The Sweet Smells of Solid Waste Camp

Most people would not be thrilled to attend something called Solid Waste Camp.  Even the 6th- through 8th-grade students who participated weren't sure at first.  Not only did cleaning up garbage sound smelly, but many didn't understand the point.  Once they threw something away, didn't it just "go away"?  But by the end of their first clean-up mission, they got it, and they were hooked on environmentalism.

The project began in the classroom, with activity-oriented discussions about marketing and perceived "need" for a product; production and classification of solid waste; and local habits and regulations regarding recycling and solid waste.  Students also interviewed experts in waste management about their jobs, and worked with them to determine key community sites in need of clean-up.  These experts also provided training in how to sort the waste and how to identify and stay safe around hazardous materials. 

While cleaning their chosen site, each small group of students recorded the types of solid waste collected.  When they returned to their school with bags of refuse, their teachers helped them sort the items into recyclables and non-recyclables. 

This project grew into a way of life for these students: Surveying all the recyclables they had found thrown away, the students decided to start a school-wide recycling program.

Adapted from "Route to Reform: K-8 service-learning Curriculum Ideas," © 1994-95 National Youth Leadership Council.