Name:______Date: ______Period: ______

Excessive Packaging Lab

Background: Too Much Packaging?

Suppose you buy a new ink cartridge for your computer’s printer. First, you open a plastic container. Inside the container is a box with assorted papers and instruction sheets. When you open the box, you find a small sealed foil pouch. Inside the pouch is the actual ink cartridge. Your new ink cartridge is over-packaged.

Americans enjoy many products that are packaged for our convenience. This packaging is often necessary to protect the product during shipping and to make it easier to transport—but the packaging can be excessive. There are two problems with over-packaging. First, raw materials to make the packaging are wasted, and most of the packaging materials end up in our overflowing landfills. Second, a lot of packaging material is made of plastics that are not recycled, and because plastics aren't biodegradable, they last for hundreds of years. Over-packaging is a cost both to the environment and society.

Materials: Large package of raisins, multi-pack of raisins, Scissors, Ruler, Calculator

Procedure:

  1. Obtain a mini-box of raisins for your group. There is also one large cylinder package of raisins in a single container circulating around the room, as well as the outer packaging material for the individual mini-boxes of raisins. The cost of each package is listed on the board. Record the costs in Data Table 1.
  2. In Data Table 1, record the number of individual mini-boxes in the package.
  3. Calculate the cost of each container or individual mini-box. Record the costs in Data Table 1.
  4. Record the mass, in grams, of the raisins in a mini-box and in a single container. Use the “net weight” listed on the package.
  5. Calculate and record the cost per gram of raisins for each type of packaging. Use cents rather than dollars, since the cost per gram of raisins is small.
  6. Measure the dimensions of one of the mini-boxes and record in Data Table 2.
  7. For the outer packaging material for the individual mini-boxes of raisins: Measure the dimensions of the outer packaging and record them in Data Table 2. (See below for reminders on calculating surface area.)
  8. Calculate and record the total surface area of all the packaging material in the package of mini-boxes in Data Table 2. First calculate the surface area of the outer packaging, then the surface area of one mini-box, and finally the surface area of all the mini-boxes (multiply your surface area of one box by the total number of boxes).
  9. For the single container: Measure the dimensions of the single container and record them in Data Table 2. For a cylindrical container, measure the diameter of the round top (or bottom) and the height of the container.
  10. Calculate the total surface area of all the packaging material of the single container and record it in Data Table 2.
  11. For each of the two packages of raisins, calculate the surface area of packaging per gram of raisins. Your answer will be in units of cm2/g. Record your results in Data Table 2.
  12. Clean up your work area and dispose of the materials according to your teacher's directions. Wash your hands thoroughly.

ARE YOUR MATH SKILLS RUSTY? REFRESH THEM HERE.

In this lab, you will calculate the surface area of some product packaging.

Remember that a rectangular box has three pairs of identical sides: front and back, top and bottom, and the two other sides.

To find the total surface area of the box, measure the dimensions of one side of each identical pair—for example, the top, front, and left side—and then multiply each of those surface areas by 2. Then add up all three products to get the total surface area of the box.

For example, if the front of a cereal box is 28 × 40 cm, the top is 28 × 8 cm, and the left side is 40 × 8, the first calculations are:

(28 × 40) × 2 = 2240 cm2 Add those products up to get the

(28 × 8)  2 = 448 cm2 total surface area

(40 x 8) × 2 = 640 cm22240 + 448 + 640 = 3328 cm2

To calculate the surface area of a cylindrical package, use the formula:

Surface area of cylinder = 2r2 + h (2r)
where  = 3.14, r is the radius of the can, and
h is the height of the can.

Observe & Collect Data:

Data Table 1
Multi-pack of Individual
Mini-boxes / Single Large Container
Total cost of package
Number of mini-boxes
Cost per mini-box
Net mass of raisins in package (g)
Cost of raisins (cents/gram)
Data Table 2
Multi-pack of Mini-boxes / Single Large Container
Dimensions of outer packaging (cm) / H= W=
L= / R =
H=
Dimensions of inner packaging (cm) / H= W=
L=
Surface area of outer packaging (cm2)
Total surface area of inner packaging (cm2)
Total surface area of all packaging (cm2)
Surface area of packaging per gram of raisins (cm2/g)

Analyze and Conclude – please answer in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper!

  1. Compare How does the cost per gram of raisins in a single container compare with the cost per gram in a multi-pack? Based on your calculations, which type of packaging—single-container or multi-pack—is more economical?
  2. Compare How does the surface area of packaging per gram in a single container compare with the surface area of packaging per gram in a multi-pack? Based on your calculations, which type of packaging—single container or multi-pack—consumes fewer resources?
  3. Analyze Data Is there a relationship between cost per gram and surface area of packaging per gram of raisins? Explain.
  4. Infer What might be some possible advantages to packaging food items in small mini-boxes? List specific environmental or economic advantages.
  5. Infer What other packaging would be associated with the packages of raisins when they are shipped from the producer?
  6. Apply Concepts What does this lab suggest about how food choices can affect your ecological footprint? What can you do to lessen the impact?
  7. Extension Some large food retailerssell very large food packages(for example, gallon-size jars of salsa). Clearly, such packages exhibit quite high food-to-packaging ratios—you get a lot of food with comparatively little packaging. Are very large food packages like these more or less environmentally friendly than conventionally sized food packages? Explain your answer.

Extra Credit Challenge

You have one week to find the worst offender of product to packaging ratio. This item may already be lurking in your house and you do not know it. Bring in the packaging of an item in which the amount of packaging compared to product is excessive. You will also need to submit your math, with all work shown, which details how much packaging there is (in cm2 per gram – or other unit if required, depending on nature of package). I will give extra credit to the best examples (one from each period).

Adapted from Environmental Science • Lab Manual