Planet Protectors
Trash Trash Introduction To Trash Trash is anything we throw away. People have been throwing away things since the beginning of time. Trash is nothing new. The way we dispose of trash has changed. 1. Why should we care where our trash goes? 2. What do you throw away at school? 3. Where does your trash go after you throw it in the garbage can? Activity Interview your school custodian(s). Ask what gets thrown away the most at school and how much trash is produced each day. Report what you found out and discuss ideas of how trash could be reduced. Ask the questions again at the end of the year. What changes can you report?
Too Much Trash Too Much Trash Lots of Trash In 2016, Otter Tail County generated about 30,050 tons of garbage. Of that,16,920 tons were incinerated to make energy. A total of 13,130 tons were landfilled out of state. 1. What does our garbage say about us? 2. Why do we throw so much away? 3. What do we throw away everyday? What do we never throw away? Activity Keep track of how much garbage your classroom collects in a week? Make a chart of what you throw away the most. How does your classroom rank compared to other classrooms? Create a competition to encourage classrooms to produce the least amount of trash. Research how much trash other countries produce compared to the United States.
How Much Trash How Much Trash Lots of Trash According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, in 2015 approximately 5.5 million tons of garbage was generated in Minnesota. 1. Why do Americans produce so much trash compared to other countries? 2. What will it mean to the planet if we continue to produce 4.5 pounds of trash per person every day? 3. What will happen in Minnesota if we keep generating this much trash per year? Activities Complete the Trash Math worksheet. Watch a video about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Keep a home journal of how much trash you generate in one week. Conduct a waste audit at your school.
Types of Trash Types of Trash Types of Trash In 2013, 25% of trash was paper, 18% was plastic and 31% organics such a s food waste. Much of this could be diverted from the trash. Containers and plastic wrap make up a large amount of the waste. 1. Why do we throw away items that could be recycled? 2. Why is so much food (organics) thrown away? 3. Why is there so much packaging in the trash? Activity Place 4.5 pounds of clean garbage in a clear bag. Sort the materials by compost, recyclable, or trash. Next, decide which items could be reused instead of putting them in the garbage. Finally, sort the items that could be reduced before even buying them. Make a pie chart of the results. Make a Garbage Pizza
Where Trash Goes Where Trash Goes Where Trash Goes Household trash in Otter Tail County is sent to six transfer stations where it is hauled to the waste-toenergy facility in Perham. Bulky items like sofas are sent to a landfill out of state. Electronics, appliances, and tires are sent to special facilities to be recycled. Materials from houses such as sheet rock and insulation are landfilled in two demolition landfills in the county. Shingles are ground and used on county roads. Find new pic 1. Do you think a lot of the trash that is hauled to the waste-to-energy facility and landfills could be recycled? 2. How could we reuse things thrown in the trash? Activity Try the interactive garbage games Watch the PRRF video to see how trash is sorted and incinerated for energy in Otter Tail County.
Landfills Landfills Landfills Landfills are commonly called dumps. People used to dump their trash in a pit or burn it. Today, those practices are illegal. Trash and unwanted items must be properly disposed. The landfills in Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls only accept demolition materials such as untreated lumber and insulation. Shingles and concrete are sorted to be recycled and not landfilled. 1. What else could be done with unwanted items that are disposed of in landfills? 2. Does trash break down and disappear over time in landfills? 3. Why would landfills in Minnesota be lined with rubber? What are the pipes sticking out of the ground used for? Activities Play the landfill languish game. Learn about the layers of a landfill by making an edible landfill.
Waste-To-Energy Waste-To-Energy Waste-To-Energy The Perham Resource Recovery Facility (PRRF) generates steam for electricity and reduces the amount of trash by incinerating waste. The steam produced from incineration is used for electricity at local Perham businesses. 1. Why is burning trash in a burn barrel dangerous for people, pets and the environment? 2. Why is it better to recycle metal cans instead of throwing them in the trash? 3. What cannot be incinerated at the waste-toenergy facility? Activity Watch the PRRF video to see how trash is sorted and incinerated for energy in Otter Tail County. Schedule a tour of the PRRF.
