s-cover.

qxd 10/2/98 12:04 PM Page 1

Answers, continued
Raw Materials Lineup, Page 7 Loop, Page 8

Conserve
E _
_ _
R O)U
S( _ R _
_ _ E _.
C _ S

Buy Raw materials

R
_ E_ C Y _
_ _ C ( _
L ) E_ D
_.
make
P _
_ RO_ (D UC
_ ) _ T S
_ _ _.
It's just as plain as the
nose on your face...
YOUR
____________
NAME
____________

Fill in who closes

the loop and solves
the case!
Recycle ( C_ ) _A N_ S_, Reduce
P _
_ A_PE _ ), and
_ (R
W A_
_ _ T )E
S( _ _.
B T _
_ ) T_ _
_(A ER_ _I _
E(_
S ).

Reuse
P_
_ A _T E
L _ _ ( S
_ ) and
C _
_ O ) T_ H
L ( _ E S
_ _ _.

S
MI(__)SION C L
AC(__)OMP(__)ISHED.
S
YOU HAVE CLO(__)ED O
THE L(__)OP D
AND RE(__)UCED T
WAS(__)E.
A
YOU ARE AN (__)CE R
R.C. SLEUTH! G(__)EAT O
J(__)B!

2 Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.

1EPA United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5305W)
EPA530-K-98-002
September 1998
www.epa.gov/osw
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 3

u rea dy
Are yo iss ion?
you r m
for ive e t e c t
he d
Follow t h o f t h ese
h ro u g h eac o re
t le a rn m
it ie s to
activ in g w aste
d u c
about re ing resources.
d c o n se rv
an e d isa
n e
All you o ur a ce
d y
pencil an kills to solve
ct iv e s
de te t h e en d.
pu z z l e at
the e lp , tur n
o u n e e dh
If y e rs i n the
o t h e a nsw
t le t t he
’ t
back. Don emlin slip
a r b ag e Gr
G
away!
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 4

To: Fu
tur
From: Re e Detectives
source Co
Headquar ntrol (R.C.)
ters

Regardin
g: Y
accept it our assignment, if
, is to so you choo
To invest lve the se to
igate this c as e of the b
the back mystery, r oken loop
ground f .
investiga iles, deco you will need to
tion. This det review
is an imp he clues, and use
ortant ca your pow
Backgrou se—solv ers of
nd: Pictu e it and
called lif re a loop be come an
e cycles . It has n Ace R.C.
year. Wh . A saplin o beginning Sleuth!
en it die g springs and no e
Just like s, it help out of th nd. Parts
trees, th s make n e earth of nature
like oil o e produc ew trees an d grows , like tre
r wood, ts we use b y crumbl to ward the es, work
into prod every d ing back sun , in loops
items be ucts like ay have into the becoming o
fore recy plastic to lif earth and lder each
items tha
t people
cling the
m. Manuf ys or ne e cycles. Manufa nourishin
g
will buy actur w spaper cturers turn t he soil.
recycled
ends up again. Th ers then use recy . People buy, use natural r
e so urces,
e life cy ,
in the tr
ash. cle is bro cled materials to and reuse these
ken whe
The Crim
e: The G n an item make brand new
of reduc arb that cou
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sed or
dispose o g, and re w valuab
f some it cycling. le resour
clean ge ems This brok ces in th
taway, t , like paint and e the lo
o
e
p. He also trash instead
R.C. Head hough. He cleaners, f orgot to
quarters. leaked so properly.
me scram He didn’t
bled info
Assignme rmation t make a
nt: Head o
loop, you quarters
mu has giv
solve the st decode each p en you all of th
riddle at iece of e e pieces
the end vidence. of the p
and acco Then use uzzle. To
Final not m plish you t he underl f ix the
e: Begin r assignm ined clue
through with the ent. s to
Waste No f irst f ile
Raw Mat Wo , cal
erials Lin rds, Recycled Scr led Detecting De
f iles, yo eup amble, C f initions.
u will re , decoding along rack the T
Code, Hid hen proceed
your sle ceive ins the way d en Hints,
tructions .
Good luc
uthing sk
ills, the on how t Once you reach and
k! l oop will o c omplete t he la st
remain b your assig of the
roken— nment. W
and resou ithout
rces will
be waste
d.

