Lesson 12: Landfills, Leaks and Spills

Garbage has become a complex and controversial worldwide problem.

Florida law now includes specific county requirements for dealing with solid wastes. Call your county’s public works or solid waste department for information.

While we don’t want to overwhelm students with the concept of a gloomy future filled with ugly trash, dirty water and smoky air, here is one place that students can easily “make a difference.” Recycling is one activity students can practice that hopefully will develop into a lifetime habit.

1. Ask students if they have produced any garbage or trash today. Depending on the time of the day you teach this class, several students may say no. Many young people this age may not notice or think about the garbage that is produced in preparing meals or in cleaning up afterwards.

2. Have students read parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to find out about landfills.

3. Ask discussion questions:

(part 1)

• Did you ever wonder about what happens to your garbage after it is carried away from your home?
• Do you know the location of landfills in your county?
• Are there things you cannot take to a landfill?

(part 2)

• Name some of the things that you throw away almost every day.

4. Discuss what is happening in the illustration at the bottom of part 2.

5. Have a student read aloud the “Imagine that!” in part 2 and discuss.

6. Ask discussion questions for part 3:

• What items decompose quickly?
• What items take a long time to decompose?
• Do some items never decompose?
• How can toxic wastes in a landfill be dangerous to your health?

7. Have a student read aloud the “Imagine that!” in part 3 and discuss.

8. Have students look at the illustration at the bottom of part 3 and discuss how wastes may leak into the ground and contaminate groundwater.

9. Ask discussion questions for part 4:

• Why may incinerators be hazardous to your health?
• What can you do to help prevent extra trash?

10. Have students read parts 5 and 6. Ask discussion questions:

(part 5)

• Name the three things that we can do to help produce less garbage.
• Can you think of ways you can reduce garbage in your own home? In our classroom?

(part 6)

• What are some items we can reuse? How can we reuse them?
• What things can we recycle? Where can we take them to be recycled?

11. Have students look at the illustration in part 5 and count how many items they can see that will end up in a landfill.

12. Have a student read aloud the “Imagine that!” in part 6. You might want to bring to class one of each item on this list to make a display. Have students make labels to put on the items showing how long it takes them to decompose.

13. Have students research the length of time it takes for common household items to decompose.

FCAT-style questions based on the content of Lesson 12 have been prepared to assist students in preparing for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

• Lesson 12 FCAT-Style Questions
• FCAT Reading Rubric
• Sample Responses

1. Have students make a list of at least 10 items they throw away each day. Have students answer these questions about each item:

• Can this item be reused or recycled?
• Do you think this item will easily decompose?

Have students choose one item and invent a way this item can avoid becoming a piece of trash. (Please accept even the most unusual of answers if a student’s reasoning is at all possible.) Have volunteers share their ideas with the class.

2. FCAT-Style Questions, Lesson 12 Online Quiz or Lesson 12 Quiz worksheets may be used.*

Special note: You may want to contact your county extension agent for information on creating compost piles. Are there other ways to get the most from your grass clippings and other organic leftovers?

1. Have students navigate to the Lesson 12 Experiment, “Fill a landfill.”

2. Divide class into cooperative groups and have them read “What you will learn,” “What you will need” and “Here is what you do.”

3. Have each student begin a Make A Prediction lab report worksheet.

4. Have students do the experiment “Fill a landfill” and answer the questions in “What do you think?”

5. Have students complete the Make A Prediction lab report worksheets and discuss.

6. Have students read and discuss “Make a difference!” Allow time for students to “brainstorm” creative ways they can reduce the amount of things they use once and throw away.

7. Have students read and discuss “What else can you do?” Allow time for students to “invent” methods for trash storage or disposal, or assign as homework.

Answers for the FCAT-style questions and the online and offline quizzes can be downloaded at answers.html. The quiz answer keys are password-protected. You can obtain the password by registering via a short form.