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Two educators provide solid waste education throughout Black Hawk County at no charge to schools, youth groups, and civic groups. With offices located at Hartman Reserve Nature Center in Cedar Falls, Waste Trac programs can take place at your school, during a visit to the nature center, or at other locations.
To schedule a FREE educational program, please:
Call (319) 266-8722 (TRAC) or
Email Tammy Turner (tammy_hrnc@yahoo.com) or Lyndsey Anderson (lyndsey_hrnc@yahoo.com)
Youth Programs Offered
Standards and Benchmarks Reached Through Waste Trac Programs
Teacher Newsletter - Coming Soon!
Teacher Online Resources
Activities are listed below from those suited to preschool up to high school students. Most programs can be adjusted for a specific grade or to cover certain standards and benchmarks.
Let us know how we can customize the activity for you!
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- Learn how we put redworms to work eating our fruit and vegetable scraps! We will bring our worm bin into your class and show how worms can recycle food scraps. A puppet show is available for students PreK – 1st, while older students will work in groups at different worm stations. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- Mr. Gilly in the story, Trashy Town, likes to “dump in it, smash it down and drive around the trashy town”. The group will discuss the basics of trash collection and the students will see pictures of how their local garbage is smashed at the county landfill. After the story, students will play a simple dice game based on the story. (30 minutes) |
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- Read the story, Garbage Monster and then learn how to remove trash from the garbage monster by composting, recycling, and reusing. (30 minutes) |
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- Many of us are watching our waste and recycling, but are still curious as to what happens to our recyclables after we put them in the bin. Do a short sorting activity and then watch the magic show to learn what recycled milk jugs, steel cans and newspaper collected in city recycling programs are transformed into. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- After reading about the Old Red Rocking Chair students will be able to distinguish the difference between reusing an item and recycling it. Reused items will be repurposed into games for the students.
(30 minutes) |
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- We get items at the store, but which resources are used to make everyday items? After reading, What Cried Granny, an Almost Bedtime Story, the students will be able to match up the resource to the end product. (30 minutes) |
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- This active program will get kids hopping on a picnic blanket, sorting out items from the picnic that are either disposable or durable. We will also talk about how to pack a low-waste lunch. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- Visit the Black Hawk County Landfill to learn about the environmental protections that are put in place during the construction of a waste cell. We will visit the small loads facility and hike to the cell to watch trucks unload. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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- In this program, students will learn that everyday products started as earth ingredients. After reading the story Agatha’s Feather Bed; Not Just Another Wild Goose Story, students will learn what glass, steel, and other products are made from. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- After reading the story, Compost, My Gosh students will know the basics of setting up an indoor worm compost bin. Students will search through compost to find redworms and make a list of worm food favorites that they find in the bin. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- Being a good citizen means doing your share. Kids of character know that part of being a good neighbor is to put litter in its place. Read the story, The Wartville Wizard and then conduct a litter cleanup on school grounds or a nearby park. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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- Students learn to classify items common to local recycling programs or backyard composting. Students will then participate in a relay race to sort and place (clean) waste items in the appropriate recycling or composting bins. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- During a trip to Hartman Reserve Nature Center, students enjoy lunch using a minimum of disposable items, then sort and recycle/compost as much of the garbage as possible from their individual lunches. (30 - 45 minutes) Prior to the field trip, teachers may want to check out the Waste Free Lunch website at www.WasteFreeLunches.org. |
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- Students will use their imagination and get to work sorting recyclables on our portable tabletop recycling unit. It can be brought to your classroom to simulate how recyclable materials are sorted in a recycling facility prior to being baled for market. (30 - 45 minutes) |
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- The Gene and Betty Buckles Program Center at Hartman Reserve Nature Center is an example of “Green Building” and minimizes the use of natural resources and the amount of energy needed for its creation and use. Explore the building to learn about many of the recycled, re-used, and energy efficient products found throughout. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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- The Enviroscape 3-D model demonstrates how the landfill is designed to protect our groundwater. This also compares more modern sanitary landfills to dumps and shows how the two differ in operation.
