Trash collection can be a hassle, especially out in the ocean. The second of four parts in the Adrift in a Sea of Plastic unit has pupils research plastic trash islands in marine ecosystems. They investigate why they occur and potential...

Students consider what garbage is and where it ends up. In this recycling instructional activity, students read excerpts from Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little as they consider methods to reduce wastefulness.

Students investigate solid waste. In this environmental instructional activity, students collect their own garbage for a day and analyze the weight and the percentage of recyclable items in their trash.

Students are introduced to landfills and the importance of reducing garbage. In this Earth Day lesson, students collect garbage they find on the ground. They take it back to a plastic bin and attempt to bury all the garbage only to find...

First graders identify items for trash or recycling. In this humans and trash lesson, 1st graders are given a piece of trash and must determine how an animal's habitat would be affected if the item was included. Students discuss how to...

Students work together to build a trash city. They collect items that would go into a landfill to help them build their city. They discuss ways to cut down on garbage.

In this trash lesson plan, students record how much trash their family throws away. Students then calculate how much trash they would make in 1 week and in 1 year.

Fourth graders examine how to deal with the amount of trash in their community. They discover alternate ways of managing waste. They develop their own solutions to the problem.

Focusing on where are garbage goes once we dispose of it, learners explore environmental concerns. Using a clear format, this lesson leads learners through a discussion of waste reduction, recycling, and composting. Then, they discuss...

Young scholars investigate the recycling program in Palm Beach County. In this recycling lesson, students discuss how garbage is processed and identify the proper color-coded bins to place recyclables in.

Both poetry analysis and waste disposal are more engaging topics for young readers with a worksheet to accompany the Shel Silverstein poem 'Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" from Where the Sidewalk Ends. Not only...

Four different activities focus on the amount of trash generated and how humans can better manage waste. Learners analyze two days' worth of household garbage, test materials for biodegradability, and rate recyclability of various...

Fourth graders examine the types of garbage that they collect on the playground. They collect the information in a spreadsheet and create a graph that displays the number of types of trash found. They design and monitor a playground...

Does everything in the trash can belong there? Conduct a waste audit with your class by collecting a day's worth of garbage, separating it into recyclables, non-recyclables, or food waste, and properly distributing what they find into...

Students collect and categorize solid waste produced in the classroom. They weigh the waste that has been collected over one week's time, and separate it into recyclable and non-recyclable waste. They talk about the role of engineers in...

Students explore how waste disposal has changed over time and what the current issues are.  In this disposal lesson students collect data and create graphs.

Students debate the pros and cons of police searching the trash of suspected drug dealers. Students collect background information, and students interview city officials and garbage collectors. Students develop a strategic plan for...

The objective of this lesson is to teach students about the importance of recycling. Initially, students have a chance to think about their impact on our planet by following the path that garbage takes. Students then learn about how...

More people, more garbage! Young environmentalists graph population growth against the amount of garbage generated per year and find a linear model that best fits the data. This is an older resource that could benefit from more recent...

Students brainstorm a list of objects that are thrown in the trash each day and come up with alternative uses for the trash. They design a 3-D poster to display their ideas to recycle and reuse items creately to personally erase waste.

Litter, garbage, and pollution are all addressed in a nice activity on waste and recycling. Learners discuss what litter is and how it affects the environment. Then, they sing a song about eliminating litter before going out on campus to...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, students examine what to do with waste as they plan and implement a strategy for controlling their school's trash.

Students investigate recycling. In this recycling instructional activity, students sort through recyclable items and place them in proper bins. Students explain their choice at the end of the activity.

Students research how trash is disposed of and make an edible landfill. In this trash lesson plan, students research proper trash disposal, and discuss how trash affects the community. Then they make an edible landfill.