Rubbish or waste is part of our lives. How we deal with it has changed through the ages. We know that out of sight, out of mind is a fallacy, and what we bury today has the potential to affect the environment for centuries. As a result, central and local governments regulate the construction and use of landfills.
In this activity, students use an interactive to explore modern landfill construction. The accompanying activities provide opportunities to deepen understanding regarding the history and science of landfills and how students can take action to reduce what goes into landfills.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- label the components of a modern landfill system
- discuss how these engineering practices help to protect us and the environment
- consider how waste disposal practices have changed over time
- consider how to further manage and minimise personal waste footprints.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- background information for teachers
- student instructions.
Related content
Find out more about the structure of landfills in New Zealand and the growing waste challenge with these resources that support students in levels 1–4 with learning about waste and recycling.
Read the level 4 Connected article Turning old into new to discover where plastics and other materials come from and how we can minimise our ecological footprint.
Activity ideas
Want to find out what a landfill looks like? Try this online labelling interactive or paper-based activity.
Thinking about landfills is a ready-to-use cross-curricular student worksheet for NZC levels 4–5. It does not require internet access – making it suitable for students working away from a school setting.
Useful links
Some of the regional landfills in New Zealand
- Northland Regional Landfill (Puwera)
- Whitford Landfill – Auckland
- Waste in the Waikato region – Waikato
- Tirohia Landfill – Coromandel/ Bay of Plenty
- Broadlands Road Landfill – Taupo
- Omarunui Landfill – Napier
- Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Landfill – Palmerston North area
- Wellington Southern Landfill – Wellington
- Bluegums Landfill – Marlborough
- Kate Valley Landfill – Canterbury
- Green Island Landfill – Otago
The Waste Management Institute of New Zealand promotes sustainable waste management.
Reclaim is New Zealand's largest privately owned processor of recyclable materials, there is a range of information and resources on their website.
RecycleKiwi can help schools, businesses and organisations to improve their recycling efforts with interesting and fun educational resources.
See the waste section on the Ministry for the Environment website.
Landfills a marvel of modern engineering (Waste management) – this has an Auckland focus.
Contact your local, district or regional council to see if educational tours are available. For example, tours are available in Auckland and Wellington.
