Where Does Trash Go? Exploring Our Neighborhood Environment
Every time you throw away a banana peel or an apple juice box, that item goes on a trip! Some trips are short and turn trash back into dirt. Some trips are long and the trash can sit for a very long time. Let's find out where things really go after we throw them away.
What You'll Learn
- Where trash goes after it leaves your trash can - The difference between things that rot (compost) and things that don't - What recycling means and why we sort our trash - One thing you can do at home to help the Earth
Two Kinds of Trash
Some trash used to be alive, like a banana peel, an apple core, or a pile of leaves. This kind of trash can rot and turn back into rich, dark dirt called compost. It usually takes a few weeks to a few months. Other trash was never alive, like a plastic bottle or a candy wrapper. These do not rot the same way. A plastic bottle left in the ground can take hundreds of years to break down — longer than your great-great-great-grandchildren will be alive!
What Happens at the Landfill
Most trash that isn't recycled or composted goes to a place called a landfill. A landfill is a huge, carefully lined pit where trash trucks dump garbage every day. Workers spread it out and cover it with dirt. Landfills are lined with thick plastic and clay on the bottom so that gross liquid from the trash, called leachate, doesn't leak into the ground and hurt the water nearby.
Recycling: Giving Trash a Second Job
Some things we throw away can get a second chance! Glass bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard, and some plastics can be sent to a recycling center, cleaned, melted or shredded, and turned into new products. One recycled aluminum can could become a new can on a store shelf in as little as 60 days. That's why we sort our trash into different bins — so the reusable stuff doesn't end up buried forever.
Ask a grown-up to help you start a small compost bin with fruit and vegetable scraps. In a few weeks, peek inside — you'll see the scraps turning into dark, crumbly dirt you can use to help new plants grow!
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Why can a banana peel turn into compost dirt so much faster than a plastic bottle breaks down?
Why do we sort recycling into separate bins instead of throwing everything away together?
Sort Your Own Trash
With a grown-up, gather five clean items you would normally throw away (like a paper towel tube, a banana peel, a plastic wrapper, a glass jar, and a piece of junk mail). Sort each one into 'Compost,' 'Recycle,' or 'Landfill Trash.' Draw a picture of your three groups and label each item. Deliverable: a drawing or chart showing all five items correctly sorted into the three groups, with one sentence explaining why one item belongs in its group.
Want to keep learning?
Sign up for free to access the full curriculum — all subjects, all ages.
Start Learning Free