Objective
Identify useful and harmful materials at home, in school and in the community
Let Us Explore and Discover
Answer the following questions
1. Which materials in the picture do you considered harmful? Why?
2. What property of material makes them harmful?
3. Which materials in the picture do you considered useful? Why?
4. Is it possible that harmful materials make it useful? How?
You use different materials for cleaning, cooking, eating and repairing. The usefulness of a
certain materials depends on its properties. These are materials that are durable and therefore
can be reused many times. Though there are some that are not meant to be reused, creative
and inventive people still find other ways to use them.
There are also materials that are made for certain purposes only and can be harmful when
not used or disposed properly.
In order to minimize waste in our own household, we have to know which materials are still
useful and which ones should already be disposed.
Before throwing away any material, you must first check if it can cause harm to living things and
the environment.
When is a material useful?
Materials are considered useful when it serve a purpose. These materials may have
properties such as durability, resistance to water, heat, or acid, flexibility, elasticity and
hardness. Some useful materials can be also be reused, take for example, a container for any
solid or liquid material. When it is already empty, it can be used for other purposes-as a flower
vase, a coin bank or household décor. Whether a bottle is made of plastic or glass, it has a
property that makes reusable.
When is a material harmful?
Some useful materials may also bring hazards. For example, broken glass can cause cuts or
injury. Toxic substances may also be present in the things you commonly used as paints,
cleaners, fumes, gels or powders. These materials may bring harm to your health, environment
and other organisms when not used properly. That’s why you should take precautionary
measures when handling and using different materials.
LET US PRACTICE
Identify the following materials if it is useful or harmful. Draw if it is useful and
If it harmful to our health and environment.
____________1. Gasoline ______________6. Old news paper
____________ 2. Plastic container ______________7. Worn out rubber tires
____________ 3. drained batteries ______________ 8. Used notebook
____________ 4. Casserole _______________9. Insecticides
____________ 5. Lotion ______________ 10. Muriatic acid
LET US KEEP IN MIND
Almost every home contains hazardous products - products used in cleaning, home
improvements, automobile maintenance, lawn and garden care, hobbies, and a variety of other
tasks. We buy, use, and throw away many products that contain small amounts of hazardous
chemicals. These materials contribute to the improvement of everyday living, but they can also
be damaging to the environment if they’re not stored and disposed of properly. What makes
them hazardous? Household hazardous wastes (HHW) are materials that, if not managed
correctly, can harm people, pets and the environment. Some may corrode sewer pipes and
others may kill the bacteria in your septic field. Most household chemicals are safe to use and
are environmentally friendly, when used according to the directions on the package. However,
some have a harmful cumulative effect on the environment when they are over-used or
incorrectly disposed of. We may not realize how many household hazardous items we use in a
day such as paints, gasoline, nail polish removers, stain removers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals,
tires, lead-acid batteries and lubricating oils.
LET US TRAIN MORE
Write UM if the material is useful and HM if it is harmful material.
1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______
4. ________ 5.________
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Write / if the materials is useful and x if it is harmful.
________!. Crude oil
________2. Sponge
________3. Silver
________4. Kalboro or wate
________5. Cooking pan
