Landfill lessons

guest commentary from the Sebastian County Regional Solid Waste Management District

Gary Lawrence, the environmental officer for the Sebastian County Regional Solid Waste Management District and educational coordinator for EccoPartners, along with “EccoFrog” (The environmental frog) are bouncing into a classroom near you. 

Asking the question, “Do you know how long it takes an aluminum can to be recycled and be back in the store?” Or, “How long it will take a Banana peel to decompose?” We also like to ask teachers if they know how long it will take a foam coffee cup to decompose in our landfill? Do you know why we use the frog as our mascot?

We are teaching your children the three “R”s, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. The district hopes the children will take the knowledge home and teach their parents the three “R”s.  Do you know what the three “R”s are?
• Reduce by buying and using less. “Precycle” by purchasing products in packaging that can be easily recycled.
• Reuse containers and products. Repair or pass items on to others that can use them too.
• Recycle as much as possible, which includes buying products with recycled contents.

The goal of the District is to create a home that recycles in Sebastian County. The more people who utilize recycling reduces the waste going into our landfills and extends the life span of our landfill. This action creates a cleaner and healthier environment for Sebastian County residents and surrounding areas.

It takes much time in preparing the program. The education team for the District meets to order educational materials, teaching aides and surprises for the children. A letter is sent to each of the schools in Sebastian County inviting their participation. Scheduling of the program requires coordination with school administrators and our staff to finalize dates for each school’s educational program. The team puts together an individual packet that is given to each child. This packet contains an activity book about recycling, a pencil made from recycled material, a ruler made from recycled plastic, and a bookmark with tips for recycling. Last but not least the district uses a little frog to remind them about their learning experience.

Lawrence and EccoFrog then present the “Do the Right Thing” program to the children. Lawrence teaches the children why it is important to use the three “R”s, and how to recycle aluminum (soft drink cans), clear plastics (water & soft drink bottles), newspaper, cardboard and milk jugs. This is to reinforce the importance of extending the life span of our landfill.

Some items still belong in the garbage such as pizza boxes, old photographs, and wax coated cardboard that people receive food products via mail. These are just a few examples and we educate the children on why these items are trash and not recyclable.  We encourage the kids to involve their parents in a game at home to make it a challenge to see how much they can reduce the size of their weekly garbage pick-up by recycling!

We also tell the children how long a soda can, will stay in the landfill. By the way it will stay up to 500 years. He will play the “Mr. Cool” DVD showing recycling tips. Then Ecco bounces into the classroom where he interacts with the children. The children get a chance to get a hug and maybe get a photo with “EccoFrog.” The total assembly time of 30 minutes is one the children in your school will not forget!

By the way, it takes 60 days for the aluminum to be recycled and back in the store, a banana peel will take up to 6 months to decay, and  it takes 20 years for a foam coffee cup to decompose in our landfill. We use the frog as our mascot because frogs are an indicator species for the environment.

Lawrence and EccoFrog will many Fort Smith elementary schools between Sept. 16 and Oct. 2.

If you are interested in scheduling a program for your school, please contact EccoPartners a division of Sebastian County Regional Solid Waste Management District at 452-4101 or 452-4129. Our staff is looking forward to hearing from you.