GRADE 8 PROCESSING – TERM 2 DATE: ___________________
WEEK 2 CLASS DISCUSSION THEN INDIVIDUAL WORK
INSTRUCTION: READ THE CASE STUDIES BELOW AND ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS
CASE STUDY 1: INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF SHOPPING
BAGS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Plastic bags are used by people to hold items such as food and clothing that are bought from
shops. Even though we know that they have a negative impact on the environment, plastic bags
are widely used.
The main raw materials used to make plastic bags are petroleum chemicals. These are fossil fuels,
and they are non-renewable energy sources. When plastic bags are manufactured, harmful gases
are release into the air. The finished bags are transported by trucks. Trucks use diesel, and they
give off. Poisonous gases and heat. So, trucks also add to the pollution released into the
environment. Transport is a factor that we often forget about when we think of pollution and the
production of products.
When plastic bags are not disposed of correctly, they can
impact the environment in the following ways:
• Animals sometimes mistake the bags for food and eat
them. The plastic blocks their digestive systems.
• Plastic litter the landscape
• Plastic cause blockages in stormwater drains.
• The wind blows plastic into dams, rivers,
wetlands, and the sea, where toxins
(poisons) from the plastic get released.
Animals can become tangled in plastic bags
and drown.
• Plastic bags take many years to decompose,
or decay, which means that they contribute to
the filling of landfill sites by adding bulk and
volume. When plastic bags perish from the
sun, toxin substances are released into the
soil. If plastic bags are burnt, poisons are
released into the air.
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GRADE 8 PROCESSING – TERM 2 DATE: ___________________
By 2003, South Africans used 8 billion bags a year and many ended up littering streets and fields.
Therefore, the government banned thin plastic bags. Instead, shoppers were expected to take their
own bags with them or to buy the stronger, thicker plastic bags.
However, with the new legislation, consumers had to pay for plastic bags. This was to encourage
consumers to re-use their old plastic bags, to reduce liter and promote awareness of environmental
issues such as plastic pollution and to buy stronger, more permanent bags. Thicker plastic
shopping bags of 30 microns were produced.
Government imposed a special tax on each bag sold. The money that is collected is used for
recycling plants, and for research into biodegradable materials.
Most people seemed to understand that getting rid of the thin plastic bags would be good for the
environment. Technology went one step further and bio-degradable plastic was invented.
A new biodegradable material that is used for some plastic bags is called Degrade to Water, or
D2W. The bags are strong, but they degrade, or break down, into molecules small enough to be
absorbed by micro-organisms. All that is left is carbon dioxide and water – the same substances
that animals breathe
The new, thicker plastic shopping bags are also easier to recycle by recycling factories. But this
only helps if people separate their waste so that the plastic bags can be sent to a recycling factory.
The change to the thicker bags applies to all outlets including clothing shops. Consumers are also
able to choose whether they want to recycle their bags or use cloth or paper bags. They can take
any bag into the shop to carry their goods.
Some people were not happy with the change. Many people said that having to buy the thicker
bags would put too much strain on their budget. Other people who make bags and other objects
from old bags said they would lose their way of income/making money.
2.1 Read and discuss the case study again. You must write a report
evaluating the effectiveness of using thicker, bio-degradable
plastic shopping bags which shoppers must buy.
• You must write a draft report before you complete the final report by
adhering to the different elements of a report, namely: introduction,
discussion, conclusion, and recommendations.
• Use short facts without long sentences.
• Study the elements of report writing in the frame below.
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GRADE 8 PROCESSING – TERM 2 DATE: ___________________
ELEMENTS OF A REPORT
1. INTRODUCTION – a brief outline of what the report is about (5)
2. DISCUSSION (BODY) – describe and compare the two types of plastic bags.
Describe how effective the use of thicker bags will be on the environment and the economy.
Discuss the impacts of the thinner bags and how the thicker bags will change these impacts.
(Look at the environmental impact and the financial impact of the thicker bags). (15)
3. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS – describe how effective you think the thicker bags
are in addressing the impacts of the thinner bags, and the impacts of the thicker bags.
Express your own opinion.
Write what you think should be done in the future to make individuals more responsible for the
environment.
Should thicker bags replace thinner bags or not?
Are there other strategies or better solutions that you can suggest besides paying for bags,
which could reduce plastic bag pollution? (10)
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GRADE 8 PROCESSING – TERM 2 DATE: ___________________
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