♪♪♪ (Jessica Russell) Hi, everyone.

My name is Jessica.

Welcome to Vegas PBS STEAM Camp.

"STEAM" stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

And while it may sound like these are just subjects we learn in school, it's way more than that.

STEAM helps improve our lives and our community.

Today with the help of experts, we are going to learn about the STEAM that's all around us in Southern Nevada, which you might have never noticed before.

Then I'm going to show you fun activities you can do at home to learn more.

You can even send me pictures or videos of your results, but more on that later.

To get started, we just need a question to investigate.

(ringing sound) I love that sound!

It means I'm getting a video call from my friend.

It's Abigail.

-Hi, Jessica.

-Hi, Abigail.

What question do you want to explore on today's show?

-I was wondering, how do we sort recycling?

-Good one.

I've wondered that too.

Let's visit my friend Jeremy Walters at Republic Services Recycling Center to learn more.

-Hey, everybody.

I'm Jeremy Walters with Republic Services.

Today we're here at the Southern Nevada Recycling Center to learn all about recycling.

So let's head inside and learn more about it.

♪♪♪ So just like playing with building blocks at home, each one of these colors represents a particular type of material, and our goal is to sort them into like piles.

So just like our building blocks, recyclables come in many different shapes and sizes, and these are some of the things that we accept here.

How do you think that you guys would sort them?

♪♪♪ I would sort them by cardboard, paper.

We have a lot of different types of plastic so HDPE natural, HDPE color and PET.

And then when it comes to metals, I would do tin cans, aluminum cans and then glass.

So once we sort through all our material into cardboard, plastic and metal, we need to ship it but we can't ship a bunch of loose material so we actually need to bale or bundle it together before we put it in the shipping truck.

♪♪♪ Just like that.

Now that we know how we sort and bale the material, let's go see it in action.

♪♪♪ Here at the recycling center, we use all sorts of equipment to help us separate and sort the recyclables.

We use machines, magnets, computers and even people to help us do the job.

♪♪♪ To help us sort through paper and cardboard, we utilize machines called "disc screens."

These help us sift and sort through the different types of paper and cardboard.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what does "sift" mean?

Well, sifting is simply separating small pieces from large pieces, and the way we do that is with big metal discs that have particular spacing, depending on what we're trying to sort.

So small things like office paper, magazines and coloring books fall through those spaces, while big things like cardboard boxes stay on top.

When it comes to separating out metal, what do you think can help us do the job?

That's right, magnets.

Magnets help us separate the different types of metal.

But do you think that aluminum is magnetic?

No, it's not.

We have to use a special piece of equipment to help us separate our aluminum cans.

And while aluminum is not generally magnetic, we use what's called an "eddy current" to electromagnetically charge your aluminum.

This makes your aluminum cans magnetic for fractions of a second, and just like when you try to take two opposing ends of a magnet and stick them together, what happens?

That's right, they push apart.

So your aluminum cans are literally repelled or ejected out from the other types of material.

♪♪♪ So when it comes to plastics, there are many different shapes and sizes and we need to sort them multiple ways.

The way we do this is with big computers called "optical sorters."

♪♪♪ These machines use light to pick up things like color and determine whether to sort the types of plastic or not, and it all does this in fractions of a second.

Similar to paper and cardboard, we actually utilize disc screens as well to separate your glass.

The way we do this is we send the glass bottles and jars across the top of these big metal discs, and as your glass bottles and jars crush, they turn into smaller pieces and then continue to our glass collection system for further sorting.

♪♪♪ In addition to recycling, there are some things that we can do to help protect the environment.

Using reusable items instead of single-use items will help us cut down on the amount of waste that we make and ultimately keep things out of the landfill.

Now, when it comes to recycling, there are some things we need to keep in mind.

Flexible plastics like grocery bags and bubble wrap should never be placed in the recycling bin.

All they do is wrap and tangle around our sorting equipment, so keep them out of your recycling bin.

Bottles and cans are great for recycling so long as they're empty, clean and dry.

If they still have residual food and liquid inside them, they can spill on the paper and cardboard.

If paper and cardboard gets soiled with food and liquid, we have to throw it away, and we don't want to send good recyclables to the landfill.

♪♪♪ Thanks, Jeremy.

Let's review what we learned.

The recycling center uses different types of equipment to sort the materials.

Machines called disc screens sift paper and cardboard by separating small pieces from large pieces.

Glass is also sent across disc screens where it is crushed into small pieces that fall through the machine for collection.

Magnets are used to separate metal recyclables.

Aluminum is not magnetic, so an eddy current is used to make it magnetic for less than a second.

