Outreach and Education

Every day Mesa County residents generate waste. Do you know where our waste goes after it hits the bin? Find out how our waste is managed in Mesa County and how you can be a good steward of our environment by ensuring that you are taking the proper waste disposal steps.

Mesa County provides tours of the Solid Waste Management Campus to school groups and civic organizations at no cost. During tours, participants have the opportunity to see how waste is managed in Mesa County and get a behind-the-scenes look at the operation of the:

• Mesa County Landfill
• Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
• Organic Materials Composting Facility

Campus tours take approximately one hour and are conducted on Monday mornings or afternoons and Tuesday afternoons only. Alternative times and days can be requested but are not guaranteed. To schedule a tour, please email Web-SolidWasteManagement@mesacounty.us. Are you a teacher with D51? Mesa County will cover the transportation cost of D51 classrooms utilizing buses provided by Student Transportation of America.

Can't make it to the landfill? No problem, let the landfill come to you!

The "Landfill in a Bottle" is an in-class activity designed to demonstrate the function of the sanitary landfill as a practical waste management method and introduce some of the possible associated environmental impacts.

Prior to constructing their "Landfill in a Bottle," students are asked a simple question, "What goes into the trash can?" Responses are listed on a chart with three different colored markers corresponding to items that could be recycled, reused, or should have been disposed of at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility or the Organic Materials Composting Facility.

After the "What goes into the trash can?" discussion, the color-coded chart is used to introduce the word, "Landfill." The lesson emphasizes that everybody uses landfills every day. The level of engineering and construction details are tailored to the grade level or student knowledge base. There are three key components for this discussion: the clay liner, the tipping deck, and the final cap.

• Cost: None
• Location: In your classroom
• Time: Approximately 1 hour
• Group size: No more than 45 students; larger groups will require some teacher assistance when performing the hands-on activity
• Materials: Provided by Mesa County staff, but the activity does require trash, and students will have fun saving their own trash from their week at school.
• Other things to know: This presentation includes a PowerPoint presentation followed by a hands-on activity that can get a little messy. Teachers should be prepared to have dirt and trash in the classroom or have the ability to move the activity to a more appropriate location.

To schedule an in-classroom presentation, please email Web-SolidWasteManagement@mesacounty.us.

Outreach and education are the cornerstones of all Mesa County Solid Waste Management activities. An educated public ensures waste is disposed of properly and that Mesa County remains a healthy and beautiful place to live. The outreach and education program provides the venue for teaching County residents how to utilize public and private sector integrated solid waste management services within the community.

Mesa County's Solid Waste Management Division team is committed to providing the information your organization, group, club, or association needs to manage your waste properly. If you would like a staff member to give a presentation on any of our Campus programs (the landfill, compost, or hazardous waste collection), please email us Web-SolidWasteManagement@mesacounty.us.