Science 4: Waste Management

This CBC news video discusses the problem of waste in Canada

Today, we're going to explore the dark side of these seemingly harmless materials that have become an everyday part of our lives.

The Story of Bottled Water describes the environmental and financial impact of using bottled water instead of tap water.

Part 2 of the Story of Stuff. Learn how we can change our attitudes to build a more sustainable world.

Learn how things are made and the hidden costs that you don't see when you buy stuff.

This hands-on card game was designed to use with youth in North America and Europe. It helps participants understand how local water, sanitation, and hygiene practices impact health and the environment.

Use these activities and games to facilitate group understanding of water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Kai uses a cool river diorama to show a mini water cycle — and how when pollution gets into our water

This animated video takes you on a tour of a modern landfill and how it’s constructed and managed.

Learn how a wastewater treatment plant to take yucky water and turn it back into clean drinking water

Edmonton has had a landfill gas operation since 1992 and it was the first in Western Canada to turn old garbage into a new resource.

Learn about how water is treated at municipal water treatment plants.

The modern landfill is more than what meets the eye. These state-of-the-art facilities are designed and constructed to protect the environment.

Curious as to what happens to your waste and recycling once it's picked up? A city in Florida made this video to show you the work they do.

A clearly written guide to waste management programs. There is lots of useful information on this page.

An new technology invented in Edmonton might change how we clean water around the world.

Waste that isn't recycled or reused, go to a landfill. What happens to it then?

EWMC is a collection of waste processing facilities. Garbage, food scraps and recycling collected from homes are processed here.

Learn what items in your home are recyclable in Edmonton.

Information from the City of Calgary about their waste management system for Calgarians.

Students can learn all about the recycling and waste management program in Grande Prairie county on this site.

Student in Wood Buffalo can learn about the waste and recycling programs in their communities.

A brand new young Cree superhero stars in Messages From Mother Earth, an 8-part video series for elementary school kids created in consultation and collaboration with Indigenous artists, elders and culture keepers.

Learn how Calgary's recycling facility sorts all the items from blue carts and community recycling depots to be turned into new products.

In this video, you'll learn what should and should not be recycled.

This read-a-long video tells students about how their actions can help save more trees.

Recycling is a lot more complicated than it first appears. It's no wonder it's so confusing! Related Lesson

Scientists have discovered a new way to break down plastics. Plastivores organisms that have evolved to eat plastic using enzymes in their bodies

Learn about how some organisms break down waste. Why do they do that?

There are messy carnivores who don’t clean their plates and other animals that drop… other stuff…so what happens to all of it?

How to make a Worm Bin! Vermicomposting is easy and great to do in a classroom to learn more about decomposition

You'll learn about the three types of organisms in the food chain and see lots of examples of each type

When it comes to a spot of mold on bread or cheese, it's ok to eat it if you just cut off the moldy part right? Right? Um... not so much

Each day, the animal kingdom produces a LOT of poop! You can thank the humble dung beetle for cleaning up the world by eating a lot of it! Related Lesson

Consumers are animals that get their energy by eating plants or other animals.Who eats plants? Who eats other animals? Are there animals that eat both?

Learn about how worms can change our garbage into something useful!

Help clean up the park. You'll need to sort the garbage and recycle.

Plasticity is a hauntingly beautiful puzzle-platformer about a plastic-ridden world and the choices you make to save it. This free interactive resource contains 20-60 min of content

This is an interactive game from the City of Edmonton. Try this waste sorting game - sort the materials correctly and win fun items to build your own digital park!

While household chemicals can be useful, they are dangerous if not used and stored properly. They can even be poisonous!

Leftover paint, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizer, and other household hazardous wastes can be hazardous, and should never be disposed of through your drains!

From ideas about less toxic alternatives, to information about how to dispose of old hazardous waste, learn how to make your home a safer place.

On this page, you'll find a chart of the hazardous materials pictograms used in Canada to alert you to danger.

A useful guide to setting up a vermicomposting system safely indoors.

Students will learn about water treatment and the challenges faced by indigenous communities.

6 one hour weekly modules in the classroom combined with at-home superhero missions cover a range of waste reduction topics. Teachers must create a free account to access.

In this activity, students will inquire about the conditions needed to create an ideal vermicompost.