Every one on earth, one way or another, has done some kind of exploration. When doing exploration the word to describe it, is science.

When it comes to using science at school any instructor can integrate it with any other subject like art, history, music. Most of the time the object is to observe what is happening in the surroundings. One such thing is environment and what is happening due to waste. Some people might think that this is a matter for people with Ph.D's., but in reality, this is something that must concern every single soul on earth. Statistics show, for instance, that here in the U.S. we generate about 190 million tons of solid waste a year. But thanks to some conscious persons who have worked hard to develop various methods good enough as to keep ourselves on top of the garbage heap.

One of those methods is called recycling. The first recycling was done by nature itself, where nutrients were returned to earth in what is known as decomposition. Since the very beginning of time nutrients for living things were provided by nature's own recyclers, known as bacteria and fungi. The work done by these two agents is the breaking down of plants and animal waste, thus producing the availability of the necessary nutrients for other things taking part in the process.

What takes place in nature can be considered as a a man made landfill where moisture air, temperature, and light help in the process. The organism involved work in a way in which sometimes they serve as help for each other, clean debris, control each other population and convert materials to forms that other organisms can use. A food chain is observed in the process.

Decomposition is a very extensive process which involves a whole community of small and large organisms. The very first that start the process are the ones already mentioned: bacteria and fungi.

The decomposing organisms change the environment where they are located; they produce heat, consume oxygen, and change something called Ph ( a chemical characteristic of the acidic quality of a substance). The changing of the environment can be favorable to other organisms thus causing what is called succession where one type of organism replaces another on account of such favorable changes on the environment. For instance, if the change on the temperature affects the bacteria that were first there they die and the new one takes over.

One such bacteria is known as saprophytes which secretes enzymes, a biochemical, on the material that they want to eat. This biochemical decomposes matter into something digestible for saprophytes. A good example can be seen on a decaying log.

Bacteria can be found by the millions described as colonies. There are many types of bacteria and can be identified by their odor. One can be found in plowed which people like because it is said to smell like earth.

Fungi can be found in rotten things like bread and fruits. Other decomposers are slime molds, algae, and protozoans.

The decomposition process can be seen by the naked eye, but the decomposers' action take place on a microscopic scale, where you can only see them with a microscope. It is an amazing activity which brings about the biggest and most important change for humans to survive on earth.

A very common decomposer which offers an enormous help to decomposing matter is earth worms. Earth is a mixture of solid rock that when is broken down forms soil and decomposed organic matter like plants and animal tissue. These soils vary from region to region. Factors influence these soils like the type of rocks that they come from, their age, rainfall and certain climatic factors, topography, and human activity. One very interesting characteristic of soil is its capacity to absorb and hold water due to how loosely or tightly soil particles are packed. The organic matter on the soil helps its water holding capacity or may affect it by causing changes on the soil, called soil density. The soil must provide a plant air to breathe, water to drink, nutrients and shelter from damaging conditions. Plants respond to the different soils. Water holding capacity in soil is also important for plants.

Human population increase has become a problem for the environment and its refuse or waste. Waste disposal refers to the methods people use to get rid of unwanted materials. The overloading of the natural processes of decay can spread diseases. Most of the waste is buried and these sites are used for constructions. Some waste are burned in incinerators. Strict controls have been introduced to prevent industrial companies from releasing untreated waste into rivers, sea, or the atmosphere.

We must become aware that earth is running out of landfill space, so we better learn to recycle and reuse materials like paper, glass, aluminum, and plastics. We must spread the word "help care for earth". There is a very good idea that came to be that helps to make people conscious of the situation; it is celebrated on April 22, "EARTH DAY", but it must be practiced every day for it to really make a difference.

Being that everything we buy, every time we eat, do a household chore, we end up adding to the garbage situation (waste). Each person makes about 4,5 pounds of garbage every day (32 pounds a week, 1664 pounds a year). Most of it is paper because Americans use over 80 million tons of paper each year. About 850 million trees are cut down to make all that paper.

Plastic products are made with different types of plastics; but each can be recycled. Each type of plastic is numbered according to how hard it is to be recycled. When recycling consider how much is being done to help the earth and ourselves.

Some materials take longer than others to decompose:
a piece of wood - 3 yrs.
a piece of cloth - 1 yr.
a tin can - 100 yrs.
an aluminum can - 200-500 yrs.
plastic - 450 yrs.
glass bottle undetermined
There is a symbol in those items that are made from recycled materials, so is easy to identify them ( ). Reusing things is another solution. Food and plants waste can be recycled by piling them between soil and water, the decaying materials change into fertilizers or plant food. The compost feeds new plants and helps them grow better, healthier.

The concept behind landfills was that the waste buried would break down organically and eventually make the soil richer. In reality there's not enough air and moisture to foster the growth of bacteria necessary for decay. "Garbologists" have found newspapers and other products intact after 50 years when they dug through old landfills. One year of a big newspaper pile, takes up the amount of space as 19,000 crushed aluminum cans.

In some communities recycling is mandated. Environmental protection is a new theme that came to be at waste management. Most of today's waste management technologies have been around for centuries. Originally garbage was not a problem. Nomadic tribes followed herds of game and left their waste behind. Around 10,000 B.C. people began to stay in one place and found that they had live with their garbage. The challenge started on what to do with this waste. During the Middle Ages, waste was an individual responsibility. Crowded cities during the industrial revolution made a big problem. Collection was organized and disposal began.

We can trace back in events that led to what we now know to be one of the most important task for humans:
500 B.C.---- Athens organizes first municipal dump in Western World
1388 A.D.---- English Parliament burns waste disposals in public water ways and ditches
1690 ---- Paper made from recycled fibers at Philadelphia.
1874 ---- First systematic incinerator in England
1885 ---- Nations first garbage incinerator is built in New York
1896 ---- Waste reduction plants introduced to U.S. from Vienna
1898 ---- First rubbish sorting plant for recycling in U.S.A.
1904 ---- First nation's aluminum recycling plant in Chicago
1914 ---- Incinerators start in North America
1920 ---- Land filling wetlands become a disposal method
1942 ---- America collect recycled items
1965 ---- The first federal solid waste management law Solid Disposal Act
1968 ---- 33% of U.S. cities collect waste by categories. Pres. Johnson commissions the "National Survey of Community Solid Waste Practices" for collecting data on solid waste
1970 ---- First EARTH DAY is celebrated
insert pie chart Human population and material consumption expands. Toxic represent a big danger to every one. The problem is getting worse by the refusal of many communities to allow disposal sites in their vicinity while many landfills are filled almost to capacity and are being forced to close.

Instead large waste management corporations will do the job serving entire regions of those landfills closing down. In the end the most and best accepted solution is RECYCLING.

Bibliography

Garbage Then and Now, National Solid Waste, 1990
Garbage in the Cities: Refuse, Reform and the Environment, A. M. Press, 1981
Rodale, J.I. The Complete Book of Composting, P.A. Rodale Books, 1975
Shut, Beth, Care for the Earth, 1996