Composting Education program

Design team members: Tricia Enns, Marie-Andree Menard

Supervisor: Professor Murray Haight

Background

In 2006, 9,238,376 tones of waste from residential activities were disposed of in Canada, half of which contained organic material [1]. There are huge monetary and environmental costs associated with such high quantities of waste. Waste management contributes approximately 37% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in the world, the majority of which occurs when organic waste is trapped without air in landfill piles, causing it to  anaerobically break down[3]. 

Diverting organic waste for composting is a way of reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfills and incinerators [2]. By diverting this organic waste from the landfills to compost piles, the materials can break down aerobically, reducing their emission of CO2, CH4 and Nitrous Oxide [4]. Composting also has major economic benefits for both municipalities and individuals. When the environmental benefits of composting are put into economic terms, while considering operational costs, composting is the most economically viable method of waste reduction [5].

Only 27% of Canadians composted their waste in 2006, therefore diverting a meager 8% of total residential waste from landfills [2]. Although curbside collection is an effective program being instigated in many large cities across Canada, and many other composting systems are available, there is still a major education problem.  The lack of incentive for composting, and ignorance with regards to the benefits of diverting organic waste from landfills are the main reasons behind the enormous amount of waste the Canadian population produces.

Project description

The Ontario Ministry of Education recognizes the opportunity to educate the children to influence current and future generations on sustainable ways, and has incorporated an environmental aspect to the public school curriculum [23]. The Ontario Education Science and Technology Curriculum contains educational materials emphasizing systems and their interactions, and sustainability through protection of the environment and recycling methods, however composting is barely mentioned. It is up to schools, and teachers, on an individual basis, to teach the process of composting and its crucial part in a sustainable future. With limited resources provided by the Ontario Ministry of Education, and few online resources providing comprehensible information designed to educate a younger audience, it can be a difficult task.

To facilitate teacher’s task of incorporating lectures and activities on composting into their teachings, a user-friendly online resource for a unit encompassing composting information, handouts, and support materials meeting a number of grade three Ontario Education Science and Technology Curriculum specific expectations will be created.

Design methodology

The unit will be designed to not only discuss the working of composting, and its benefits for the environment, but will be comprised of a number of lectures, workshops, experiments, projects and assignments that will educate children about the entire life cycle of a plant from and back to earth.

Kids participating in the unit will be provided with a take-home composting bin where they will be asked to keep all organic waste from their home for a predetermined amount of time. This composting bin will be designed to show children the compositing process, while being light and hermetic for easy transportation.

The waste will then be taken back to school, where it will be transformed into humus. Children will actively participate in monitoring, and taking care of their own composting bin. They will investigate the process of composting, and learn about its potential to turn waste into soil. They will then learn about the soil composition, and the importance of different types of soils in the environment. Emphasis will be put on the impact of human actions on soils, and simple ways in which one can affect soils positively.

Once the composting process is complete, each child will seed a plant in its composting bin. As the plants grow, kids will observe the changes plants go through in their lifecycle. Teachings on the role of plants in the environment, and their importance to humans will be included. The impact of human activities on plants and how to take personal actions to minimize harmful effects to them will also be stressed in the unit.

The unit will be made available to all teachers through a website.  The website will be a reliable, easy-to-use resource for both teacher and their students and families. The website will be divided into two sections: “For Teachers” and “For Students and their Families”.

The “For Teachers” section will contain background information on composting for the teachers’ general knowledge, advise on how to approach composting with a classroom of grade three students, access to unit information, and additional support materials. The support materials provided on the website will include a link to a page where compost boxes for students can be ordered and work sheets, class activities, background material, and potentially even posters can be downloaded. The website will also advise teachers how they can link the composting unit to Ontario’s Environmental Curriculum, and how to easily care for a composting pile as a school.

The “For Students and their Families” section will contain games, challenges, and other fun ways to get students engaged in the composting process.