Curated OER
Using the Land
In this land instructional activity, students review the different ways that land is used such as landfills, topsoil, farmland, and hazardous waste. This instructional activity has 13 true or false questions and 1 short answer question.
Curated OER
Disposal of Old Paint
Learners identify toxic household products that should not be disposed of in a landfill. They select alternative disposal procedures involving toxic products. Students write a news program for a local TV station discussing and...
Curated OER
Our Landfill Future
Students use the internet to research articles on garbage, landfills and the environment. In groups, they identify ways to conserve or recycle materials found in landfills and determine the future of a local landfill. They share their...
Curated OER
Landfills and the Potential for Groundwater Contamination
Students examine how a sanitary landfill is constructed, how it functions, and how waste and leachate affects the areas around the landfill. After a discussion about landfills and leachates, students construct a Sanitary Landfill Model...
Curated OER
Ecology of the Dump
Students recreate landfills in petri dishes, observe relative biodegradability in a year-long project, and isolate a cellulose degrading bacteria while discovering the need for recycling and the serious problem waste management has...
Curated OER
Internet Research: Methane and Waste
Pupils conduct Internet research to discover the causes of methane and how to implement a waste action plan. They answer worksheet questions as they search Websites. On the Eduzone site students find information on reducing their own...
Curated OER
Mini-Sanitary Landfill
Second graders work in groups to bury a variety of trash items and arrange them in a mini-landfill. They predict which items will biodegrade and then keep records of what the items look like every ten days. Students consider how...
Curated OER
The Landfill Loafers Meet the Wise Buys
Fourth graders identify recyclable materials in an experiment. They discover how to properly dispose of these items. They discover how to use materials again that cannot be recycled.
Curated OER
Making a Mini-Landfill
Students create a mini-version of a landfill. They examine the materials they use everyday and determine if they decompose or not. They identify the materials as renewable or nonrenewable as well.
Curated OER
Garbage Routes
Students brainstorm a list of places where garbage is disposed. Working in groups, they discover through a classroom simulation how garbage can wither be recycled or hauled to a landfill. they complete the activity with a worksheet on...
Curated OER
Landfill Lounge
Students accurately construct a model of a sanitary landfill and identify the parts of the landfill and explain their function. They work in grous using a clear plastic box, modeling clay, soil and a variety of garbage to create their...
Curated OER
Wise Use of Paper
Students explore the paper recycling process. They experiment with ways to conserve and recycle paper products.
Curated OER
It's A Gas
Learners build an organic waste methane generator and learn by running a scientific experiment to see what happens when people alter nature's way of recycling.
Curated OER
Back to the Earth
Students conduct an experiment in which they bury four objects (apple, lettuce, plastic and styrofoam) in the ground and come back to observe them a month later. They consider what biodegrades and how it affects our planet.
Curated OER
Trash Pizza
Students identify items commonly sent to landfills and summarize percentages/fractions of different items in landfills Students create a pizza pie graph of landfill components
Environmental Education for Kids
Eek!: Teacher Resources: My Ton of Trash (Lesson Plan)
Here you can find an engaging lesson plan on the trash each individual generates over time. Students will learn how trash is generated, how trash is disposed of, and possible ways to reduce the amount of trash.
DOGO Media
Dogo News: How Mealworms May Reduce Our Pollution Problem
Scientists have recently found that mealworms may be able to break down and degrade styrofoam, a form of plastic previously thought not to be biodegradable. Read how this discovery may affect pollution.
Other
Think Green: Think Waste Management
Find out how waste can be recycled and what you can do to aid recycling efforts in your community. With complete overviews of the types of materials that can be recycled: e-waste, paper and cardboard, metals, glass, plastics,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: This Landfill Is a Gas!
In this activity, students work as engineers to build and observe a model landfill. They will understand the process and pitfalls of the use of landfills as a method for the waste disposal.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What Will Biodegrade?
Students investigate what types of materials biodegrade in the soil, and learn what happens to their trash after they throw it away. The concepts of landfills and compost piles will be explained, and the students will have an opportunity...
Other
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: Just for Kids: Recycling
Why should I recycle? What are recyclable materials? How does recycling work? Learn the answer to these questions and much more on this site about recycling.
![State Energy Conservation Office: Clean Energy From Texas Landfills [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "State Energy Conservation Office: Clean Energy From Texas Landfills [Pdf] Handout")
State Energy Conservation Office-Texas
State Energy Conservation Office: Clean Energy From Texas Landfills [Pdf]
Explains what landfill gas is, some of its applications, and how Texas is harnessing it as a source of renewable energy.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Epa: Learn the Issues: Learn About Land and Cleanup
This site provides real-world issues as well as the scientific research and technology used to support the EPA's mission to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Plastic Waste Production
Plastic waste is a huge problem with many potential solutions. In this lab exercise, students will use data to predict the amount of plastic waste in the next ten years and engage in communication that leads to effective decisions for...