Where does our trash go?
Objective: To learn the importance of responsibly disposing your trash and how
it effects the earth.
Duration: 20 minutes
Supplies:
 Aluminum trays
 Spray bottles
 Blue food dye
 Plastic bag
 Newspaper
 Small wrappers/trash
Pre-Activity Questions:
1. Where does the trash go when you throw it away?
a. The trash in Dorchester goes to landfills in Charlestown and
Haverhill
2. Has anyone ever been to Pope John Paul Park by the Neponset Circle?
a. Pope John Paul Park used to be a landfill. Over time, a cap was put
on the park so that the garbage underneath can settle. It was left to
“be green” and became a park. Because of the landfill underneath,
no buildings can be put on the park.
b. The same thing goes for Millennium Park in Roxbury.
3. Where does trash go when it’s on the ground?
a. The trash eventually leads into a water stream
Model/Activity:
 Crumble up pieces of newspaper and put into aluminum tray
 Cut the plastic bag in half and lay it over the newspaper
 Let it rain! (Spray the tray with water from the spray bottle)
Questions
1. What happens when you spray the water?
a. All the water collects at the bottom in one space (called a
watershed)
b. The Neponset River is an example of a water shed, and the Charles
River also has one
Activity:
 Sprinkle scraps on the model

Spray again
Questions:
 What happens to the trash?
o All the trash collects at the watershed
o The paper breaks down, the plastic stays for a long time
 What can happen if the plastic (or other non-decomposable products) don’t break
down?
o Can get into the bodies of animals, contaminate our drinking water,
cost more money for government to clean the water (taking our tax
money)
 So, why should we properly dispose of our garbage?
Big Belly Solar Compactor Trash Bins
 Can put the same amount of trash in it as 4-5 regular trash bins
 Has reduced the amount of pollution from garbage trucks having to come
pick trash up
 Uses the same amount of energy as a little Christmas tree light bulb
How does it work?
 Throw your trash in like any other garbage can
 There’s a little waist basket on the bottom that gets filled up
 A sensor within the trash can senses when the basket is getting filled
 Using the solar power, a steel plate drops down to compact the garbage
 When the garbage is filled, a wireless chip within the garbage bag sends a
text message to a local garbage company, telling the garbage company its
location and need of pick-up.
 When the garbage can is filled, the front door won’t open anymore so the
public will not overflow the garbage can.