Responding to the BTN video, "Landfill"

Ref: "Landfill" http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3953606.htm

• Write some things you learnt
• Write some suggestions for addressing this issue
• Pose some questions to our vast array of readers
  
  
  Akuac - what I learnt from the b.t.n/behind the news is that they separate metal and glass from the pack of rubbish and they do this in a warehouse.Then they dig a hole 16 metre into the ground then put clay on the the side then they put rubbish dirt and they make layer then a big clump of dirt then they put plant on top.And when they are putting the rubbish into the hole they have a net so the rubbish doesn't come out and the net is  when the the net is over on top there are machine going on top and squishing it down so the rubbish doesn’t go out. When the rubbish break down in 50 year they can use the gases that comes out of it for energy.The energy that come out of landfill is called methane and they use it for electrical things. If you have food crap like vegetable gust put it in the compost or if you have a worm farm put it in there.    
   
  
  Lachlan B - after I watched this video I was amazed at how good it is that workmen are making a hole with clay on the sides and filling it with rubbish then soil and the plant shrubs and trees on top of the top thick layer of soil is just genius and  how environment friendly it is. But it may look like nothing but it is making such a big difference to our environment. So make sure you put your rubbish in the right bin. Plus does your family have a compost bin or a worm farm? Are you aware about where put your rubbish?   
  
  
  
  Will H- After I watched the behind the news video, I felt happy that we would soon be producing electricity, just by putting rubbish bins on the curb. I also learnt that some sites with trees and plants on it, actually have rubbish buried 16 meters below it, kind of like a fertiliser, that helps the rubbish decompose, and that there are 4 stages of rubbish.
  1. Thrown away
  2. Driven to Landfill
  3. Taken to a Landfill site, where it is:
  4. Buried, and has trees and grass planted over it.
  I enjoyed watching that video, and I hope that more people will learn the difference between recycling, and rubbish. Additional question: How many recyclable plastics do you have?
  
  
  Daisy - after I had watched the BTN (behind the News) video I realised  what happens with the waste we just throw away and forget about. The waste is taken to a warehouse and sorted into waste and recyclables and compressed, then it is taken to a big hole 16 metres into the ground and layered: clay, rubbish, dirt, rubbish, dirt and so on until it reaches about 3 metres until the ground is level and then a big chunk of soil is placed on top so then trees and plants can be planted on top of the rubbish.We can help prevent this from happening by reusing what we have got and upcycling our old things. How long do you think the people at the landfill can stay there before they have to move?
  Do you think this is a good idea to have it buried underground?
  
  Vivienne - In class, we watched a BTN about landfill. Landfill is a bunch of waste in an area that no one lives filled with methane and carbon dioxide. They first gather in the rubbish to flatten it so it will stay still, next they dig 16m deep and then they filled it with the waste, clay and the soil to make more plants. What I learnt today was that people use some of the waste to layered in with soil to use it for more plants. When people throw their rubbish away to landfill, it will take about 50 years until a bunch of new rubbish arrives. After watching the BTN video, we played a game that helps us where to put our rubbish.The game had a Waste and Landfill bin, a Recycle Bin, Organic bin, worm or compost bin and a kitchen bin. How many plants do you think can be produced from waste mix soil for a year?Will the way of planting with rubbish be use in the future still?
  
