The Do We Throw Too Much Away? unit consists of six sessions divided into two parts. Before beginning the unit, students complete the Pre-Unit Questionnaire. Then, in Sessions 1-4, they describe what garbage is, consider the seven categories of trash as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and conduct an experiment about the decay process to help them find out what happens to the things they throw away. They develop a plan for collecting everything they throw away during a school day and agree on a day to collect trash. They collect, sort, and weigh the trash, calculate the average weight per student for each trash category, and send the data to the unit database.

In Sessions 5 and 6, students discover what they can learn from display and analysis of the data in the unit database and from comparison with scientific data. They use their findings to begin considering methods for reducing the amount of garbage each student in the class generates. At the end of the unit, they have the opportunity to present highlights of their studies. They also complete the Post-Unit Questionnaire.