SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The Solid Waste Education Department provides a variety of education programs to Bergen County schools and civic groups. These programs include classroom recycling and waste reduction programs for all grade levels including pre-K. Civic group programs are generally geared towards Senior Citizen Groups, Women's Clubs, Libraries and Environmental Groups. Public education programs include the following:

Classroom Presentations

Presentations are available for pre-k through grade eight students. Each of the six classroom programs available has been developed for a specific age group or grade level. Information presented within that program is introduced so those specific educational objectives, consistent with that particular age group, are achieved.

Listed below are the educational programs and their targeted grade level:

• Roxy the Recycling Raccoon - (Pre-K to Grade 1) Through the use of a raccoon puppet, shadow boxes, a garbage can and a recycling box children experience a visual as well as verbal explanation as to what materials can and should be recycled. Students become "garbage detectives" in order to help Roxy the Recycling Raccoon eliminate "recyclables in the garbage." This program is approximately 1/2 hour long.
  
  
• Michael Learns to Recycle - (Pre-K to Grade 1) This unique felt board story was developed to teach primary grade level students about the importance of the three R's, "reduce," "reuse," and "recycle." Young students are introduced to a boy named Michael who is surprised when his "Garbage Can" talks to him as he puts out the family garbage. Michael then meets "Happy Can," "Picklepus," and "Glasper Jasper," who explain what happens to materials that are recycled and how young students can make less garbage. This story has 2 versions--depending upon the age level of the audience--and can range in length from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
  
  
• Why Should Kids Care About Garbage? - (Grades 2 to 5) With the aid of worksheets and bags of "garbage," students are introduced to the "3 R's" - reduce, reuse, recycle (with reduce and reuse being the focal points) - and come to understand how all three words are important components of solving our solid waste disposal problems. This 45-minute program consists of some lecturing, but focuses mainly on challenging kids to think of ways that they, as children, can effectively make a difference in reducing the amount of solid waste produced at home, at school and at play. Emphasis is placed on ways to reduce waste in school at lunchtime.
  
  
• What's Wrong With My Garbage? - (Grades 2 to 5) This program focuses on the role that children play in making garbage and shows them ways that they can counteract this by turning them into "garbologists." The program features discussions on garbage, landfilling, incineration, recycling, composting, reducing (solid waste), choices and decisions that can be made, the power of the consumer (even as a child) and closing the recycling "loop." It is presented to the students by a speaker who comes prepared with a bag of "clean garbage." This program is approximately 45 minutes in length.
  

• Wonderful Working Worms - (appropriate for Pre-K through Adult audiences) A traveling composting bin, complete with red worms, which explores the world of composting and examines the difference between worm composting (which can be done indoors) and outdoor composting. Classroom teachers will be able to request worms from this bin after our presentation, in order to begin their own "worm bin." This program ranges from 1/2 to 1 hour in length depending upon the age of the audience.
  
  
• What's In My Trash? - (Grades 6 to 8) This program is designed to make students aware of how much of their everyday garbage consists of "product packaging." Presenter comes with a typical bag of trash and students participate in a mini "trash audit," enabling them to draw their own conclusions about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.
  
  
• Bring Your Own Bag - (adults) This program talks to adult civic groups about overpackaging (using props), the plastics identification system, packaging alternatives, and encourages residents to remember when shopping that if the packaging they bring home is not being recycled in the town in which they live, it becomes garbage. Composting is also discussed, with the program culminating in a "REACT" mode and entertaining questions.
  

For further information about these programs or to schedule a program, please contact Lori Russo, Solid Waste Education/Technical Advisor at (201) 807-8692.

Civic Group Presentations

Available to any civic or community-based organization. Programs include a speaker who comes prepared with props and focuses on one of the following topics: Composting, Environmental Shopping or Recycling/Waste Reduction.

Environmental Shopping

A program developed for the average consumer focusing on ways to shop with the environment in mind (i.e. reduced packaging, packaging recyclability, etc.). The program can be done on-site or in a cooperating supermarket.

Education Assistance

Education staff members are also available to assist students, teachers, administrators and/or entire school districts in the areas of:

• Providing educational material and/or resources on recycling and other solid waste management issues.
• Providing assistance in the incorporation of recycling and waste reduction education into existing curriculum.
• Providing assistance in initiating a recycling/waste reduction program or enhancing/improving an existing program for individual schools, organizations and school districts.
  

For information about any of the education or assistance programs, please contact Lori Russo, Solid Waste Education/Technical Advisor at (201) 807-8692.