Both 4/5 classrooms had the chance this month to visit the Recology transfer station, where San Francisco’s green, blue, and grey/black bins arrive daily to be processed for compost, recycling, and landfill. Students first participated in two classroom activities involving sorting materials into the different bins and following a milk carton’s journey from the forest to either the grey/black bin or the blue bin. We learned that if we toss a milk carton into the bin destined for landfill, we create a linear system that needs to be restarted from a natural resource each time we need a new milk carton. In contrast, if we toss a milk carton into the bin destined for recycling, we create a circular system where the used cardboard can be remade into a new milk carton ad infinitum, which helps protect and sustain our natural resources.
Students then went on a walking tour of several Recology Artist in Residence studios where artists use materials scavenged from the dump and breathe new life into them as public art. We walked through the public disposal building, where we saw old refrigerators, TVs, styrofoam blocks, sofas, and much more! Recology educators will come to Harvey Milk for follow-up visits with the students and have invited the fourth and fifth graders to participate in the Department of the Environment’s upcoming Climate Action Youth Summit in April.