Computers called optical sorters use light to sort plastic by its color.

Once recyclables are sorted, they are put into tightly packed bundles called bales for shipping.

♪♪♪ Thanks, Jeremy.

That was fascinating.

Now it's your turn to think like an engineer to solve a problem.

I have this cup of mixed-up shredded paper and paper clips that I need to separate.

I need you to build me a recycling sorting machine to do this.

There's only one rule-- you can't sort the objects with your hands.

The machine needs to do all the work.

To do this you will use the engineering design process.

First, mix 10 to 15 paper clips with a handful of shredded paper in a cup.

Then use your imagination and make a plan.

How will you separate the two materials?

Think back to the equipment Republic Services uses to sort their recycling.

How do they sift large objects from small objects?

How do they use magnets, and how could you use magnets in your machine?

Draw a plan of your design.

The next step is to create your sorting machine.

Gather your supplies.

You might need cardboard, plastic cups, plastic bottles, paper towel tubes, craft sticks, magnets, scissors, glue or tape.

But this isn't all you can use.

Be creative and search in your recycling bin for other materials you can include in your design.

As you create, take your time and test the pieces as you go so you can fix mistakes if you realize something isn't working.

If you're using magnets, test their strength.

How many paper clips will one of your magnets pick up?

Do they need to touch the paper clips to attract them, or can they grab them from a distance?

After you've created your machine, test it out.

Does it sort the paper from the paper clips as you planned?

If so, great job!

Can you think of a different way to sort the two materials?

If so, try it out.

But if you tested your recycling sorting machine and it didn't work as well as you'd planned, it's okay.

Think about what you can do to improve your design and test it again.

Now let's check in with Andrea who is doing this activity at home right now.

-Hi, Jessica.

Today I'm going to be talking about my recycling sorting machine.

So basically I have my paper clips and paper right here.

I'm going to pour it into here.

I glued these two cups together with regular glue or you can use another type of glue.

There's a tab right here that you can cut out.

I'm going to take it piece by piece or whatever you would like to do.

♪♪♪ Down here I have my magnet and my hole to get the stuff out, and then you see the paper will come down.

And if you want to get it out from here you can, but I will do this part and get it out from here.

So basically the paperclip stuck to the magnets.

It was a good way because this is a really strong magnet.

So that's my recycling sorting machine.

-Now let's check in with Abigail who is doing this activity at home right now.

-So today I'm going to build a recycling machine.

♪♪♪ I almost forgot the magnets.

You're going to want strong magnets for this.

So you're going to want to take your paper clips now, and take some out and put them in here, and it should go down.

♪♪♪ Didn't quite work out.

So I think what my problem was that I put the magnet too high.

So next time I do this experiment, I'm going to make it lower.

-Thanks for sharing your creative design, Abigail.

With a few improvements, your machine will be sorting in no time.

Thanks for sharing your machine, Andrea.

You did a fabulous job following the engineering design process.

An important part of being an engineer is sharing your work with others.

Visit our website at vegaspbs.org/steamcamp to submit videos or pictures of your recycling sorting machine to us at Vegas PBS with your grown-up's permission, or ask your grown-up to share it with us on social media by tagging @vegaspbs.

Keep in mind if you are submitting a video, make sure we can see what you're doing and hear what you're saying.

Also, you'll want to keep your video to one minute or less.

We will post some of your projects on our website, and if your project is selected, we will mail you this cool PBS Kids bag and a new book.

When you visit our website, you'll also find the steps of the engineering design process that you will follow to build your sorting machines and links to PBS Kids shows and activities to learn more about recycling.

Another way to learn more about a topic is to check out a book at the library.

Let's visit my friend Antony who's there now to discover some books about recycling.

♪♪♪ Hey, everyone.

My name is Antony Smith, and I'm the youth services librarian over at the Rainbow Library.

Thanks for having me here today.

I heard you guys have been talking about recycling.

Well, check this out.

At the library we have a book called Recycle It!

by Mary Boone.

This book right here is really awesome.

It talks about garbage and waste and what it is, essentially.

Then it moves forward into talking about why we should recycle it.

It gives you some examples of how to recycle, sorting materials, what you can do with them, reusing them, and gives you really good information about what you can do at home to help the environment.

I highly recommend checking out this book if you can.

Be sure to recycle it if you could.

Also, check this out.

You can also use your items that you have to recycle as crafts and activities.

This book right here is called Recycle and Make It.

Why put that water bottle into the recycling bin when you can turn it into something cooler?

This book really goes into good detail about what you can do with your recycled items, like that water bottle I mentioned.

How about making a little planter?

I think that'd be kind of cool, wouldn't it?