1
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 5

Detecting
Definitions

See if you can match the following words

with their correct definitions.

____Waste A. Materials made by nature that are necessary for life (also called raw
materials).

____Resources B. A specially constructed site for disposing of garbage. The less garbage we
throw away, the less we need this.

____Conserve C. Made from raw or recycled materials, consumers buy these every day.

____Products D. Although it protects products before they are bought, some products, like
fresh produce, don’t need any. Look for products with less of this.

____Recyclable E. This can be collected in your community and made into a new product by
a manufacturer.

____Composting F. Nature’s way of recycling food scraps and yard trimmings.

____Landfill G. Something that can harm people or the environment if not disposed of
properly is called this.

____Toxic H. To use wisely, avoiding waste.

____Packaging I. Metal comes from this mineral or rock in the ground.

____Ore J. Food scraps, soiled paper, and other things you throw away.

2
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 6

1 2 3 Across
4 1. Refrigerators, televisions, hair dryers,
5
carpets, and tires are examples of
------- products. They can last a
6 long time before you dispose of them.
7 7. To use something again for the same
purpose or a new purpose.
8
8. A mixture of decayed food scraps,
leaves, and grass. Can be used in
your garden as fertilizer.
9
10. You can ------ old toys, old
furniture, art supplies, and books to
10
schools, community centers, libraries,
or friends instead of throwing them
away.
11. Come in disposable and rechargeable
varieties. Are used in cordless phones,
11 portable radios, cameras, and
flashlights.

Down

2. If you buy one large bag of potato chips instead of five small bags, you are buying in ----. Many
supermarkets have ---- food sections where you can scoop out the amount you want and therefore
reduce waste and packaging.
3. Your world, surroundings, and source of life and health. Made up of air, water, land, plants, animals,
and people.
4. Many items found in your ----- can be recycled into valuable new products.
5. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which are used to manufacture products and heat our
homes, come from the -----. Aluminum, iron ore, and other minerals used to make brand new products
come from the same place.
6. What more than 3,000 communities do with their newspapers, bottles, cans, and other items.
9. To decrease the amount of trash you throw away.

Answer the clues above and place the

correct letter in each box of the puzzle.

3
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 7

Recycled Scramble
Unscramble the following words using the
clues provided. What items do you recycle
at home? If you don’t recycle them, what
do you do with them?

PSUO SNCA: Anything made from the metal used in these already has at least 25 per-
cent recycled content.

SGARS: If you leave it on the ground instead of bagging it and throwing it away, it
can actually make your lawn greener and healthier.

D O A S T T L B O E : This plastic product can be ground up into small pieces and made into soft
fabric used in sweaters, jackets, long johns, and gloves.

RPPAE: Many different kinds can be recycled from your parents’ offices and your
home.

SHCIRA: These and other pieces of furniture can be given to someone else if you
don’t want them anymore.

TSELC OH: When you are through with them, you can tear them up into rags for
cleaning, use them for play, or even make a quilt.

G B S A : Whether plastic or paper, you can use them again until they fall apart.
Then they can often be recycled!

4
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 8

• Don’t PQVMX JUUO by taking more than you will XQM.

• Use ZXIVQTWX NWQMXV and KINV at picnics.

• ZXIVX bags instead of MSZUPAYF them QPQL.

• VSQZX your old RQFQEAYXV with friends.

• Try to buy items that are ZXKLKWQTWX in your KURRIYAML.

• TIL NZUOIKMV that are made with ZXKLKWXO materials.

• Learn about different types of KURNUVMAYF.

Q=A W=L
E=Z K=C
A=I X=E
L=Y R=M
B=Q F=G
S=H Y=N
C=V G=J M=T
T=B Z=R
H=X N=P
O=D U=O
I=U
P=W V=S
J=F
D=K

Decode these secret messages. These are all

helpful hints for things you can do in your
home to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Crack the Code

5
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 9

Waste
Resources
Conserve
Products
Recyclable
Composting
Landfill
Toxic
Packaging
Energy
Paper

Look across, up, and down to find

words in the word box.

