HBS Fifth Graders Tackle School Trash Audit

Do you know what’s in your trash? The fifth graders at Harriet Beecher Stowe School sure do!

This fall, as part of curriculum work developed in partnership between Brunswick teachers and BTLT/CREA educators, students have been exploring matter cycles. They’re digging into their school garden’s compost piles, learning what can and can’t be recycled, and discovering how landfills interrupt the natural cycling of materials.

To put their learning into action, the students took on a challenge: conducting their second annual breakfast trash audit. After emptying a full bag of breakfast waste onto the ground, they raced in teams to sort every item into buckets labeled landfill, compost, or recycling.

The results were eye-opening. From an entire bag of “trash,” only a softball-sized bundle actually needed to go to the landfill.

Hands-on activities like this make lessons come alive, helping students connect classroom concepts with real-world choices. BTLT is proud to support local educators in bringing engaging, place-based learning opportunities to our young environmental stewards!