BOISE, Idaho — On Earth Day, Idaho News 6 Senior Reporter Don Nelson received a sneak peek at the Ada County Landfill Learning Center, where employees make it their mission to share information on how recycling is key to keeping our environment clean.
Rebecca Weeks is the Education and Outreach manager at the Ada County Landfill and says the county has spent years working to create a learning center. The center aims to educate the public on how a landfill works and how they manage solid waste to protect the environment.
WATCH: Learn how the Ada County Landfill is working to change the way we view waste
“This is a big day for us because it is the official opening of our landfill learning center,” said Weeks of the Earth Day debut.
Visits to the learning center are available by appointment only.
The learning center includes many exhibits, including one that shows how the landfill must establish protective layers before it can start depositing waste.
"There are six protective layers. The most important one, of course, is the leachate liner," explained Weeks. "This high-density polyethylene that goes down to keep leachate [in place] is a combination of like garbage juice, the liquids from the landfill, and precipitation.”
A display behind the learning center displays trash as art to answer the question: What is waste?
The goal of the display is to make consumers consider all the various things they throw away— and how that looks in a landfill setting. If you reuse or recycle, you're essentially giving those items a second life above ground.
Inmates at Idaho Correctional Industries even made the desks and chairs inside the center's classroom from materials collected at the landfill.
Weeks praised their contribution, saying, “They were able to take our materials and create exhibits. They have an amazing workshop for their residents.”
Remember, if you have any questions about how to help keep your neighborhood clean, call the Ada County Landfill Learning Center to make an appointment.