Waste Management Waste Management Waste Management The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a hierarchy of waste to show the preferred method of disposal. Source reduction or waste prevention is preferred to save natural resource and reduce pollution. 1. What do you do with most of your unwanted items? 2. What are the benefits of reuse compared to recycling? 3. Why is landfilling the least preferred option for waste management? Activity Place 4.5 pounds of garbage in a clear bag. Sort the materials according to where they fit in the waste management hierarchy. Which pile has the most materials? Why does it matter?
Reduce Reduce Reduce Food waste is a major component of the waste stream in the US. The USDA estimates that between 30-40% of the food supply is wasted. It has been estimated that between $500-$2000 worth of food is wasted each year by an average family of four. 1. What is food waste? 2. What is one thing you could do at school today to reduce waste? 3. What are ways you can purchase products to reduce the amount of packaging? Activities Collect supplies to pack a waste free lunch. Conduct a survey to see how many students and teachers use reusable water bottles. If they don t, encourage them to get one.
Reuse Reuse Reuse Reuse is buying something that can be used over and over like a cloth napkin or reusable shopping bags. Reuse saves natural resources and reduces waste. There are many places to find reusable items and many outlets to share the items you no longer need. 1. Where are some places you could bring unwanted items that could be reused? 2. Where are some places that you could find reusable items? 3. What items did you reuse already today? Activities Make a reusable bag from an old T-shirt. Make crafts out of common household materials like toilet paper holders and egg cartons. Visit www.reusemn.org to see products offered for reuse in Minnesota. Watch a video to learn how to fix something before throwing it away. Make a reusable sandwich bag.
Recycle Recycle Recycle Otter Tail County has a redemption center where recycling may be dropped off and aluminum cans redeemed for cash. The building also houses a materials recovery facility (MRF) where recyclables are sorted and shipped to end market. Otter Tail County maintains 35 recycling canister sites throughout the county. Perham and Fergus Falls have curbside single sort recycling programs. In 2016, 4,600 tons of materials were recycled in Otter Tail County. 1. What can be recycled in Otter Tail County? 2. What natural resources go into making the products we buy? 3. What are recyclables made into? Activities Do the recycle sort and sort products into the correct bin. Play the end market match game. Match the recyclable item with the product it is recycled into.
What to Recycle What to Recycle What to Recycle Otter Tail County has a redemption center where recycling may be dropped off and aluminum cans redeemed for cash. The building also houses a materials recovery facility (MRF) where recyclables are sorted and shipped to end market. Otter Tail County maintains 35 recycling canister sites throughout the county. Perham and Fergus Falls have curbside single sort recycling programs. In 2016, 4,600 tons of materials were recycled in Otter Tail County. 1. What can be recycled in Otter Tail County? 2. What is single stream or single sort recycling? 3. What cannot be recycled in Otter Tail County? Activities Play the Sort n Recycle interactive game. Watch Murph as he travels through the Fergus Falls MRF.
Recycle Glass Recycle Glass Recycle Glass Glass is infinitely recyclable. In 2016, residents of Otter Tail county recycled 775 tons of glass. The glass was sent to Glass Advantage in Fargo, ND and was recycled into sand blasting sand. The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. 1. What natural resource is glass made from? 2. What types of glass cannot be recycled? 3. How could a glass jar be used? Activities Watch the video: How to Recycle Glass PBS Curiosity Quest Goes Green
Recycle Paper Recycle Paper Recycle Paper Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. Yet, 20% of Minnesota s garbage is paper. In 2016 Otter Tail County residents recycled about 400 tons of paper-that saved 6,800 trees. Use both sides of your paper and then recycle as much paper as you can. 1. Do you recycle paper at school and at home? 2. What are two ways to reduce the amount of paper we use at school? Activities Borrow the homemade paper making kit and make recycled paper in your classroom. Watch the video to see what the newspaper in Otter Tail County is recycled into. Set up a classroom scrap box to reuse construction paper.