  Sienna - In class today we watched a BTN video about where rubbish goes and about what Landfill is. I learnt that the waste at the Landfill place can go under to 16 meters underground, there can be up to 8 layers of rubbish stacked on top of each other with a layer of soil in between. Once a layer is filled in trees, shrubs and grass can be planted over it. Landfills usually last for about 50 years before they have to find a new sight for our rubbish. After we watched the video we played a game teaching us which rubbish goes in the right bin. What you had to do in the game was you had pieces of rubbish, clothes, food scraps (things like that) and you would have six bins. The bins are Kitchen caddy, Worm farm, Organic bin, Recycle bin, Waste to landfill bin and compost bin. Then you would put the rubbish into the right bin. After watching this video and playing the rubbish game I understand a bit more about what we can do to help our environment. I would like to ask some Questions about rubbish: What is Landfill? What do you think is the long term impact of using landfills? What do You do to help save our Environment? If you would like to watch the video about Landfill here is the link http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3953606.htm.
  Caoimhe - In class today we watched a BTN video about the journey of rubbish to landfill and what landfill is. Rubbish starts of in our bins in our house then makes its way into our red lid bin which goes into the rubbish truck and the rubbish truck drives to the transfer station where the rubbish gets sorted out because some things can't go into landfill then the truck load up to travel to landfill. Landfill is a place where all of the rubbish goes into a 16 meter deep pit in the ground in the middle of nowhere usually where nobody lives every day the rubbish gets compounded down and once the pit is near full they put thick layer dirt over it and ready to forget all of the rubbish was ever there and the pit produces electricity for about 50 years.
  To help the situation be even better we could have a red recycle bin for plastic bags and flexible plastics just to make sure that none of them go into landfill or you could also see what goes in what bins so things that can be put in other bins instead of landfill. What do you think you could do to help the situation?

• Natasha - Today my whole class watch a BTN video called Landfill. I learnt that the waste gets baird 16 meters underground with 8 layers of rubbish with soil in between. Somethings you can do is to reuse plastic bags you get from the supermarket don’t throw them out reuse them for your nexts shop.You can get products with less packaging on it. What do you do to help the environment?   Do you have a worm farm, compost or recycling bins at your house?
• Will P - Today in class, we watched a video about landfill. We learnt all about the process of a piece of rubbish and how it ends up in the ground, I did not know that first everything goes to a place where they figure out if the rubbish can be recycled or not, the stuff that can’t be recycled, goes to the landfill site, where they bury it 16 metres under the ground! Then once they’ve covered it with a very thick layer of dirt, they plant trees on top, to breathe in the carbon dioxide that the rubbish makes. But carbon dioxide is not the only gas that it produces, it also produces methane and that is pretty bad, but in some countries, methane is used to make electricity, so that is the goal now for Australia. We also learnt which bins to use for different objects. I believe that if they can figure out how to turn methane into electricity, then Australia will be all good! What do you think is a good suggestion, to making landfill more environment friendly? Visit http://willpsl.global2.vic.edu.au/ to find out more and look around!
• Elisa - Today we watched a BTN video on how rubbish makes its way to landfill. First we put the rubbish in the bin, then it gets collected by the rubbish trucks, the rubbish trucks then take the rubbish to landfill. Landfills are usually far away from where people live because of the space they need for the rubbish. I learnt from the video that the waste it berried 16 metre under the ground. There is about 8 layers of rubbish in that space with a layer of soil in between. Landfills usually last for about 50 years before they have to find a new site for the rubbish. After we finished watching the video we played a drag and drop game to put the right things in the right bins. The bins we had in the game were a rubbish bin, recycling bin, organic bin, compost bin, worm farm and kitchen caddy. We had to think of it as real life and which bin things can go in. But a question we need to be asking ourselves is how can we reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill? Some things we can do to minimise the things ending up at landfill are reducing, reusing and recycling. 
• Will B - Today in class we watched a btn (Behind The News), it was about landfill, and how they make sure it doesn't fly off into the ocean, at first, you put your rubbish in your bin, then a big truck comes by your house and picks it up, and then the truck, once it is full, goes to the transfer station where Metals, cardboards and concrete is pulled out, The remaining waste gets loaded up into a truck and driven to a landfill site about an hour out from the city where it is then put into a pile with other rubbishes and driven over to keep it from not flying away, then it is put into a huge hole and buried 16 meters under the ground, it is stacked, some landfill, soil, landfill, soil, and it continues, for a few stacks, these piles last about 50 years. Look at your emails... 
• Ryan - Today we watched  a video called “landfill” and it talked about the rubbish and where it’s goes. It was very interesting and I learnt a lot from it. I Learnt that they put the rubbish 16 meters under ground cover it with dirt. This is so the plants and trees can grow and that if someone would dig down they probably wouldn’t reach to where all the rubbish is.The annoying part is that they need to get new landfills because in about 50 years they have no room to put the rubbish in the large hole. Maybe in future they will uses the  methane gases coming out of the landfill like other countries they use the gases to make electricity. We can also try giving more of our old clothes to op shops so they can give the clothes to other people. I wonder if we'll ever find a more sustainable way to get rid of our rubbish.

