Four public libraries throughout Gallatin County are now outfitted with recycling education trunks that can be borrowed just like a regular book. The trunks are part of Gallatin Solid Waste Management District’s outreach and education program to teach county residents about recycling and waste diversion. A library card is all that is needed to take home a trunk from the public library in Belgrade, Bozeman, Manhattan, or Three Forks.
Trunks include classroom curricula, activities, books, and local resources for recycling, as well as hands-on items to demonstrate how recyclables are collected and transformed into new products. Anyone is welcome to borrow a trunk, but they are especially geared towards K–12 teachers, home school educators, scout groups, and community clubs. Rob Pudner, Recycling Outreach Educator with GSWMD says the trunks are modeled after similar kits used at Exploration Works! science center in Helena. “These types of trunks are in use all across the country by solid waste districts, providing educators with extra resources that work with their busy schedules. The lessons included in the trunk, combined with hands-on items, provide new ways to approach science education while promoting natural resource conservation through waste diversion.” The abstract idea that Americans each generate 4.5 pounds of trash daily becomes more tangible when holding the included bag of the same weight.
Plastic bottles in different stages of deconstruction and remanufacturing offer a glimpse into the complicated world of resource recovery. Pudner is excited to see how the community utilizes the trunks and emphasizes that they will be updated periodically with current information and additional tools as the program grows. More information about the education trunks is available online at www.GallatinSolidWaste.org/education/. Anyone interested in borrowing a trunk may also call GSWMD at (406) 582-2493. •