Let’s Talk Trash Workshop

How does your garbage affect natural resources, energy, and climate change? Students discover the connections by participating in a “talk show” hosted by a presenter from our Solid Waste Division school program classroom workshops. Students work in small teams and become experts on how recycling and waste prevention help save landfill space, conserve natural resources, and even reduce the factors that contribute to climate change. An optional home or classroom audit can be done by students prior to the workshop to help them devise solutions to waste issues at school and in their community.

The Let’s Talk Trash workshop is an opportunity for fifth and sixth-graders to reflect on their carbon footprint and discuss how they can lessen it. Here are a few topics covered in the workshop:

• Climate change – Food waste is the world’s third biggest source of greenhouse emissions. At the Cedar Hills landfill, methane, produced by decomposing food and other organic materials, is converted into energy.
• Health and pollution – When you recycle your food waste, it’s made into compost which reduces contaminants in the soil. Making products from recycled rather than raw materials reduces air pollution which has been linked to asthma.
• Landfill usage – The average family throws out about 11 pounds of food each week, all of which could be composted rather than end up in the landfill.

The goals of the workshop are to help students learn why recycling is important, and what can and can’t be recycled.

Most of all, Let’s Talk Trash helps students realize that recycling is possible and doable. It gets students talking about the trash they generate and that where they put it affects the planet.

Does your school participate in any of the King County Solid Waste Division workshops? In addition to Let’s Talk Trash and other workshops for elementary school students, Green Team workshops and Eco Connections classroom workshops are available for secondary school students. Let’s talk trash and learn more about what we can all do to help the environment.