Activity (Hands-On)Grades 5 - 7
Eek, It Leaks!
Students model landfill linersCopyright Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leachate_Pond.JPG
Students construct model landfill liners using tape and strips of plastic, within resource constraints. The challenge is to construct a bag that is able to hold a cup of water without leaking. This represents similar challenges that environmental engineers face when piecing together liners for real landfills that are acres and acres in size.
When designing liners for a sanitary landfills, engineers face many challenges. They continuously develop better ways to make liners to keep harmful chemicals from leaking and contaminating groundwater supplies.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand how landfills can pollute groundwater.
- Describe leachate and how it becomes polluted.
- Use the engineering design process to design a prototype plastic landfill liner.
- Collect data by measuring volume of water retained by their model.