Lake Elsinore Elementary Students Tour El Sobrante Landfill to Learn About Green Tech

The following was submitted for publication by Waste Management: 

Over 100 second and third grade students from Tuscany Hills Elementary School in Lake Elsinore toured the Waste Management El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve, located nearby in unincorporated Riverside County, on Feb. 5 and 6.

Waste Management staff from the landfill led the children through an array of learning stations that offered behind-the-scenes looks at the facility’s daily operations and wildlife protection efforts.  Learning stations included a landfill overview presentation, a video that showed Waste Management’s single-stream recycling process, a meet and great with the landfill’s falconer, and a look at the landfill’s disposal area, heavy equipment and environmental control systems. 

Staff also introduced the children to the clean energy produced by El Sobrante’s gas-to-energy facility.  “Year-round, three on-site internal combustion enginesconvert landfill gas into enough energy to power 6,000 homes,” said Miriam Cardenas, El Sobrante Landfill’s community relations representative.   In 2003, Waste Management constructed the gas-to-energy facility that puts the refuse managed at El Sobrante Landfill to reuse. Waste Management is a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States.

The students also connected with the El Sobrante Wildlife Preserve and received a guided nature hike by the landfill’s biologist.  “During the hike, the students learned about the many species that rely on habitats located in El Sobrante Wildlife Preserve, such as the California gnatcatcher and Stephen’s kangaroo rat,” said Cardenas.  The preserve is managed by Waste Management and encompasses over 688-acres of protected open space for the benefit of 31 plant and animal species. 

“The Waste Management El Sobrante Landfill not only utilizes the latest advances in technology to protect the environment but also manages a certified preserve for the area’s wildlife,” said Cardenas.  “We are proud to share our environmental solutions with the community and we encourage more students to visit the El Sobrante Landfill.”

Since 2000, the El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve has been providing outdoor education programs that give students, scouts and the community at large hands-on experiences about waste, recycling and environmental stewardship.