Classroom Presentations

Our Recycle Right presentation teaches students how to properly sort their waste by helping them identify which items can and cannot be recycled in their household recycling carts. Students learn to recognize common materials—such as paper, metal, plastic, and glass—and explore how these materials connect back to valuable natural resources.

A key component of the presentation is the 5 R’s of Waste Reduction:
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot.
Students discover how each of these practices protects the environment and reduces the amount of waste sent to the landfill.

After learning the basics of recycling, students participate in hands-on activities designed to reinforce the concepts, deepen understanding, and build real-life sorting skills.

This presentation is offered in two age-appropriate formats:

• Elementary School Version: Highly visual, interactive, and foundational.

• Middle & High School Version: Includes deeper discussion, critical thinking, and real-world application.

Our goal is for every student to leave empowered to make environmentally responsible choices at school, at home, and in their community.

Meet Our Decomposers is our most popular and interactive classroom presentation. We begin with a brief overview of what a landfill actually is—and we make sure students learn that a landfill is NOT a dump. Students also learn about methane gas, why it forms in landfills, and which materials (like food scraps and yard waste) produce the most methane when buried.

From there, we explore how to reduce methane emissions by keeping organic materials out of the landfill through composting. This leads naturally into a discussion about vermicomposting, or composting with worms.

Students are introduced to our hardworking red wiggler worms and learn that the worms can’t make compost alone—they rely on an entire community of decomposers! We share fun facts about each type of decomposer and explain the important role they all play in breaking down organic material.

The presentation concludes with a hands-on exploration of our compost boxes. Students can observe, discover, and interact with the decomposers. They may choose to gently touch the organisms or simply look closely using magnifying glasses. Our staff guides the exploration, ensuring a safe, engaging, and curiosity-driven experience.

This presentation can be tailored for all ages, from preschool through adults, making it a flexible and impactful lesson for any classroom or community group.

Learn About Landfills offers students a deeper, behind-the-scenes look at how a modern landfill is designed, built, and operated. While our Meet Our Decomposers presentation provides a brief introduction to landfills, this session goes further to help students understand the full system that manages our region’s waste.

Students learn about the major components of our landfill, including:

• Materials Recovery Center (MRC): Where recyclables and recoverable materials are sorted and processed.

• Active Face: The main disposal area where trash is compacted and carefully managed.

• Composting Facility: Where organic materials—like food scraps and yard waste—are transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

• Depackager: Specialized equipment that separates food from packaging, allowing organic material to be composted instead of landfilled.

We also explore the gases associated with landfills, including how methane and other emissions form, and the mitigation systems we use to protect both people and the environment—such as gas collection wells, liners, monitoring systems, and safe operational practices.

To broaden students’ understanding of the waste sector, the presentation also highlights career pathways and jobs within the waste and recycling industry, helping students see the wide range of opportunities in this essential field.

This presentation is ideal for elementary through high school audiences and can be tailored to meet grade-level learning goals.

Our Careers in the Waste Industry presentation introduces students to the wide range of professions that keep our waste, recycling, and composting systems running smoothly. Designed for classroom settings or Career Fair events, this presentation helps students see that the industry involves far more than just the “garbage man.”

Students learn about many different career paths—from equipment operators, mechanics, and environmental technicians to educators, engineers, chemists, accountants, and administrative professionals. We discuss:

• What each job does and how it supports the community

• Required education or training, including certificates, degrees, and on-the-job learning

• Potential salaries and real earning opportunities

• Benefits and career growth offered within the industry

This presentation helps students make informed decisions about their future by revealing the diverse, well-paying, and meaningful careers available in the waste sector.

Ideal for middle and high school students exploring career options, this presentation can also be adapted for elementary students to introduce them to the many ways people work to protect the environment and support their community.

This presentation helps students understand why plastic has become one of the most significant environmental challenges of our time. Students learn how plastic is made, why it never truly goes away, and how it harms wildlife, oceans, and communities when it becomes pollution.

We explore the difference between single-use and reusable plastics and discuss why recycling alone cannot solve the growing plastic problem. Students also learn about the **5 R’s—Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot—**and how making simple choices, like refusing unnecessary plastics, can have a big impact.

Hands-on activities reinforce key concepts and help students connect their everyday habits to global environmental issues, empowering them to make smarter choices and become part of the solution.