Talking Trash Can Reduce Carbon Footprint

The second grade class at Summit Road Elementary School spent the morning studying yesterdays trash. Garbology, or the study of a community or culture by analyzing its waste, will help the students determine a plan to reduce the school's carbon footprint.

Another layer of this project included a field trip to the dump, where students learned 3/4 of the items that are thrown away can be recycled or turned into compost.

"We're studying our own trash in an effort to learn more efficient ways to reduce, reuse and recycle," said Principal Mrs. Drury. "Currently, we only recycle paper in our classrooms. It is our hope that our students bring their ideas home and eventually out into the community."

One of the ideas that came out of Garbology was the share table- a table in the lunch room where peers can place unopened items on the table for other students to enjoy, rather than just throwing away food.

Once the trash was sorted and weighed, teachers helped the second grade class chart their results to determine which class overall produced more trash than the others. Mrs. Drury then asked the class questions based on the results, like how to better utilize the share table, how to create recycling programs and more.