Recycle Metal Cans Recycle Metal Cans Recycle Metal Cans Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from raw materials. This saves natural resources and energy. Aluminum can be recycled over and over and about 2/3 of all aluminum is still in use. Metal cans recycled in Otter Tail County can be turned into new tin and steel materials. 1. What types of metal cannot be put into the recycling bins? 2. Did you know that the recycling center will pay for your aluminum cans if you recycle them? Activities Collect aluminum cans and take them to the recycling center to cash them in for a fund raiser event.
Recycle Plastic Containers Recycle Plastic Containers Recycle Plastic Containers Americans buy about 35 billion plastic water bottles each year but only two out of ten bottles are recycled. Plastic are numbered #1-#7 and each number means a different type of plastic. For example, #1 is PET or polyethylene terephthalate pop and water bottles. 1. What type of plastics cannot be recycled in Otter Tail County? 2. Which takes more energy to produce a glass ketchup bottle or a plastic ketchup bottle? Why? 3. Look at the plastic items you use at lunch. What numbers are on the container and what type of plastic is it? Can it be recycled at your school? Activities Make bird feeders from plastic bottles. Watch the Great Pacific Garbage Patch video.
Repair Repair Repair Fixing items before throwing them away saves resources. Most items that cannot be fixed will have a disposal charge at a transfer station. Another option is to donate unwanted items instead of throwing them away. 1. What kind of things do people usually fix instead of throw away? 2. What kind of things could people fix instead of throw away? 3. Why do people throw away things that can be fixed? Activities Make a video on how to fix something, like a flat tire on your bike. Share it with friends. Watch a video on how to fix something before you throw it away. Take your broken item to a local fix-it-clinic
Worms Recycle Food Waste Worms Recycle Food Waste Recycle Plastic Containers Americans buy about 35 billion plastic water bottles each year but only two out of ten bottles are recycled. Plastic are numbered #1-#7 and each number means a different type of plastic. For example, #1 is PET or polyethylene terephthalate pop and water bottles. 1. How do worms recycle food waste? 2. Why is it important to compost to reduce food and yard waste? 3. What can you do to reduce food waste at school? Activities Make an edible worm bin. Visit the worm biology stations to learn about Red Wiggler Worms. Learn about soil science and the FBI of decomposition. Worm sit the Red Wigglers in your classroom. Borrow our worm bin supplies and make your own bin for the classroom.
Resources Trash Math Worksheet Video Link: Great Pacific Garbage Patch Home Journal of Trash Classroom Waste Audit Garbage Bag Kit Garbage Games Landfill Languish Game Edible Landfill Perham Resource Recovery Video Reusable Sandwich Bag Dumptown Game Reusable T-Shirt Bag Recycle Sort Kit and Downloadable Guide End Market Match Game Kit and Guide Sort n Recycle Game Video: PBS Discovery: How Glass is Recycled Paper Making Kit How is it Made Video: Insulation from Newspaper Plastic Bottle Bird Feeders Edible Worm Bins Worm Biology Stations Soil Science and the FBI Worm Bin Kit
Trash Math Worksheet Assume each person produces 4.5 pounds of garbage per day. 1. Multiply the number of people in your classroom or community with the amount of garbage they produce each day. (number of people) X 4.5= lbs. of garbage each day in your classroom or community. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Video Link: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch https://vimeo.com/11704000 Time: 2:45 2. Multiply that number with 30 to get the pounds of garbage produced in one month. pounds X 30 days= pounds. 3. Now divide the number of pounds by 2,000 to find how many tons are produced. pounds/2,000= tons of garbage per month. It costs about $103.00 per ton to throw away garbage. How much does your school or community spend throwing away the garbage? tons of garbage per month X $103.00 per ton= $. This is the cost of your school s or community s monthly garbage.
Home Journal of Trash School Waste Audit What We Trash Data Sheet Date Time What you Trashed Recycle, Reuse, Compost it?
