What goes into our landfill?

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This week two classes from Adam Robertson Elementary school and one class from Prince Charles Secondary School visited the Creston landfill to get an idea of what happens to our waste after we throw it away.  The students have learned all about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling, but they didn’t know about additional waste diversion strategies at the landfill.

At the Creston landfill, wood waste, yard waste, metals and old refrigerators/freezers are separated from the material that goes into the landfill.  The students were startled by the mountain of wood waste in the back waiting to be ground down for wood chips. They were also incredibly interested in what actually ends up in the landfill. Our tour guide, Nathan, is an operator, so he has seen first hand what goes into the landfill. He told us about how he’s seen Christmas presents still wrapped in wrapping paper and toys still in their packages in the landfill.  The students were aghast at such waste! Many students will go home and rethink what they are throwing away now that they have seen the landfill.