Brandon C - Today we watched a video about landfill. It was surprising that tips or dumps aren't how we think they are. When you put your rubbish in the bin the truck picks it up and takes it to a “warehouse” like building and different machines take out recyclable objects and banned objects. Then it goes into another truck and it gets taken to the tip or the dump. When it gets there, the trucks dump its load into a 16 metre hole in the ground, which gets flattened by a machine and then the cycle happens again. Each layer in the hole gets flattened and a layer of soil gets put over this rubbish. Then the hole is almost filled the put a chunk of soil over it and grows plants and trees which is a good thing, but when the rubbish decomposes it lets off methane, which is bad. One good thing is that we can make electricity out of the methane that's produced, in the future.

Jack C - Today we watch a video on landfill, it was really interesting because people made a pit 16 meters underground and they put rubbish then soil then rubbish and the it keeps going on and on like that. It was really cool because we think that Tips And Dumps are bad for the environment but really they help us because they sort recyclables and non-recyclables which is helping us lot. we found out that one tip/dump usually last for 50 years! (http://www.westtorrens.sa.gov.au/WTORWebFile/Drag_drop/Drag-drop.html) 

• Bridie - Today we watched a video on landfill. Landfill is a site where rubbish that  can’t be recycled is dumped. Before today it has been a big problem because it was just a site where rubbish was dumped and rubbish could fly off anywhere. People are creating new landfill sites that are 16 metres underground. They are digging holes, putting a layer of clay around the edges, putting a layer of rubbish and then a layer of soil that continue until the hole is full and then they put an extra big layer of soil on top and they plant some trees and plants on top. This way the rubbish can decompose without flying off and it is not a big mess and people can never know these sites existed after they are filled in. When the sites have been going for a while they will be able to produce electricity and energy from the carbon dioxide and methane gas that the rubbish produces when it is decomposing. The sites will be able to be used for about 50 years and then they will have to find a new site. These new sites are a great idea because we will be able to create electricity without burning coal. They are also a great idea because there won’t be rubbish flying everywhere polluting the earth and killing loads of animals. Do you think these new landfill sites are a good idea?
• Riley G - Today we watched a video talking about which sort of rubbish goes in which bin and where the rubbish ends up. I learnt about how the gas coming from the landfill can be used as electricity. I also learnt that they put nets around the rubbish so it doesn't blow away and the birds don't eat it but sometimes they find a way to get the rubbish. They also big a big hole in the ground and but rubbish in it and then put a chunk of soil on top so plants can still grow there. They don't put glass or any kind of metal in the ground because it takes to long to e and they can also use it for other things. I also didn't know that they used trucks to squish the rubbish to minimize the size. I also did not think that they would look for rubbish that is in the wrong bin but they do. The technology has really helped minimize the amount of rubbish  going to landfill and has also made new ways to recycle rubbish. People are now realizing how much this problem can hurt the environment and trying to find a solution. I really hope in five years there with be a solution to stop making so much rubbish.   
• Jasmine- Today we watched a BTN video on landfill. It was all about learning where our rubbish that we put in the bin, and where it goes. When we put our rubbish in the bin big trucks pick it up each week and drive it to a transfer station, that is home to many seagulls. At the transfer station some of the recyclables and rubbish that can’t go into landfill is taken out by machines. The remaining waste is compacted into trucks and taken away to landfill sites which can be hours in the truck to the outback. It is then chucked on a site with a net covering it to keep birds out and rubbish in. Then the landfill compactor pushes  down into smaller and compacted lines of rubbish. The other option which some landfill