Garbage Games Garbology: Where does it go? Garbage Bag Kit: One bag of 4.5 pounds of clean garbage and recyclables. You can borrow ours or create your own. Garbage Pizza: Cardboard crust, shredded paper, leaves and sticks, plastic pop tops, tin foil, smooth glass shards, wire, bright green yarn. Fill in the pizza on your own cardboard crust. Use Minnesota s or your school s waste audit results. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Show pictures of these items and ask students to sort them in order of what will last the shortest to longest in a landfill. What could have been diverted from the landfill? We have a kit that may be checked out. Video: Watch where your trash goes- Perham Resource Recovery Facility Engineer edible landfills to learn about landfill layers and have a tasty snack.
Reusable Sandwich Bag Materials (for one 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 snack bag) 2 pieces of laminated cotton that measure at least 7 1/2 x 16 1/2 Roll of 1 wide Velcro Sewing machine & thread Directions 1. Cut out two rectangles of laminated cotton that measure 7 1/2 wide by 16 1/2 long. Place them right sides together and sew around three sides (using a 1/2 seam allowance), leaving one short end open. 2. Turn the rectangle right-side-out, and then fold the short edges in about 1/2 and topstitch to close the remaining short end. Finger press around the perimeter of the rectangle (you can t use an iron on laminated cotton). Cut a piece of Velcro that s about 6 long, and sew the hook side to the top edge of your rectangle as shown (use the side without the topstitching) and the loop side to the opposite end of the rectangle (but place it on the back of the rectangle and about 2 from the edge as shown). 3. Fold the bottom edge up as shown, so that the bottom Velcro is facing outward and its edge is about 2 1/2 inches from the top edge as shown. Top stich around three sides of the snack bag, securing the sides and finishing the flap. Materials Old T-shirt Sharp scissors Marker No-Sew T-Shirt Bag Directions 1. Turn the shirt inside out and cut the sleeves off. 2. Cut the neckline. You may want to use a bowl or lid to trace an outline of where you want to cut on the neckline. 3. Determine how deep you want the bag and draw a line. 4. Cut fringe in one inch slits to the line. 5. Tie the fringe. Tie three sets and take one fringe from each side of the middle fringe to tie to the first and third set. Continue this pattern until all sets are tied. Turn right side out. Variations Tie the straps in a know or don t turn the shirt inside out and let the fringe show. Illustrated pictures can be found on the Solid Waste Pinterest page or on Pinterest.
Recycling Games Paper Activities Recycle Sort: check out the kit or make your own. End Market Match Up: Check out our kit or make your own. Sort n Recycle Interactive Game Check out the Paper Making Kit. Kit includes blenders, screens and other supplies needed to make homemade paper. Video: How is it Made? Cellulose Insulation Otter Tail County s newspaper is recycled into cellulose insulation in a similar process. Video: How to Recycle Glass-PBS Curiosity Quest Goes Green
Recycling Worms Recycling Worms Edible worm bins Worms Make Learning Fun. Worms teach us about habitats, reducing waste and taking care of our environment. Creating an Edible Worm Bin Worm bins can be made out of used plastic. The plastic cup is your worm bin. Making Worm Bedding Worms need bulky bedding such a shredded newspaper and dried leaves. We will use cereal in our edible bins. Worms need some soil. We will used crushed Oreos. Worm Diet Worms like a vegan diet. They like fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, moldy bread. We don t like moldy bread so we will use dried fruit and cereal as our worm food. We Need Worms We will use gummi worms for our edible worm bin. Biology worm stations Soil Science and the FBI F is for Fungus Why would we feed our worms moldy bread? Mold is a fungus and it releases enzymes that break down organic materials like bread. B is for Bacteria Bacteria have many jobs in making compost. One job is to keep the compost warm. Another job of bacteria is to break down organic materials to the nutrients can be released. I is for Invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that do not have a backbone. Worms are invertebrates. Invertebrates break down organic matter and poop castings. They also aerate or add air to the soil. Worms are very important for healthily soil. Borrow our worm bin supplies and make a worm bin for your classroom. Make your own worm bin to keep all year. Worm sit our Red Wigglers for a time to observe how they recycle food scraps.