Resources for Municipal Solid Waste Activity 5 – Waste-to-Energy

Students will learn how a waste-to-energy facility functions by using a case study approach. Participating in a democratic decision making process, students will discover the many factors involved when a community makes decisions regarding municipal solid waste facilities.

This is one of 8 activities that can be found in PLT’s Exploring Environmental Issues: Municipal Solid Waste. To get the activity, attend a training and receive PLT’s Municipal Solid Waste secondary module. Below are some supporting resources for this activity. 

STUDENT PAGES

Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:

Waste-to-Energy Interest Groups (PDF)

Building a Waste-to-Energy Facility in Branfield (PDF)

 

Spanish Student Page(s):

La Construccion de una Instalacion para Transformar los Desechos en Energia en Branfield (PDF)

Grupos Interesados en la Generacion de Energia a Base de Desechos (PDF)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.

  • Our Relationship with Energy

    Energy makes everything we do possible. In this TEDxMileHighWomen event, energy journalist Joran Wifs-Brock talks about Our Relationship with Energy, or as she explains, the broken relationship. Use this presentation with high school students to help them consider the ways we use energy in our own life and the communication breakdown between flipping a switch and the resources we use lighting our homes.

  • My Garbology

    We toss items into the trash every day – about 4.4 pounds per person per day, on average. With garbology, the study of waste, students can learn about waste reduction and steps they can take to reduce the amount of trash on the planet. This website’s interactive interface allows students to learn about the recycling, reusing, composting, and disposing of several everyday items.