Directions for Construction of Simulated Landfill 

In the container have students layer in order the following materials: 

• plastic (to simulate the liner in a sanitary landfill

• 10 cm sand or gravel (to absorb moisture)

• a thin (2cm) layer of moist charcoal (to prevent odors)

• 10 cm soil

• Layer the combination of organic/inorganic materials (make two parallel sections of materials by placing organic materials on one half and inorganic materials on the other).

• 5 cm soil

• Layer the combination of organic/inorganic materials (make two parallel sections of materials by placing organic materials on one half and inorganic materials on the other).

• 2 cm soil

• With toothpicks mark the location of the buried objects.

• Have students date their worksheets and note the objects they buried.

To simulate the conditions of a real landfill, it is important to press or pack each layer down firmly and to eliminate all empty spaces within the layers. 

Keep the simulated landfill in a sunny place and water as needed to keep the soil moist.