For School Age

Aquatic Waste: Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic litter the ocean, creating microplastics and massive garbage patches. Dive into the environmental and financial consequences of ocean plastic pollution and learn about solutions that help protect our waterways. Students will have the opportunity to build and test out their own aquatic waste collection device.

Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: Focusing on energy and natural resource conservation; students will play a boardgame designed by W. Cleanways that follows the stages of a plastic bottle’s life cycle, starting as oil and ending as a recycled product (hopefully).

The ABCs of MRF (Material Recovery Facility): What happens to your recycling after it is picked up by the recycling truck?  Become sorters on the recycling line and experience the journey that recycled items take from the recycling bin to the manufacturing plant.  

Backyard Composting, an Introduction: Learn the basics of composting and discover the connection between kitchen scraps/yard waste and developing healthier soil for plants.

Garbage Pizza: Working in groups, students will construct a three-dimensional pie chart representing the Municipal Solid Waste discarded in the United States per year (garbage pizza).  Using the pizza as a visual, students will analyze the chart to brainstorm waste reduction solutions.

I Want to Be Recycled: Learn what items can be recycled curbside and the new materials that can be created by recycling them. Based on the age and the available space, the presentation may include a Recycling Relay Race or Recycling Hot Potato. (Will only present in areas with curbside recycling programs.)

Landfill Anatomy: What happens to your garbage after it is picked up by the garbage truck?  What are the environmental impacts of landfills, and what structures are in place to limit that impact?  Students will build miniature landfills of their own design and test their soundness.

Litter IQ Board: Students will explore the environmental impacts of litter and learn practical ways to help prevent it. Using an interactive display board developed by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, participants will match common litter items with their correct decomposition times to build awareness of how long litter remains in the environment.

Paper Recycling: Examine the importance of paper recycling and the steps involved in the process.  During the presentation each student will make a piece of recycled paper. (Access to running water is necessary.)

Race for Survival Litter Relay Race: A relay race, in which the students imagine they are animals and must collect food to survive. Survival becomes harder in each round as the animals get entangled in litter.  

REDUCE, REUSE: Students explore where garbage goes after it leaves our homes and classrooms while learning simple ways to reduce waste and reuse materials. Depending on age level and available space, students will participate in hands-on activities by either playing instruments made from reused materials or using repurposed items in interactive games. 

Recycle is Right: Students will become contestants on a game show similar to the Price is Right.  During the game an overview of proper waste management practices, and the 3Rs will be covered. 

Recycling IQ Board: Learn how recycling gives new life to everyday materials. Through a hands-on matching activity using an interactive display board developed by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, students will pair common recyclable items with the new products they can be made into while gaining a better understanding of the recycling process.

Roll of the Die Litter Game: Plastic bottles can be landfilled, recycled, reused or littered.  Students will play a W. Cleanways designed game in which the roll of a die decides what avenue the bottle will take. 

Vermicomposting: Learn about the benefits of composting and the practice of composting kitchen scraps using redworms.  Students will observe a functioning worm bin and have a chance to meet the worms living in it.   Interested groups or classrooms can also “worm sit” the bin for up to a month.

The What and Why of Recycling: Students play a W. Cleanways designed game similar to the boardgame Taboo.  Players attempt to guess a series of recycle themed words based on clues provided by their teammates.  The game focuses on different recyclable materials with discussions about the importance of recycling between each round.