Recycling Center Preschool Field Trip

This week our mommy preschool group took the kids for a preschool field trip to the North Gateway Transfer Station Recycling Center in North Phoenix! It was a super fun activity that the kids and parents both loved.

First we saw this massive room with tons and tons of garbage in it.

After everything gets sifted and sorted into the different material types, the things that do not belong end up here in the garbage pile.  Over 1 million TONS of garbage are land-filled every year from this station alone.  Semi-trucks take loads 65 miles each way to the landfill to dump.  Above the trash you can see misting sprays, which helps to contain dust.  But most importantly, they help prevent and put out small fires, which our guide told us is very common!  I guess tons of flammable chemicals + paper and cardboard = FIRE!

Next was the sorting belts.

They were moving SO FAST.  I cannot believe the skill these workers have to be able to snatch unwanted items off these belts at these speeds!  It was making my head spin just to watch for a couple of minutes!

This was the initial belt where workers pull obvious bad items out.  Some things we watched were: full size camp chairs, a frying pan, a speaker set, and more.  The video above is NOT sped up.  They have quick hands!

Then the items go down more and more conveyor belts at a bit slower speed to be exact in the sorting.  Workers move items into separate bins according to which belt they are working.  Categories are: Paper, Cardboard, Metal and Plastics.  Here is a pic of the finished separated bales:

The bales are then sold to “buyers” who use the recycled products to make new ones.  The buyers may be local to Phoenix, or may be shipped to faraway places like China!

The whole tour was amazingly fascinating!

I loved learning about what can and cannot be recycled and why.  One amazing fact I loved is that items that leave the recycling center in bales are typically remade and repackaged into new products in only 30-60 days!  How awesome is that??

Our group does a preschool field trip about once and month, and it is always fun to explore new places in the community.  And this one was a real win, especially because it was FREE!

Do you participate in home preschool or home school? What have been some of your favorite places to visit?

If you are looking for an easy craft to do with your kids this Spring Break, why not check out this Grape Soda Pin decor craft?

Or if you want a cool refreshing homemade non-alcoholic beverage, try making a frozen Le Fou’s Brew!