![3D"Worms](3D"WormsEatmy_files/image001.gif")
[Provided off of=
http://www.rst2.edu/meadowlands/CESE/educators.shtml]
NJCCCS:
3.1,3.2,5.1,5.4,5.5,5.8,5.10
Field Trip Overview
What will your students do on their visit to the environment center?=
On your field trip, you
and your students will enter the exciting world of worms. You will learn what vermicompostin=
g is, and
how our trash is turned into organic material that can be used right in the
garden! Students will explore=
worms
and other microorganisms that help maintain a composting bin with microscop=
es
to guide them along their journey.
Background Information
Getting
Rid of Rubbish
Where do the thousands of tons of garba=
ge
Americans throw out each day end up?
Most of it, 70%, is disposed of in landfills. Open dumpsites were the forerunner=
s of
landfills. Trash was literall=
y just
dumped into a huge pit at the edge of town. These practices led to the spread =
of
disease and vermin. In the 19=
70s,
the federal government passed laws mandating sanitary landfills.
Anatomy
of a Landfill
![](3D"WormsEatmy_files/image003.jpg")
In sanitary landfills, solid waste is spread in thin laye=
rs,
compacted, and then covered with soil.&nbs=
p;
This thwarts scavenging rats and flies. In addition, the bottom of a sanit=
ary
landfill is usually lined with clay or plastic. The lining prevents leachate- a li=
quid
containing harmful chemicals that is produced as rainwater drains through
decomposing garbage- from seeping into and contaminating the groundwater un=
der
a landfill. As an additional =
safety
feature to ensure no leachate escapes through the liners, leachate collecti=
on
pipes are inserted directly into a landfill to collect the percolating, oft=
en
toxic, liquid and divert it to sewage treatment facilities. Decomposing trash also releases ga=
ses,
such as methane, which are highly flammable- another hazard of older open
dumpsites. In modern landfill=
s,
pipes running through the landfill channel these gases from the trash
heap. In some cases, the natu=
ral
gas is collected and used as fuel.
What is Vermicomposting?
Burial of organic waste in landfills
presents a problem. It takes =
up
space; nearly 18% of the waste stream is yard waste (leaves and grass
clippings), another 7-8% is food waste.&nb=
sp;
Landfills are not only expensive to operate, they are becoming extre=
mely
difficult to site near residential areas because citizens fear the degradat=
ion
of their environment with noise, heavy traffic, polluted drinking water, od=
ors,
and blowing papers and plastic.
Decomposition of organic materials in the absence of oxygen produces
methane gas, which has potential for explosion when not dealt with adequate=
ly.
Vermicomposting is simply composting wi=
th
worms. Worms provide a simple, yet effective, means to convert organic waste
into a nutrient-rich material capable of supporting plant growth. The best kind of earthworm to use =
is the
redworm (a.k.a. red wiggler). These worms are incredible garbage eaters! Th=
ey
eat and expel their own weight every day, so even a small bin of redworms w=
ill
yield pounds of r![](3D"WormsEatmy_files/image004.jpg")
ich
sweet-smelling compost. Finished compost can be harvested in as little as t=
wo
to three months. Redworms are extremely prolific. It takes about three weeks
for fertilized eggs to develop in a cocoon from which two or more young wor=
ms
can hatch. In three months the worms are sexually mature and will start
breeding. Within a year you'll be able to give worms away to get a friend
started!
Vocabulary
Composting: a system for turning food waste (organic
material) into potting soil using microorganisms that require oxygen for
respiration.
Earthworm:=
terrestrial worm that burrows into and helps aerate soil; often surf=
aces
when the ground is cool or wet.
Garbage:=
food, etc. that is discarded
Landfill:=
a garbage dump that is located in a cavity in the ground so that, wh=
en
full, it may be covered up and look like part of the land.
Leachate:=
a liquid containing harmful chemicals that is produced as rainwater
drains through decomposing garbage.
Organic Material: natural material derived from plan=
ts and
animals.
Solid Waste: any garbage, refuse, sludge from a=
waste
treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control fac=
ility
and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contai=
ned
gaseous materials resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and
agricultural activities and from community activities.
Vermicomposting: a system for turning food waste in=
to
potting soil with the help of worms.
Pre-trip Activities
1. How
does your Garbage Grow?: Students become more aware of the =
trash
they personally generate by using a trash log to record what they throw
away. Source: Hackensack Meadowlands Development
Commission Environment Center
2. http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/gameint.htm:
In th=
is
webquest, students become Dumptown's new City Manager whose job is to start
programs that encourage Dumptown's citizens and businesses to recycle and
reduce waste.
Post-Trip Activities
1. Classic
Classroom Compost Bin:=
Students set up and maintain a worm bin to observe the process of
recycling organic lunch waste.
Source: Hackensack Mea=
dowlands
Development Commission Environment Center
2. http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~buchanas/webquest.htm: Students become worm experts by
collecting worm facts before they build a classroom worm bin.
Resources
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