make this much trash in a year?” A quick visit to the district’s web site should provide the number of elementary schools to multiply by. Calculators may be necessary at this time.
Hypothetical Example: Classroom trash average = 1 lb/kilo. per day 1 lb./kilo of trash x 18 classes in the school building =
18 lbs/kilos. of trash from the school’s classrooms each day. (Students may need a reminder that this does not include lunchroom trash.) 18 lbs/kilos of trash x 180 school days per year = 3,240
lbs/kilos of trash from the school’s classrooms each school year.
3,240 lbs/kilos x 15 elementary schools in the school
district = 48,600 lbs/kilos of trash produced by the elemen- tary schools in the district each year. To figure the approxi- mate volume of this weight, assume 1,000 lbs/per cubic yard of trash, or 496 kilograms per cubic meter (according to Solid Waste Association of North America estimate of municipal waste weight while in trash trucks). You can continue to make the trash calculations are far
as you and your students want to go. For example, you could now multiply by the number of school districts in your state or province, the number of states/provinces in your country, and so on. The students may challenge that the trash weight is getting more approximate the larger you go, but the point is to find a generalization that shows how all of our little chip bags, broken pencils, and paper scraps can add up to quite a lot.
Closure: Now that the class has a handle on how quickly waste can add up, this is a good time to discuss landfills with students. Point out that some waste generated by a country is recycled and composted, and some is burned, but the vast—54% in the U.S.4 Australia6
, 78% in Canada5 , and 54% in —majority is laid to rest in a landfill. Here are some basic concepts to help students under-
stand the consequences of landfills: 1. Landfills come in dif- ferent shapes and sizes, but they are usually about the size of 10 football fields. 2. Once waste is dumped in landfills, it is never used again. Landfills are not compost piles, nor is anything removed for recycling. 3. Landfills fill up eventu- ally and are then closed. Ask kids, “Why aren’t landfills a sustainable solution
to dealing with waste? In other words, in hundreds of years, what will our country be like if we keep putting our discards in landfills?” Lead kids to discuss not just the problem of the space taken up by landfills, but the issue of burying our natural resources forever. “If we bury paper in the landfill, how will we make new paper?” It may be necessary to have a quick review of what resources we do use from the earth for manufacturing, including petroleum, wood, ore and sand. A meaningful conclusion to this lesson would be to take
a close look at specifically what is in the classroom trash can; this is called a waste audit. Brainstorm ways to keep the items found in the trash can out of the waste stream. “Where can we dispose of things besides the trash can? Is there a way to avoid some of this trash in the first place? Can any of these items be used again?” Knowing kids, they’ll come up with more solutions to the trash dilemma than adults could ever hope to.
Creating a No-Trash Classroom
Reduce: • Disposable plates, cups and cutlery from classroom parties result in mounds of garbage. Encourage kids to bring their own plate, fork and cup from home. Keep a set of cloth napkins on hand (as long as you’re willing to wash them!)
• To reduce the tendency of students to use paper towels as if the roll is never-ending, have cloth rags and sponges on hand for erasing transparencies, washing desks, and mopping up spills.
Reuse: • Drink and snack containers are common school trash, but with a little encouragement they can be easily avoided. Consider random prize drawings for students who bring drinks and snacks from home in reusable containers. Graph daily how many students are using durable containers.
• Paper is a hot commodity in any school, so get the most out of it. One-sided copies can be left in a designated area for scratch paper. Construction paper scraps can be saved and used again for craft projects.
Recycle: • Many classroom discards, like notebook paper, copy paper (white or pastels), and tissue boxes are commonly accepted by recycling programs; check your school’s recycling guideline for specifics. If your school lacks a recycling program, all that’s needed is an improvised collection bin and a team of willing parents to take the recycling to the local drop-off center.
• Even if your school does have a recycling program, it may be worth investigating whether there are additional recyclables accepted by your community’s program. You may find that while juice boxes are not on the school’s collection list, the recycling center would gladly accept them.
Rot: • Give orange peels and bread crusts a second chance. School gardens are gaining popularity, and a good dose of decomposed food waste will keep those plants happy. If a garden or compost pile isn’t an option for your school, consider joining the many adventurous teachers who are composting in the classroom using worm bins. Your students will love it and it doesn’t take much work to keep worms happy and healthy – find instructions at http://
www.watershedactivities.com/projects/winter/ wormbin.html.
Extensions: For fun, use division to come up with interest- ing weight comparisons. Example: If the school generates 3,000 lbs (1364 kilo-
grams) of waste a year, this equals the weight of approxi- mately how many fifth grade students? At 80 lbs/ 37.5 kilos
GREEN TEACHER 89 Page 33
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