| Name: ______________________________ | Date: ______________ |
Instructions
- Join the Cosmic Cleanup Crew and investigate waste, recycling, upcycling, and black holes.
- Read each question carefully and use complete answers when asked.
- Remember that a black hole is not a giant vacuum cleaner: its gravity is strongest when objects get very close.
- Use your imagination to design a comic that teaches a science idea accurately.
Example: A recycling centre receives 240 kilograms of paper and recycles 75% of it. How many kilograms are recycled?
Answer: 180 kilograms, because 240 × 0.75 = 180.
Part 1: Waste Watch
Complete each sentence with the best scientific or environmental word.
1. Changing an old object into something useful or more valuable is called __________.
2. A place where waste is buried and covered is called a __________.
3. The process of collecting, treating, and making new products from used materials is called __________.
4. A black hole has such strong __________ that even light cannot escape from inside its event horizon.
5. Fabric, paper, plastic, glass, and metal are examples of different __________ that can become waste.
Part 2: Numbers from Earth
Choose the most accurate answer based on the estimates given.
6. About how much municipal solid waste is produced worldwide each day, using an estimate of 2.24 billion tonnes per year?
| ○ A. About 6.1 million tonnes | ○ B. About 61 thousand tonnes |
| ○ C. About 610 million tonnes | ○ D. About 6.1 billion tonnes |
7. Australia produces about 76 million tonnes of waste per year. About how much is that per day?
| ○ A. About 2,080 tonnes | ○ B. About 20,800 tonnes |
| ○ C. About 208,000 tonnes | ○ D. About 2.08 million tonnes |
8. Which choice usually prevents waste most effectively?
| ○ A. Buy a new item and throw away the old one | ○ B. Reduce what you use before recycling |
| ○ C. Put every material in the landfill | ○ D. Use extra packaging for small objects |
9. What is the event horizon of a black hole?
| ○ A. The solid surface of a black hole | ○ B. The boundary beyond which light cannot escape |
| ○ C. A ring of frozen planets | ○ D. The brightest part of a galaxy |
Part 3: Material Mission
Complete the missing cells by suggesting a responsible next step for each material.
| Material | Possible item | Responsible next step |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | Jam jar | Wash and reuse it or recycle it |
| Paper | Old worksheet | |
| Fabric | Muppet-making scraps | |
| Metal | Empty food tin | |
| Plastic | Clean container |
Part 4: Landfill Solutions
Answer in clear sentences and explain your reasoning.
11. Why can overflowing landfills cause environmental problems? |
12. Australia does not commonly use the same widespread waste-burning system as Japan. Name two alternatives Australia can use to reduce landfill waste. |
13. Why might making a muppet create extra waste, and what could a maker do about it? |
14. Explain why a black hole can be invisible even though it may be surrounded by bright matter. |
Part 5: Cosmic Cleanup Comic (optional challenge)
Design a four-panel comic in which a recycling hero explains one accurate fact about black holes and one practical way to reduce waste.
15. Draw four connected comic panels. Include a character, speech or thought bubbles, one labelled black hole feature such as the event horizon or accretion disk, and a clear action such as reuse, repair, recycling, or composting. |
16. Add a final panel showing what could happen if people reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle more materials instead of sending them to landfill. |
17. Write a short slogan for the Cosmic Cleanup Crew that links Earth care with space science. |
Answer Key
| 1. | upcycling |
| 2. | landfill |
| 3. | recycling |
| 4. | gravity |
| 5. | materials |
| 6. | A (About 6.1 million tonnes) |
| 7. | C (About 208,000 tonnes) |
| 8. | B (Reduce what you use before recycling) |
| 9. | B (The boundary beyond which light cannot escape) |
| 10a. | Paper · Old worksheet · Use the blank side for notes or recycle it |
| 10b. | Fabric · Muppet-making scraps · Save them for stuffing, patches, or another craft |
| 10c. | Metal · Empty food tin · Rinse it and place it in the correct recycling bin |
| 10d. | Plastic · Clean container · Reuse it or recycle it if the local system accepts it |
| 11. | They can take up valuable land, produce methane, create unpleasant smells, attract pests, and allow polluted liquid to harm soil or water if they are not carefully managed. |
| 12. | Australia can reduce waste at the source, reuse and repair items, expand recycling and composting, recover materials, and use carefully regulated waste-to-energy facilities where appropriate. |
| 13. | Cutting fabric, foam, thread, and paper can leave scraps. The maker can plan templates carefully, save scraps for stuffing or details, reuse materials, and sort unusable leftovers for the correct disposal method. |
| 14. | A black hole itself gives off no visible light that can escape from inside its event horizon, but hot gas and dust outside it can glow brightly as they move and heat up. |
| 15. | A correct comic has four connected panels, accurate labels, a scientifically correct black-hole explanation, and a practical waste-reduction action. |
| 16. | The final panel shows less waste going to landfill and a believable benefit such as recovered materials, fewer discarded scraps, or cleaner surroundings. |
| 17. | Example: Protect our planet, explore the universe, and waste less! |