Landfill Field Trip

"Here, the Trash Master is flattening and levelling the garbage.
In the background, you can see the dirt piles that are ready to be put on top of the garbage."

Yesterday, we went on a field trip to the Shepard Composting Facility and Landfill. We got to see the Tipping Floor, where all the compost comes to from our green bins. First, they shred the compost into tiny pieces. Then, it goes into a vessel where they add water, heat, and air. This helps the decomposers, like bacteria, break down the natural waste into compost. They use a wind tube to separate the plastic from the compost (the plastic is lighter so it flies). Then, they use a really big magnet to take out the metal. Then, the compost is put into a curing shed with air so it can decompose further, and then they test it to make sure there is no plastic or other harmful materials. 

In this activity, we organized items into where they should go (recycling, compost, throw-n-go, garbage, bottle depot, electronic waste, second-hand store). We know this is important because cut down on garbage. We saw SO many things in the landfill that shouldn't be there, like cardboard, food, furniture, etc. 

We also saw lots of birds, which shouldn't be there. No food should be in the landfill - it should all be in the compost!

In this activity, we learned that we shouldn't throw away perfectly good things. We should Reduce, Re-use, and then Recycle them. Recycling is great but it's even better if we didn't buy it in the first place, or if we re-used it lots of times/made something new.

These are the layers of the landfill. We have to protect the groundwater because it is our drinking water. First, the city puts clay. On top of the clay, goes the plastic layer. Then, there is a gravel layer (stones). Then, it's the garbage. On top of the garbage, the bulldozers and trash master put soil. The top glove is showing the pipes that help the city test our drinking water to make sure it's safe. It's also a way for the dangerous gas and leachate to be extracted (taken out). 

Here are some other photos from our Landfill Tour:

Electronics recycling

Hazardous Waste in the Throw-n-Go (it is free to drop things off here!)

Fridges are dated and the freon gas is removed so it doesn't hurt the Earth's atmosphere.

Here are some quotes from our learning:

"I learned that the decomposers need hot air to decompose the compost." ~ Mary Jane

"I learned how harmful our garbage is." ~ TVK

"I learned how to reduce things or re-use things so we don't need them in the first place." ~ KSR

"I learned how there's half-eaten food in our landfill that seaguls try to eat but they sometimes think plastic is food so they die." ~ Yulia

"I learned that decomposition happens when decomposers and water and heat and air all come together and then they work their magic. By the time it's all done, the compost looks like soil and that soil can be used to grow plants." ~ GM

Students, I have posted the video we watched at the Landfill and a Sorting Game from the City of Calgary on our Google Classroom in case you'd like to show those to your family and teach them about what you learned. 

Parents, we hope you enjoyed our entry. If you notice your child's name is not written, it is either because they chose not to participate in the activity, or, they have initials because their Consent to Publish form has not been filled out yet. :)

From, Ms Elder & The Class