(30 - 45 minutes) |
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- Through a group reading activity students will learn how humans have dealt with garbage throughout history. We’ll make a few props, get into character, put on our skit and theorize about trash disposal in the future. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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- There are many choices to make at the store, but we’ll look for environmentally friendly products. Students will also learn about renewable vs. nonrenewable resources while rotating through shopping stations. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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- Students will search a Where’s Waldo type poster to find positive changes that a fictitious school has made to “go green”. Students will search the various rooms and grounds of the campus for examples such as recycling, rain gardens, composting, reusable trays, recycled-content paper, and carpet made of pop bottles. (45 - 60 minutes) |
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The following list shows many of the standards, benchmarks, or goal areas that can be addressed during various Waste Trac activities. Programs can be adapted to emphasize a specific topic.
· Describe, classify, and sort objects according to common characteristics.
· Understands personal and societal changes and responsibilities that affect health, world resources and the earth’s environment. Lists their responsibilities to the environment.
· Makes inferences about the effect of pollution on living things. Gives examples of actions and events that produce pollution.
· Explains how recycling protects the environment.
· Identifies harmful and non-harmful substances.
· Develops an awareness of natural resources. Knows that recycling, reusing, and reducing consumption conserves resources.
· Students will understand science-related personal and social issues and develop decision-making skills.
· Identify natural resources and describe their importance.
· Describe and apply the concept of natural and designed objects.
· Identify an appropriate problem for technological design, design a solution or product, implement a proposed design, evaluate the completed design or product, and communicate the process of technological design.
· Classifies natural resources as renewable or non-renewable.
· Compare/contrast ways in which physical geography, environmental conditions, natural resource availability and human characteristics have led to changes in human society. |
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Teacher Newsletter Fall 2009
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Where to recycle! www.Earth 911.com
The go-to website for when you’re not sure where to take a certain item for recycling or reuse. Just plug in an item and your zip code and let the site find the answer to your disposal dilemma.
Waste Reduction Grants (SWAP Grants) www.iowadnr.gov/waste/financial/financialswap.html
The Iowa DNR offers waste reduction grants on a quarterly basis. Grants can be used for recycling equipment, collection, workshops, purchase of recycled content products, or salaries related to a project.
Statewide Waste Characterization Study www.iowadnr.gov/waste/sw/files/wastechar05.pdf
Find out what is actually in Iowa garbage. This 2005 study discovered that 33% of the material headed to Iowa landfills is paper! Plastic and food waste came in at #2 and #3.
Go green with your sack lunches www.WasteFreeLunches.org
Great site to review before fieldtrip days or use it year-round for cold lunch students. They have a great
2-page pamphlet that will help students and their families aim for a low-waste lunch (click on The Waste-free Lunchbox).
Performing a School Waste Audit www.recycleworks.org/schools/s_audits.html
Engage your students in an audit that will uncover wasteful habits and missed recycling opportunities. The project (from California) crosses curriculum as students interview each other and faculty, start campaigns/create posters, weigh garbage and recyclables, graph results of the audit, and give a written or oral presentation to the school board.
U.S Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/kids/
This website has links for elementary, middle and high school teachers and students includes teaching resources, grant information, free posters and program materials, and student online activities. Covers topics including garbage and recycling, water and air quality, plants and animals, the environment, and climate change.
Cool School Challenge www.coolschoolchallenge.org
Take the challenge at your school and learn about everyday actions you can take to reduce your environmental impact locally and globally. Click on the “Activities” link for lessons that focus on the connections between energy use, transportation, solid waste and recycling, electricity and global climate change.
Carbon Footprint Calculator www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx or
www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
Students can calculate their family’s impact on the environment, learn about home solutions for reducing CO2 emissions, and find out about Carbon Offsetting Programs that are taking place worldwide.
America Recycles Day www.americarecyclesday.org
Learn why recycling is important and how it works. Try the “Conversionator” to calculate the impact of your recycling. Download resources for organizing and promoting an America Recycles Day event in your school or community.
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