sites do is fill it in a 16 metre hole that has layers of soil and rubbish. Then it is layered with a big layer of soil and trees are planted. The rubbish still releases landfill gas which is methane gas and carbon dioxide. Methane gas can be turned into electricity. The carbon dioxide can be absorbed by the planted trees. The clay is around the rubbish keeps the rubbish from getting into the ground. These landfill sites can be used for 50 years but then they have to find other spaces. I think that this way to improve what we do with landfill is good but we still need to reduce the amount of rubbish we put into the waste bin in our homes. We can do this by recycling, using the garden waste bin and putting food scraps and other things into the compost. We can upcycle and reuse things that are not completely useless. We can also not use plastic bags and take old clothes to op shops. What do you think about landfill? And What are you going to do about it? 
• Maria- Today we watched a video about landfill and the process of rubbish going to the landfill. I learnt that after the rubbish is taken from our bins it is taken to a transfer station this were the amount of rubbish going to landfill is reduced by these type of trucks that take out the recyclables and pulls out materials that are bad for the landfill. The truck also pulls out lot of concrete,steel, a lot of metals and cardboard. The leftover are then taken to landfill. At the landfill sites the trucks take out the rubbish and pour it out then there are two truck the bulldozer which pushes   the rubbish where it's meant to be,then the landfill compactor which drives over the waste making sure it's properly compacted. At the landfill sites there is a net that makes sure that bird don't get in and that the waste doesn't go out.The waste is buried 16 metres underground the landfill can have up to 8 layer of rubbish and in between is small layers of soil , when the landfill is full they put lots and lots of soil on top then you are able to grow trees on top. The waste is surrounded by clay. Did you know that a landfill site can last for about 50 years? After we watched the video we played a game. In the game their were 6 different bins- kitchen caddy bin,worm farm, composting,organics,recycle and waste for the landfill. There were a few object you could choose from to put in a bin.There was some food scraps,steel cans, glass, and more. It was very fun and education. I have a question for thought - how do you have an impact on the environment and how could you be helping reduce landfill?
• Ava - Today My class watched a btn video, btn stands for behind the news and the video was about rubbish and how the rubbish goes to landfill. From that video I learnt that steel does not go to landfill. I also learnt that landfill sites can last for 50 years. After we watched the video we played a game called drag and drop we played that game as a class and we played that to learn about what items go into the right bin. There was a recycling bin, Organic Bin, compost bin, worm farm and a waste to landfill bin. From that game I learnt that T Shirts go into the waste to landfill bin. 
• Brandon P - Today we watched a video about landfill and how the government deals with it, First they take it to somewhere that they can sort through all the rubbish and take out things like glass and other rubbish that takes thousands of years to decompose. Next they get trucks to take the sorted rubbish to the landfill site, Then they start by digging a huge 16 metre hole in the ground so it is hard to just find that it used to be a landfill site, After that they put clay around the outsides of it to stop it from leaking through into the soil and affecting it, Then they get a huge truck and drive over the rubbish to try and squish it down, Then they put it into the hole and layer it with soil. However after about 50 years they move the landfill site so they plant trees on top of the buried garbage so when the rubbish starts decomposing the trees suck up all the carbon dioxide and turns it into oxygen. It also puts out methane after awhile they will actually be able to use for electricity. We also played a game about putting rubbish in the right bin, It was really fun but it was pretty creepy when you put the rubbish in the right bin because the bin would eat it and make a really loud burp sound. If you had a say what would you do with Australia’s rubbish? Do you think the current rubbish disposal method is adequate? 
  