You can decorate it, put any plants you want in there.

Also, the book gives you ideas of what to do with straws, cardboard boxes, a lot of things.

You can even make pencil holders right here and bookmarks if you wanted to.

But there's so many different things you can do with recycled materials.

And my favorite, the puppet theater with a cardboard box.

Come to the library and check this out and any other books that we have.

It's super awesome.

But hey, can I show you something really quick?

Look, I've got a water bottle right here.

Once I drink this all up, I can make it turn into this!

Wow!

I recycled it and I reused it.

Now it's a nice little planter.

Just put some dirt in there, put some seeds, and look, you can make a really awesome planter out of it.

I hope you enjoyed these books today, and I hope you have a great time.

Be sure to stop by the library to check out books like these and also try out some crafts.

We're always there and available.

I hope to see you soon.

Have a great day!

♪♪♪ Welcome back to the Vegas PBS STEAM Camp science lab.

I learned so much about recycling today, and I hope you did too.

Luckily we still have some time left, so let's investigate another question.

(ringing sound) Sounds like another caller.

It's Andrea.

-Hey, Jessica.

-Hi, Andrea.

Do you have a question I can help answer on today's show?

-I heard Jeremy using the word "landfill."

What does landfill mean?

-That's a great question.

Let's ask Jeremy again.

He's at the Apex landfill to tell us all about it.

Hey, everybody.

It's Jeremy with Republic Services again.

Here we are at the Apex landfill.

This is one of the biggest landfills in the entire United States.

We take in about 9,000 tons of waste every single day.

Okay, 9,000 tons is the equivalent of like 2,000 blue whales, and we do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

That big mountain behind me is actually the landfill, and it's filled with almost 20 years' worth of garbage.

But don't worry, we have about 300 years' worth of space left.

And guess what?

The more you recycle, the longer this landfill will last.

So you all might be wondering, how do we actually get the trash in the landfill?

Well, we use really big equipment.

The first piece of equipment that we use is called a tipper trailer.

So when a big truck trailer comes in filled with garbage, we put it on a tipper trailer that literally tips it up to a high angle, and all the trash then slides onto what we call the working face.

Once the trash is on the working face, we need to pack it down nice and tight, and we use big machines called compactors.

They're big tractors with big metal wheels and teeth on them so when they run over the trash, they actually pack it down nice and tight.

Once they have it nice and packed, we then put dirt on top of it.

So you guys want to check out how these things actually work?

♪♪♪ This is called a landfill compactor.

This is probably the single-most important piece of equipment here at the landfill.

This big piece of machinery weighs over 120,000 pounds.

What it does is it actually spreads the trash out nice and even and packs it down after it's dumped off the tipper trailer.

It does that all with the help of these big metal wheels with these big teeth called cleats.

♪♪♪ (Bryan Hillstead) Here at Republic Services, I'm a heavy equipment operator.

I'm able to run equipment such as 'dozers and heavy compactors such as this.

A compactor's responsibility is to remove the trash from behind tippers and form little mountains of trash that's eventually covered with dirt.

The thing that I like about my job the most is being able to work with other employees that value taking care of the environment and working together as a team.

♪♪♪ Once we bury the trash in a landfill, it actually creates what's called an "anaerobic environment."

This means there's a lack of oxygen, so not a whole lot.

What it does is it breaks the waste down really slowly and as the waste breaks down, it creates liquid or gas and we have to do something with those.

So first and foremost, what we do is we pump the gas out of the landfill using wells.

Now, the gas isn't ready to be turned into power just yet.

We actually have to take it to what's called a bio-plant, and this bio-plant has a very specialized type of bacteria that helps us clean the gas.

Once the gas is clean, we can then take it to the power plant and make power, and we actually power about 11,000 homes in Southern Nevada.

So the other thing that waste breaks down into is liquid.

This liquid is specifically called leachate.

Now, we can't just leave it in the landfill so we got to take it out, and the way we take it out is a bunch of different pumps around the landfill.

We then pump that leachate into what are called evaporation ponds, and as the leachate sits there, it just evaporates all the water out.

So now that you all understand how the recycling and trash process works, what changes and habits do you think you can make at home to help protect the planet?

♪♪♪ I got into this field because as a kid, I loved being outside.

I love the outdoors and I love animals, and I know those two things, in order to protect them I need to do my part to help protect the planet.

So I went to school and I actually studied environmental studies, and then once I graduated from college, I actually found a job at Republic Services, and here every single day I get to do things that are impactful, meaningful and help to make a cleaner, healthier, happier planet.

♪♪♪ Thanks, Jeremy.

Today we learned a landfill is where our waste goes.

