Solid waste in developing cities – Edexcel IAL Geography

A fully editable, ready-to-teach lesson on Solid waste in developing cities for Edexcel International A Level (IAL) Geography, Unit 2: Geographical Investigations – Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration.

Lesson aim: To explain the challenges of managing solid waste in developing cities and the role of informal waste collectors.

Learning outcomes

• To explain why solid waste is a growing problem in cities
• To describe how waste is managed in developing cities
• To evaluate the role of informal waste pickers and recyclers

Specification: 2.4.1 Urban social and environmental issues — solid waste management (illegal dumping, landfill, street collectors and recycling)

What’s included

• Editable PowerPoint lesson (10 slides)
• Word worksheet: Global waste
• Teacher notes and suggested answers in the speaker notes

Lesson overview

• Starter: On some city rubbish dumps, thousands of people work every day collecting plastic, metal and glass to sell.
• A world of waste
• Where does a developing city’s waste go?
• Problems of poor waste management
• Should cities replace waste pickers with modern recycling plants?
• Informal waste work: benefits and costs
• Waste flows
• Exam practice: Explain why solid waste management is a major issue in many developing cities. (6)

This lesson is part of my complete Edexcel IAL Geography Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration unit, which is also available in my shop if you would like every lesson in the topic.

Want a free sample? Visit The Geography Teacher website.