resources below can get you started. You may also research on your own. Remember to record ALL your conclusions!
- Where does our garbage go on Earth? What happens to it?
- What is compost?
- Can we compost feces?
- How can we compost waste safely and efficiently on Mission 5?
- How does recycling work?
- How can we use recycling on Mission 5?
- Are there any items that we can't recycle and we can't compost? What should we do about those?
- How can we reduce the non-compostable garbage we produce?
The resources below can get you started. You may also research on your own. Remember to record ALL your conclusions!
These links take you out of the Mission 5 website. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the sites are appropriate for fifth graders, Booker T. Washington STEM Academy and Mission 5 can take no responsibility for links and/or advertisements that appear on these pages.
Step 3: Connect to other systems
Where can you get what you need? In other words, where do your inputs come from?
Think about the other Mission 5 systems:
Think about the other Mission 5 systems:
- Crew Quarters
- Greenhouse
- Barnyard
- Water Facility
- Atmosphere
Step 4: Make a design schematic
Now it's time to assemble all that you've learned into a design schematic, also called a blueprint. Start with a rough draft or even two or three.
Eventually you will make a final copy design schematic of your assigned section on poster paper.
When you do your final design schematic, you will need to:
Eventually you will make a final copy design schematic of your assigned section on poster paper.
When you do your final design schematic, you will need to:
- Clearly label all important parts, especially all the inputs and outputs.
- Include design notes and explanations so that anyone looking at your design schematic can understand your thinking.
- Use color and drawings of sections to make it pop!