By Braden Weinel//
Students in an Honors 201 class exploring climate change got the chance to learn outside of the classroom when they visited the Frederick County Division of Solid Waste and Recycling on Oct. 28.
Annmarie Creamer, the recycling program analyst for Frederick County, gave the students a bus tour of the 500-acre property, which includes a waste and recycling transfer station, the old county landfill and the current county landfill.
Throughout the tour, Creamer shared many facts and statistics and answered questions from the students and professors. The students learned a lot about the recycling and waste processes that take place right here in Frederick County.
“I thought the field trip was a good change of pace from normal class,” sophomore Caroline Roberts said. “I think a walking tour would’ve been better just so we could see up close how things work. However, it was more intriguing than learning in the classroom.”
In Frederick County, the average person produces seven pounds of waste per day. With the county’s increasing population, the landfills are filling up even quicker.
After the first landfill was covered in 1997, the county government seized a dairy farm using eminent domain and used the property to create a new landfill. The new land was projected to hold enough waste for the next century. After five years, it began to reach capacity.
Creamer told the class that Frederick County will not be approved to create a new landfill when the current one is filled. Creamer suggested that individuals can try to limit the amount of waste they produce to slow the filling of the landfill.
Despite the quick piling of trash, Frederick County has a 42% recycling rate, 8% above the national average.
Most of the waste brought in from the residents of Frederick County goes right back out. Recyclable materials go to Howard County and trash goes to a mega-landfill in Green Castle, Pennsylvania.
The Honors students recently watched a documentary in class about a mega-landfill in Brazil. This field trip allowed them an opportunity to experience first-hand what they’ve been learning about all semester.
Be the first to comment