The part of the landfill that receives the trash is called the working face.

When a truck full of garbage arrives at the landfill, its trailer is placed on a tipper trailer that raises it to a high angle to dump the garbage on the working face.

A big tractor called a compactor rolls over the waste to spread it evenly and pack it down.

Then dirt is placed on top to bury it.

This creates an anaerobic environment, which means it lacks oxygen.

When waste breaks down in an anaerobic environment, it releases liquid and gases.

The liquid, called leachate, is sent to ponds to evaporate, and the gas can be pumped out and used as power.

Thanks, Jeremy.

We really appreciate your help answering today's questions.

Now it's our turn to think like scientists to learn more about landfills.

Jeremy said that when trash breaks down in an anaerobic environment like a landfill, it releases gases.

That makes me wonder, how much gas does different food waste produce in an anaerobic environment?

For this investigation, you'll need four bottles of the same size.

Plastic water bottles or soda bottles from your recycle bin work great.

Then select three fruits or vegetables to investigate.

Use whatever you have on hand such as bananas, blueberries or onions.

You will need about a half a cup of each.

You will also need a fork, four balloons, strong tape, a marker, labels, measuring tape, water and a data collection chart.

Now you're ready to get started.

First, mash up your fruits and vegetables using the back of your fork or ask a grown-up to put it in the blender to speed up the process.

Place each fruit or vegetable in its own bottle and label it with your marker.

Then fill the three bottles to the top with water.

This is a very important step-- adding water to your bottle is what makes it an anaerobic environment.

It's just like when you place dirt over trash in a landfill-- both environments lack oxygen.

Fill the fourth bottle with water only to the top and label it.

Cover each bottle with a balloon and seal the balloon to the bottle with a strong piece of tape to ensure the gas does not leak out.

After you set up your investigation, make a prediction.

Which food do you think will release the most gas into the balloon and why?

Next, investigate and collect data.

Check the balloons at the same time every day for a week.

Take photos of how they change, and if you have a tape measure, measure around the circumference or the fullest part of the balloon and record this on your chart.

After one week, analyze your data.

Were your predictions correct?

Which foods released the most gas, and which released the least?

Did the water release any gas?

Why do you think that is?

After conducting this investigation, what new questions do you have?

Now let's check in with Andrea who is doing this activity at home right now.

-Hi, Jessica.

Today I'm going to be talking about my landfill investigation data collection chart.

So first off we're going to be talking about our ingredients.

So first off we have bananas.

Next we have water, and we have grapes, and then we have asparagus.

My prediction was the water produced the most gas.

My results were the grapes produced the most gas.

The bananas too also produced the most gas, so it kind of is second place.

And if you want, you can squish it too.

The bananas didn't really produce the most gas, so be a little careful with that one.

I hope that the balloons-- when I see it a little later, I hope the balloons will get much bigger.

If it doesn't, it's okay.

But I would like to see the balloons get bigger.

So even the asparagus and water see a little more improvement like the grapes and bananas, and hopefully these two will get better.

Talk to you later.

Bye!

-Thanks for sharing your investigation, Andrea.

Next time I wonder if you'll get different results if you use the same size bottles.

And kids, I want you to share the results of your investigation with me.

Submit a picture or video of your anaerobic environment investigation to our website at vegaspbs.org/steamcamp with your grown-up's permission, or ask your grown-up to share it with us on social media by tagging @vegaspbs.

And remember if you're submitting a video, make sure we can see what you're doing and hear what you're saying.

Also, you'll want to keep your video to about one minute or less.

We will select some projects for our website, and if we choose yours, you will get this cool PBS Kids bag and a new book.

When you visit our website, you can download a data collection sheet that you can use for this investigation and links to PBS Kids shows and activities to learn more about landfills.

Now let's hear from my friend Farwa at the library to discover books you can check out to learn more about this topic.

♪♪♪ Hi.

My name is Farwa, and I'm a children's services assistant here at Whitney Library.

So I just heard that you learned about landfills here in Nevada.

So if you want more information about landfills, I think you should check out this book called Follow That Garbage!

A Journey to the Landfill.

It has so much amazing information to learn about what landfills are and all the different types of landfills that are in Nevada.

So now that you've learned about landfills, do you want to learn how to keep things out of landfills?

This is the perfect book to do that.

This is a fun book called Glamorous Garbage, and it's a fiction book talking about how one young girl finds a way to keep garbage out of the landfill.

Now, I'm sure you've heard of reduce, reuse and recycle.

How about reduce, reuse and redecorate?

Check out Glamorous Garbage today and other amazing titles at your local Library.

♪♪♪