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At
the Dump
How Do Landfills Work?
Objective: You
will make a simulated landfill in a group of 3-5.
Vocabulary: Landfill, decompose,
organic, inorganic
The teacher will
provided these materials for each group: a large plastic soda bottle with top
portion removed or small aquarium, plastic to serve as a liner, soil (NOT POTTING SOIL --
it doesn't have the necessary microorganisms), sand or gravel (to absorb moisture),
charcoal (to prevent odors), toothpicks, spoons or scoops for pouring, water, a magnifying
glass or microscope and slides, cardboard.
Choose several organic and inorganic materials to be buried in the landfill. Two sets of identical materials
will be needed for each group. Suggestions: orange peel, apple core,
newspaper, glossy magazine paper, cardboard, cotton cloth, aluminum foil, etc.
Directions For Making A Simulated Landfill
WHAT TO DO:
1. Read the poem
"With a
Bump and a Thump It Ends Up at the Dump" by M.O. O'Connor aloud and discuss with your group/class where
things go when they are thrown away.
2. Explore the
following websites.
Landfill video
Interactive Landfill
Garbage Can Game
Profile of A Landfill
To return to this page, hit the
"back" button on your browser.
3. Discuss with
your group/class what happens to waste materials in the
landfill and discuss the meaning of decomposition.
4. Discuss with
your group/class the disadvantages of landfills
and brainstorm possible solutions to the problem of limited landfill space.
5. Investigate
the materials under a magnifying glass or microscope and predict which materials will
partially decompose and which will not decompose.
Write a hypothesis in the space provided on the worksheet.
6. Construct the
simulated landfill according to the directions.
7. Make sure to
date your worksheet and write down the objects you are burying.
8. After 10
days, uncover the objects from the top layer. Place them on a piece of cardboard and
observe them with a magnifying glass, and/or place samples on a slide and observe them
under a microscope. Log observations.
9. After 10 more
days, uncover the remaining layer of objects. Place them on a piece of cardboard and
observe them with a magnifying glass, and/or place samples on a slide and observe them
under a microscope. Log observations.
10. Complete the
worksheet for the Simulated
Landfill.
11.
Write an essay describing your conclusions, comparing objects to each
other, and noting the changes between identical objects in the simulated
landfill for 10 and 20 days.
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