Where does our garbage go? Landfills

How long does garbage stay in landfills?

(Answers) Glass bottles: One Million years or more Plastic bottles: 500 years or more Aluminum cans: years Food waste: years Plastic bags: years Leather: Up to 50 years Cigarette butts:1-5 years Styrofoam: One Million years or more

What happens when a landfill becomes full? We make new ones

What can we do to make landfills last longer?

Reduce Try not to use items that will eventually end up in landfills. Wisconsin’s Trash Tally *2000 Wisconsin Trash Statistics

Reuse Try to reuse things before you throw them away. Donate clothes or toys that you don't want anymore or have a rummage sale.

Repair Ask your parents if you can help fix broken chairs or appliances. Have your parents fix your torn clothes instead of throwing them away. A repaired chair leg.

Reject Use products with less wasteful packaging. Less wasteful packaging Wasteful packaging

Compost Things such as grass clippings, garden waste and fruit or vegetable kitchen scraps are naturally broken down into a substance that is easily absorbed back into the earth. Compost can be used as a natural fertilizer for your garden. Compost BinComposted kitchen scraps

Recycle Buy products that are made from recycled materials. Use the things you buy as much as you can. Recycle whenever you can.

Plastic Recycling Do's #1 and #2 plastic bottles Soda bottles Peanut butter jars Milk and water jugs Laundry bottles Vinegar bottles

Plastic Recycling Dont's Plastic Bags Plastic with codes 3-7 (in Wisconsin) Styrofoam or microwave containers Medical supplies Plastic toys or flowerpots Plastic caps and lids

Paper Recycling Do's Newspapers Magazines or books Mail and envelopes Writing and copier paper Grocery bags Cardboard

Paper Recycling Dont's Paper that is full of food or grease Paper towels, napkins, or Kleenex Frozen food boxes Dairy containers Gift wrapping paper

Glass Recycling Do's Clear, brown or green bottles and jars Soda, juice and other glass containers Blue, green, rose and yellow tinted glass

Glass Recycling Dont's Ceramic cups, plates or bottle caps Clay flower pots Milky colored glass Lab glass Light bulbs Window glass

Metal Recycling Do's Aluminum cans Steel or bi-metal cans Metal lids and bottle caps EMPTY aerosol cans

Metal Recycling Dont's Paint cans Pots and pans Nails and screws Small appliances

What to Pack A re-usable lunch box Re-usable containers Cloth napkins Re-usable utensils A thermos or another re-usable/recyclable drink container Fruits, vegetables, and other compostable foods

What Not to Pack Lunchables Zip-lock bags Paper napkins Non-recyclable materials Lots of pre-packaged or individually wrapped food Non-reusable bag to carry lunch in (like a brown paper bag)

Low Waste Lunch Program at Mosquito Hill After lunch, all the non-recyclable/reusable trash is weighed This weight is divided by the total number of students to get the average waste per person The top five schools with the least amount of waste are entered into the Low Waste Lunch Hall of Fame The top school after each season (Fall, Winter and Spring) will receive a special reward!

What can you do to Reuse things? A.Donate old clothes, toys etc. B.Have a rummage sale. C.Throw away everything you don’t use anymore. What kinds of things can you donate to a second-hand store? A. Books B. Torn, holey, worn out clothes C. Toys D. Furniture

Which of these can be composted? A. Moldy bread B. Grass clippings C. Rotten fruit D. Potato peels How does composting help you?

Which of these shows a low waste lunch?

Which of these are not good plastic recycling? A.Soda Bottles B. Plastic Bags C.Plastic Toys D. #1 and #2 plastic E. Plastic Lids F. Peanut Butter Jars

Which of these are good metal recycling? A. Nails and Screws B.Paint Cans C. Soda Cans D. Soup Cans E. Bottle Caps F. Pots and Pans

Which of these are good paper recycling? A.Newspaper B.Grocery Bags C.Paper Towels D.Magazines E.Wrapping Paper F.Cardboard

Which of these are not recyclable? A.Blue and Rose Tinted Glass B.Lab Glass C.Window Glass D.Green Bottles E.Clay Flower Pots

If you got 7 or more questions right, you’re a recycling superstar! If you got 3-6 questions right, you’re doing great! If you got 0-2 questions right, remember what you learned today so you can be a better recycler!

*If you are looking for some recycling activities to do with your class, try this website: *If you would like to tour a recycling facility, try the Waupaca County Processing and Transfer Facility. Phone number: Website:

Recycling Resources: Recycling Study Guide - Wisconsin DNR Publication PUB-CE ( K-3 Supplement to the Recycling Study Guide - Wisconsin DNR Publication PUB-IE ( Recycling Facts & Figures - Wisconsin DNR Publication PUBL CE Rev ( Environmental Education for Kids! Recycling and Beyond, recycling activities – Wisconsin DNR Web site ( Wisconsin Green & Healthy Schools Program ( Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center Web Site (award winning web site) ( Waste Free Lunches.org – Resources for teachers and administrators for starting a waste free lunch program (

Credits This power point was made as a part of my Girl Scout Gold Award. I hope that it provided you with a fun learning experience. I would like to thank the people who aided and supported me during the process: Mike Hibbard, my parents, Beth and Emma Staudenmaier, and Kaley and Brenda Wockenfus.