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The Incredible Edible Landfill
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| Classroom Activity |
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Soil: Naturally occurring mixture of minerals, organic matter, water and air, which forms the surface of the land.
Background: All living things depend on soil to live. If we had no soil, we would have nothing to eat. Soil that can be used for growing food is called arable land. Every year we lose thousands of acres of arable land. Some of the land is lost because we need more houses for people to live in. Quite a bit of land gets paved over every year for parking lots and shopping malls.
Landfills are an important way to manage waste and maintain land that is available for farming or other uses. Many successful landfill sites eventually revert back to land for agricultural production or they get used for construction sites, which saves other valuable arable land for production. Well-managed landfills also control erosion and leaching of harmful materials.
Soil is very important because it holds plants in place in the ground. It holds water in the ground so plant roots can drink. It also holds minerals that plants need for food and growth. Without soil, nothing could grow. And that means no wheat for your bread, no lettuce for your salad, and no grass for your lawn.
It's very important to keep soil in its place. Otherwise, when it rains, soil gets washed into rivers and lakes. It can clog drains and lead to flooding. It can even slide down the side of a mountain in a landslide. Farmers are caretakers of the soil. They have adopted many conservation practices that reduce cropland erosion and keep the soil in place on the land and out of streams and lakes. Some of the practices used by farmers in Oregon include: using a cover crop in the winter; contour and strip farming; using buffers along open water areas; leaving trees as a windbreak; and in orchards and vineyards, using grass strips between rows of the trees and grapes. There’s much less soil erosion today, than when you were born. Our water supply is extended through a reduction in erosion. Crop rotation also maintains nutrients in the soil. Windbreaks provide a home to many forms of wildlife. Good management practices provide benefits for agricultural production and the environment. |
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| Supplies Needed: |
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Chocolate cookies crushed Graham crackers crushed Instant chocolate pudding prepared Instant vanilla pudding prepared Red licorice - Coconut dyed with greed food coloring - Peanuts - Small clear cups - Spoons |
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| Key Concepts: |
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Soil is an important natural resource that needs to be managed Landfills are built to protect human health and the environment They are expensive and complicated to build. |
| Objectives: |
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1. Learn how a sanitary landfill is built
2. Learn why we must reduce the amount of waste going to landfills
3. Learn the importance of recycling
4. Learn why good landfills are part of an overall soil conservation plan |
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| Method: |
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Build a replica of a landfill from everyday food items. |
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| Activity: |
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1. Walk around your school and observe how the land is used on school property.
School land is used for buildings, parking lots, playgrounds, and trees for shade.
2. Look for examples of possible erosion on your school grounds.
The edge of the pavement, high traffic areas in the playground,
and steep banks will show examples of erosion.
3. Begin with a few questions:
What happens to the soil when it rains?
What happens to the garbage in your neighborhood?
Where does it go after you throw it away?
4. Explain: Much of our garbage, also called solid waste, is put into landfills.
Landfills store garbage so it doesnt hurt the environment or people.
5. Explain: We are going to discover how a landfill works by constructing one.
6. Build a landfill:
Give each child a cup and a spoon
| First Layer: |
Dip one spoon full of crushed chocolate cookies into each cup (This represents the clay liner that keeps liquid, also known as leachate, from seeping through to the ground water) |
| Second Layer: |
Place two 1 pieces of licorice across the crushed chocolate cookies (These serve as tubes that collect and drain the leachate) |
| Third Layer: |
Dip one spoon full of the crushed graham crackers into each cup (This represents the sand and gravel filter layer) |
| Fourth Layer: |
Cover the vanilla pudding over the graham crackers
(This is the first layer of solid waste) |
| Fifth Layer: |
Cover the vanilla pudding with a few peanuts (Represents large garbage items) |
| Sixth Layer: |
Spread a thin layer of chocolate pudding over the vanilla pudding and peanuts (This is a layer of soil to cover the solid waste) |
| Seventh & Eighth Layers: |
Repeat layer of vanilla and layer of chocolate pudding
Insert a 2 piece of licorice vertically into the completed layers
(The licorice is a methane gas collector, which removes hazardous gas) |
| Ninth Layer: |
Sprinkle green coconut over the top of the chocolate pudding (This is grass on the final layer of soil) |
7. Discussion Questions:
- What do each of the food items represent? What purpose do they serve in a landfill? (Answer: See items 2-10)
- What are some of the problems with burying solid waste in landfills?
- What happens to the garbage that is put in a landfill? (Answer: Not much without air and water, most garbage decomposes slowly, if at all)
- Would you want a landfill near your home?
- Where is the closest landfill?
- Landfills should be the last option to get rid of waste.
- What else could you do with your garbage?
- What is soil erosion? (Answer: Wearing away of topsoil)
- What causes soil erosion? (Answer: Water, gravity, people, animals, etc.)
- Where have you seen soil erosion? (Answer: Vacant lot, lawn, riverbank, beach, hillside, etc.)
- How important is it to control erosion around a landfill and leaching into surrounding areas?
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