Many of us say or have heard the statement: “Just throw it away” but where is away, exactly? This question, along with other wonders about how we can be more sustainable, was the focus of this amazing field trip.
Two Beyond Recycling classes embarked on this experience, Mme Russell’s Gr. 5/6 class from Twin Rivers Elementary and Mrs. Posnikoff’s Gr. 4/5 class from Robson Community School.
The first stop was the Ootichenia Landfill, where students learned the difference between a dump and a landfill. “Managing our waste has a lot to do with diversion and recycling” explains the Environmental Coordinator for RDCK. Students explored the recycling zone and then were back on the bus to tour the actual landfill site, an opportunity that the general public never gets to encounter. With the landfill site operator on the bus, students learned about how the actual waste is managed and organized. Students LOVED seeing the compactor in action and driving on top of decades of garbage! Key concepts such as mitigating leachate and extending the life span of the landfill were the focal-points. Did you know that the Ootichenia landfill has an estimated 90 yrs left in its life, as long as we keep recycling, composting, and resource rescue. This is compared to the 20 yrs of life span if it was operated as a “dump”. Wow!
Next stop was Selkirk College! We meet with the Sustainability Club Coordinator who showed us around campus, with a focus on all the sustainable operations. Projects such as the food-cycler being used in the culinary programs, which reduce a huge amount of organic waste, and in exchange fertilizes gardens and farms in the local area. What an amazing positive loop around food waste! Besides the college diverting waste through recycling, they also have committed to renewable energy through the sun. The college has 275 solar panels on site, very interesting to see! One student remarked on how “cool it was to see the inside of the college and how he might go there one day and get into environmental classes”!
Finishing off the day at the Return -It Depot really reinforced the opportunities for us consumers to keep our broken or unused electronics and small appliances out of the landfill. Students were shocked to see all the huge flat screen TV.s, lightbulbs, batteries and more, being accepted here, along with all the refundables. Hopefully students will pass on this information to their families and friends so we can continue to learn how to be a more sustainable community here in the west Kootenays.
Thank you to all our tour hosts and for all the Beyond Recycling students who had engaging questions. Also a big thank you to Mme Russell and Mrs. Posnikoff for supporting the students learning in Beyond Recycling.
