Fourth Grade Learns Waste Management
Source/Author: Christine Oman, Fourth Grade Teacher
September 18, 2015
What happens when you throw trash away? The fourth graders learned there's no such place as "away", all trash has to go somewhere! They went on a field trip to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Facility to continue with their study of sustainability and composting.
In the education building on site, students learned why it is so important to reduce, reuse and recycle. They also visited the Swap Shop where electronics, chemicals and hazardous wastes are collected. Students learned how these items are recycled or disposed of safely.
At the mulching station, they saw yard waste such as branches, tree stumps and leaves recycled to become mulch that citizens of Pinellas County, Florida, can get for free. Over 100,000 tons of yard waste are recycled into mulch each year in Pinellas. It can be used for landscaping and saving water by reducing runoff and conserving soil moisture.
A bus tour brought students to the top of an active landfill where ashes of burned trash were compacted down enough that the bus could drive right on top of them! A view of downtown St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field was in the distance.
Finally, the pièce de résistance that the students were all looking forward to - the "tipping floor". Chargers were lined up side by side with garbage trucks as they dumped their loads. Two large crane claws grabbed garbage and dropped it into a hopper that feeds a boiler where garbage is used as fuel. This garbage is burned around the clock and creates enough energy to power up 45,000 households every day. Truly Waste to Energy!!
Next week, fourth grade will have high school visitors from the Upper School environmental studies class, and the younger students will have the opportunity to present to older students what they learned during their field experience.
Check out this great handout for students about trash and recycling. To find out which items can be recycled, here is a handy guide.
In the education building on site, students learned why it is so important to reduce, reuse and recycle. They also visited the Swap Shop where electronics, chemicals and hazardous wastes are collected. Students learned how these items are recycled or disposed of safely.
At the mulching station, they saw yard waste such as branches, tree stumps and leaves recycled to become mulch that citizens of Pinellas County, Florida, can get for free. Over 100,000 tons of yard waste are recycled into mulch each year in Pinellas. It can be used for landscaping and saving water by reducing runoff and conserving soil moisture.
A bus tour brought students to the top of an active landfill where ashes of burned trash were compacted down enough that the bus could drive right on top of them! A view of downtown St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field was in the distance.
Finally, the pièce de résistance that the students were all looking forward to - the "tipping floor". Chargers were lined up side by side with garbage trucks as they dumped their loads. Two large crane claws grabbed garbage and dropped it into a hopper that feeds a boiler where garbage is used as fuel. This garbage is burned around the clock and creates enough energy to power up 45,000 households every day. Truly Waste to Energy!!
Next week, fourth grade will have high school visitors from the Upper School environmental studies class, and the younger students will have the opportunity to present to older students what they learned during their field experience.
Check out this great handout for students about trash and recycling. To find out which items can be recycled, here is a handy guide.