Hidden Hints
6
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 10

Raw Materials
325
77 9
Lineup
An item used to make something else is called a raw material. Some raw materials
are easy to spot, but many require a bit of detective work. For example, leather
looks and feels like the animal’s skin. But a plastic toy is made from oil, and it
doesn’t feel slimy! Follow the trail from the raw materials and their clues to the
row of possible suspects below. Draw a line from the material to what it becomes.

Clue: Some people

Clue: What once measure seconds
grew in the Clue: From Clue: Your pencil
rocks in the of time by pouring is usually made
soil can become sand through an
new soil, right ground, ore of wood, but
turns into a can hour _ _ _ _ _, you can use this
in your own which itself is made
backyard! in your hand. for drawing, too!
of sand!

7
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 11

Congratulations!
You have decoded all of the Garbage Gremlin’s scrambled
files. Now, to complete your mission, use the information
you have learned to complete the puzzle. First, return to
each activity and find the underlined clues. The answer
to each clue fits in one of the boxes below. Can you
detect which answer goes in which box to close the loop?

Then use the circled letters from each part of the loop
to complete a secret message from the Chief of R.C.
Headquarters.

Conserve
___(_)_____.

CASELOD Buy Raw materials

make
_____(_)__. ___(_)____.
It’s just as plain as the
nose on your face...

___________
___________

Fill in who closes

the loop and solves
the case!
Recycle ( _ )_ _ _ , Reduce
_ _ _ _ ( _ ), and
___(_)_.
_ (_ )_ _ _ _ _ _ (_ ).

Reuse
_ _ _ _ _ ( _ ) and
__(_)____.

MI(__)SION AC(__)OMP(__)ISHED.
YOU HAVE CLO(__)ED THE L(__)OP AND RE(__)UCED WAS(__)E.
YOU ARE AN (__)CE R.C. SLEUTH! G(__)EAT J(__)B!

8
final.qxd 10/2/98 12:18 PM Page 12

Answers

Detecting Definitions, Waste No Words, Page 3 Recycled Scramble,

Page 2 Page 4
1 2 3
D U R A B L E
Waste J U N
4
T soup cans
Resources A L V
5
E R grass
6R
Conserve H K I A A soda bottles
7
E R R E U S E
Products C 8
paper
C O M P O S T H
Recyclable E Y N H
chairs
Composting F C
9
R M clothes
Landfill B L E E bags
10
E
Toxic G D O N A T E
U T
Packaging D C
Ore I 11
B A T T E R I E S

Crack the Code, Page 5 Hidden Hints, Page 6

Don’t waste food by taking
more than you will eat.
Use reusable plates and cups at
picnics.
Reuse bags instead of throwing X
them away.
Share your old magazines with
friends.
Try to buy items that are
recyclable in your community.
Buy products that are made
with recycled materials.
Learn about different types of
composting.

Continued on back...
s-cover.qxd 10/2/98 12:04 PM Page 1

Answers, continued
Raw Materials Lineup, Page 7 Loop, Page 8

Conserve
E _
_ _
R O)U
S( _ R _
_ _ E _.
C _ S

Buy Raw materials

R
_ E_ C Y _
_ _ C ( _
L ) E_ D
_.
make
P _
_ RO_ (D UC
_ ) _ T S
_ _ _.
It's just as plain as the
nose on your face...
YOUR
____________
NAME
____________

Fill in who closes

the loop and solves
the case!
Recycle ( C_ ) _A N_ S_, Reduce
P _
_ A_PE _ ), and
_ (R
W A_
_ _ T )E
S( _ _.
B T _
_ ) T_ _
_(A ER_ _I _
E(_
S ).

Reuse
P_
_ A _T E
L _ _ ( S
_ ) and
C _
_ O ) T_ H
L ( _ E S
_ _ _.

S
MI(__)SION C L
AC(__)OMP(__)ISHED.
S
YOU HAVE CLO(__)ED O
THE L(__)OP D
AND RE(__)UCED T
WAS(__)E.
A
YOU ARE AN (__)CE R
R.C. SLEUTH! G(__)EAT O
J(__)B!

2 Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.

1EPA United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5305W)
EPA530-K-98-002
September 1998
www.epa.gov/osw