Getting rid of Rubbish

We were amazed at the landfill to learn of all the different ways we SHOULD dispose of our rubbish. Here's what we found out:


If you have a lot of tree branches, hedge clippings or garden waste, ask Connor or Amy what to do with it. They'll say that if you take it to the landfill it will be shredded and put onto the compost heap. The compost starts to steam as all the waste decomposes. People can buy the compost for their gardens - you never know, you may get your own tree branches back!

Mitchell and Chelsey had to think hard about what to do with the cardboard boxes that tomato sauce and some juices come in. They found out that the boxes have a lining on tin-foil on the inside and the cardboard has a plastic coating so it can't be recycled. It must go into the landfill to be compacted and covered with clean fill.

Batteries is another item that had us wondering. Elliot and Charmaine thought that you should just throw them in with the rest of the rubbish but that's not right. Batteries have acid in them and if thrown in the landfill, the acid may leak out and get into the soil, stream etc. There is a special bin over at the Dangerous Goods part of the landfill that all batteries should go in.

And did you know that any furniture, books, toys or anything else that you don't want but is too good to be thrown away can be given to the Recovery Store at the landfill. Angel and Darian found lots of interesting items that people could buy for a very cheap price.

The Green Island Landfill really is a very interesting place and it's doing a lot to recycle, reuse, reduce, repair and rethink how we dispose of our rubbish.

Landfill / Tip / Dump

We're not supposed to use the words 'tip' or 'dump' any more as today's places are a lot more environmentally friendly.

Most of us hadn't been to the Green Island landfill before and we were amazed at what could be reclycled and reused from our everyday rubbish. There were places to put cardboard, glass, tin cans and aluminium cans, all of which can be recycled. Then there was a huge area to put stuff that you didn't want anymore, like chairs, books, toys, old bikes etc, but was too good to throw away. People could come and buy all sorts of bits and pieces. Connor said that when he and his dad went to the landfill, they would come home with more stuff than they had taken!

The bus took us right up to the tip face where all the big machines were working and the trucks were dumping the rubbish. There was a huge machine that compacted all the rubbish and then they covered it with dirt. The dirt was to help keep the scavanging animals like cats, rats and mice out of the landfill.

We expected the landfill to be really smelly but it wasn't at all. They had pipes that took a special fragrance out to the edges of the pit and a fine mist was sprayed into the air.

Darian wanted to go to the sludge pit so Jenny, our guide, took us there and BOY! DID IT STINK!!! They cover the pit each day with coffee bean husks and this helps keep the smell down (a bit). We couldn't wait to get back on the bus & get out of there.

We were all quite impressed with the Green Island landfill.

3 Minutes Silence

Yesterday our class joined in a nation wide (New Zealand) initiative to remember all the children who have been abused. The recent death of a little girl from child abuse prompted the country to have a silent protest about child abuse. At 12 minutes past 12, we stopped what we were doing and joined others in silent thought. Why 12? Because, on average, 12 children a year die from child abuse.

Here are some of our thoughts:
"I feel very sad that people can do these things to little children."
"It makes me so angry - these little kids can't look after themselves."
"It makes me want to cry."

Miss Dillon, our principal, read us this poem

A People Place

If this is not a place where tears are understood,
Where do I go to cry?
If this is not a place where my spirits can take wing,
Where do I go to fly?
If this is not a place where my questions can be asked,
Where do I go to seek?
If this is not a place where my feelings are heard,
Where do I go to speak?
If this is not a place where you'll accept me as I am,
Where can I go to be?
If this is not a place where I can try to learn and grow,
Where can I just be me?

William J Crocker

Recycling

We are learning to recycle in our school this year.
We are seeing if our lunch boxes are destroying the planet.
So we are collecting all our rubbish up and then sorting them out. We are learning that even one piece of rubbish could make a difference. It could hurt an animal in the sea, it could suffocate a land animal, it could hurt a person if they stand on some glass. We can all make a difference by putting our own rubbish in the bin and recycling. We have learnt that you don't put gassy things in the rubbish as they might explode.