Landfills, Composting, and Solid Waste

Medium

What happens to a banana peel, a plastic bag, and a newspaper after you throw them away? Some materials break down in weeks. Others last for centuries. This project explores the difference. You build a compost column from plastic bottles and fill it with soil, fruit scraps, grass, newspaper, and plastic. Over two to four weeks you observe which items decompose (break down naturally) and which stay the same. You also sort everyday trash into four categories: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. By comparing your compost results to how real landfills work, you see why some waste creates problems like water contamination and methane gas.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering our waste can help keep our planet healthy.

Science Concepts Learned

Biodegradation

Biodegradation works on a timeline. Germs and fungi break down fruit scraps and newspaper in just weeks, but plastic resists breakdown for centuries. A compost column filled with mixed waste shows which items decompose and which stay the same over time.

Composting

In a compost pile, tiny living things break down food scraps and yard waste into rich soil. But not everything breaks down the same way. Fruit scraps and grass decompose in weeks, while plastic stays the same.

Decomposition

What happens to a banana peel, a plastic bag, and a newspaper after you throw them away? Some materials break down into soil in weeks. Others last for centuries. To see the difference, build a compost column from plastic bottles and fill it with soil, fruit scraps, grass, newspaper, and plastic. Over two to four weeks, you observe which items decompose and which stay the same.

Method & Materials

You will learn about landfills, composting, and incineration, and how they affect the environment. You will also play a game and learn songs to help you remember the importance of reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering our waste.

You will need two 2 liter plastic pop bottles, netting or mesh fabric, rubber band, classroom storage containers, plastic bags, soil, vegetable or fruit scraps, grass, newspaper, plastic and other garbage, aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper napkins, and fruit peel.

Kiwi Crate — hands-on STEAM project kits for ages 6–9, delivered monthly. (Affiliate link)

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Results

We can make a difference in the environment by reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering our waste. We can also learn about landfills, composting, and incineration to help us understand how our waste affects the environment.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting and unique because it combines learning about the environment with fun activities like playing a game and learning songs.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include composting different types of waste and comparing the results, or researching different types of incineration and their effects on the environment.