  Angus~Today we watched a BTN on Landfill and how it affects Australia and the World. I learnt that Clothing items go to Landfill. I also learnt about how Landfill works. First they dig a 16 metre deep hole,Then they fill it up with a layer of rubbish then a layer of dirt until it's almost full,Then they Put dirt onto all the rubbish and plant trees and grass.But after 50 years of this in the site they have to move. This Landfill system puts loads of gas into the air which causes climate change which is destroying the world. Rubbish moves to Landfill by starting on an item then we unpackage this item and throw our rubbish into the bin.Then these bins are emptied into bigger bins. The big Bins make their journey to the footpath where Garbage trucks collect all the rubbish inside.They then take all the rubbish to the Transfer station where they take out Concrete and metals.Then trucks collect all the Landfill rubbish and take it away from the cities to landfill where all the rubbish is compacted down to decompose. I learnt how to sort items properly and which items go in which bin properly.So how do you recycle at home and how does that help reduce landfill?
  Peter.V- As part of our new Inquiry unit, learning about the environment, our class watched a video about rubbish, and what happens to it. When we throw out a piece of rubbish in the bin, and when the garbage trucks come to collect the them, the trucks empty the bins in a transfer station. There, rubbish is sorted into big piles of waste, rubbish that can be recycled, and also a pile of things that can’t go to landfill. The remaining rubbish goes to Landfill. The idea of the transfer station is to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill. The waste at landfill is buried 16 metres underground. There can be 8 layers of rubbish stacked on top of each other, with a layer of soil in between. Once that area is filled in, trees, shrubs, and grass can be planted over it. As the waste decomposes, it generates “landfill gas”, which is made up of methane and carbon dioxide. People in other countries have started using methane as electricity, although, it is fairly new. Watching this video has really opened my eyes about where rubbish goes, and also to recycle as many things as I can.
• Jacob W - Today we watched a BTN video about landfill. It talked about the different stages of the rubbish we throw away and where it goes. The stages are that we throw out the rubbish into bins, the bins are put out to be collected by the rubbish truck, the rubbish trucks put the rubbish in a transfer station where the rubbish is sorted into recyclables and they also take out the stuff what take years to breakdown like concrete and all metals. After that it gets driven to the landfill where there is a big hole in the ground and they fill it with rubbish. At the landfill there is a job where they just drive over the rubbish to flatten it down. After that they put dirt on top of it so trees, crops and other thing can grow on it. We also played a game where you put rubbish in the different types of bins. If you got it right the bin would eat the rubbish make a burping sound .This is the game http://www.westtorrens.sa.gov.au/WTORWebFile/Drag_drop/Drag-drop.html
• Alex-Today we watched a video about landfill and the stages of what rubbish goes through to get to it’s final stop. The first stop after being used is the bin then the the truck which takes it to a place called the transfer station where the  rubbish is sorted to make sure no recyclables end up in landfill. From the transfer station it goes to landfill were a truck is waiting for it so that it can drive over the rubbish to keep it compacted and together so nothing fly’s away. When the rubbish is stuck together they dig a hole in the ground and put rubbish in it with a layer of soil in between the rubbish.Then on top of the hole of rubbish  trees and plants are grown. When all the rubbish is compacted  methane and carbon dioxide is let off and this is good because they use this to create energy and electricity. That is stages of getting  rubbish to landfill. This process is estimated to last 50 years. When there is no more space they have to move and start it again with a new space of land. Next time you put rubbish in the bin make sure you put it in the right bin so that everything goes where it should and it is helping the environment. Do you put rubbish in the right bin?      
• Jake - This morning our class watched a BTN video about landfill. I learnt a handful of things. I learnt that before the dumptrucks take the rubbish to landfill it takes it to a place called the transferring station where concrete and metal gets separated from the rubbish. Then they take the rubbish to landfill and buried 16 metres underground. Then they add a heap of soil on top of it. That keeps happening until it reaches the top and then trees shrubs and grass can grow on it.