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19.5: Data Dive- "Flushable" Wipes

  • Page ID
    46721
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    Overview

    Ryerson University published a 2019 report titled, Defining “Flushability” for Sewer Use. This publication had the objective of making the public think twice about what you flush down the toilet in order to save money and the environment. In this experiment they tested 101 single use products, some labeled (and some not labeled) flushable. Some of the results of this can be seen in the graph below:

    Pie chart showing what percent of flushable wipes are actually flushable
    Figure \(\PageIndex{a}\): Percent of flushable wipes that could pass as flushable. Graph by Rachel Schleiger (CC-BY-NC) modified from data in Khan A, Orr B, Jocksimovie D 2019 Flushability Report.

    Questions

    1. What type of data is this (qualitative or quantitative)?
    2. What question(s) are the authors trying to answer with this graph?
    3. What result is this graph illustrating relative to products labeled as “flushable?”
    4. Provide a brief reflection for how these results make you feel and what they make you think about?
    5. Do you think there should be a policy put in place that places restrictions on what the word “flushable” means? Why?

     

    Attribution

    Rachel Schleiger (CC-BY-NC)


    This page titled 19.5: Data Dive- "Flushable" Wipes is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Melissa Ha and Rachel Schleiger (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .

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