The City of Spokane Solid Waste department offers a selection of comprehensive, waste reduction education programs.
Explore our region's waste systems and Spokane's Waste to Energy facility. Learn the importance of reducing waste, recycling right, and managing organics in the waste stream.
Review the options below to find a program that meets your organization's learning goals!
Solid waste educators are available to present environmental topics that are both meaningful and engaging. Activities can be tailored to specific learning goals and grade levels. Check out the programs below and use the online reservation form to request your presentation.
(Lesson can be modified for grades 3-12)
Explore how Spokane handles garbage at the Waste to Energy facility and the importance of reducing waste and recycling. Learn how we make electricity from an unusual source – trash!
(Lesson can be modified for grades 2-12)
Students learn composting science and explore "wildlife," i.e., worms that can eat our garbage. Explore live, composting worms with an option to build a classroom worm bin.
(Lesson can be modified for grades 2-6)
What goes in the recycle bin and why does it matter? Learn how you can be a recycling superhero at home and in your classroom. Option to make recycled paper with our classroom kit.
*Due to high demand and staffing limitations, our educators are no longer available to lead paper making activities. However, we have kits with detailed instructions, available to borrow. We are happy to deliver kits as part of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle presentation. Check out our instructional paper making video
(Lesson can be modified for grades 7-12)
Recycling is placed last in the hierarchy of the “three Rs” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) because it addresses waste after it has already been created, whereas reducing and reusing tackle the problem at its source. This lesson explores upstream and downstream pollution associated with the production and disposal of goods and why reducing and reusing offer the real solutions to our growing waste problem.
(Preschool-K lesson)
Learn about one of the planet's best decomposers -worms! Activity includes an introduction to composting, read-aloud about worms, movement activities, and worm bin exploration.
(Preschool-K lesson)
Be a recycling superhero at home and in the classroom! Presentation includes an introduction and read-aloud on recycling, movement activities, and sorting activity.
Schedule a field trip to Washington State’s only Waste to Energy facility where students will learn how Spokane uses trash as "fuel" to produce electricity. Students will explore the history of trash in our region and why reducing waste is important.
We can accommodate a maximum of 80 participants. Availability is limited.
You may arrange for a representative from the City of Spokane’s Solid Waste Department to present at your organizational meeting or event.
Topics include:
To request education materials or schedule a speaker, please contact Jill Reeves at jreeves@spokanecity.org.
Schedule a group tour at Washington State’s only Waste to Energy facility and learn how Spokane uses trash as “fuel” to produce electricity. Explore the history of trash in our region and why reducing waste is important.
Groups must be a minimum of 10 participants. Availability is limited.
Spokane's Master Composters and Recyclers (MCRs) are volunteers with a passion for waste reduction. All volunteers have participated in a six-week training series led by seasoned MCRs, partnering agencies, and Spokane County Regional Solid Waste staff. MCRs support community education and outreach efforts.
You can request an MCR to present at your community event.
The next class series will begin in March of 2025. Please add your name to our contact list if you would like to be contacted when our next class series becomes available for registration.
Visit our Composting resource pageto learn more about home composting strategies and benefits.
Want to learn where your garbage goes or how to reduce waste through home composting? Free online classes are now available on the city's Learning Management System, LearnWorlds, at www.spokanecity.org/wastereductionclasses. Instruction is meant to be short, informative, and self-paced. New classes are added regularly so check back often.
Spokane's Waste to Energy (WTE) Facility is part of our community's overall comprehensive solid waste system that encourages recycling and waste reduction—along with the recovery of energy. The facility burns municipal solid waste to recover energy in the form of electricity.
Watch the 360 degree virtual tour below.
For a younger audience, you might enjoy this video instead. This 18-minute video teaches students about the importance of reducing waste, as well as the science of Waste to Energy. Print off this worksheet and test your knowledge while you view the video or afterwards.
Check your answers with this answer key.
This lesson helps students think about how humans impact the environment, how technology can be used to manage waste, and how our region deals with its own garbage locally.
Exploring Spokane: Turning Waste to Energy. Follow Jules, Oliver, and a curious marmot as they take readers on a journey through the solid waste system. More importantly, they learn why making less trash to begin with is the best thing to do.
The book is available free of charge. A copy can be picked up in person at the Administration Building of the Waste to Energy Facility at 2900 S. Geiger Blvd., Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
You can also download this digital copy and enjoy from the comfort of your computer!
