Things Around Us · NCERT Class 3 Our Wondrous World

Taking Charge of Waste

We all make waste, and we can all take charge of it. Tap each idea to sort wet and dry waste, learn the three Rs, and find out how we keep our world clean and green.

🗑️ 3 topics⏱ ~12 min📝 8-question quiz

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Six things about taking charge of waste

Tap each term to learn how to sort, reduce and reuse waste.

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Three big ideas

Waste is what we throw away — fruit peels, papers, wrappers and broken things.
We can sort waste into wet waste (food and plant scraps) and dry waste (paper, plastic, metal, glass).
Using different bins for wet and dry waste makes it easy to clean up and reuse.

Sort it. A banana peel and a plastic bottle — which bin does each go in?

The banana peel is wet waste; the plastic bottle is dry waste. Sorting helps us deal with each the right way.

Reduce — make less waste. Use less plastic and do not waste food, paper or water.
Reuse — use things again. An old jar can hold pencils; old clothes become dusters.
Recycle — paper, glass and plastic can be made into new things. These three Rs keep our earth clean.

Common mix-up: Not everything needs to be thrown away. Before binning something, ask: can I reduce, reuse or recycle it?

Throwing waste anywhere makes places dirty, blocks drains and can make people ill. We always use a dustbin.
Wet kitchen waste can become compost — a rich food for plants. Nature turns waste into a gift!
A clean home, school and street is healthier and happier for everyone. Taking charge of waste is everyone’s job.

Think. You finish a packet of biscuits in the park. Where does the wrapper go?

Into a dustbin — never on the ground. If there is no bin, carry it home and throw it there.

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