Continuing our project based learning lessons after Earth Day, students in Mrs. Julie Petersen’s standards math class dug in to the trash to collect data. With the leadership of guest speaker, Julie Diegel from Nebraska Recycling Council, students sorted a large bag of trash collected from Fairbury Public Schools. Step one was to categorize the trash: aluminum, plastic, office paper, color paper, compost, and landfill. Students wore gloves and aprons and participated to a varying degree. Ms. Diegel helped us understand the recycle symbols and contaminated products. Step two was to weigh each category and approximate the volume. Step three included calculating the amount of trash this one bag sent to the landfill rather than recycling.
Special thanks to custodians Bill and Tommy for their assistance with this educational project.
