North Kirkwood Middle School, Kirkwood, Missouri, USA
Saint Louis, Missouri – The Mound City
Project Team Members: Sam B., Mira B., Kate K., Sam L., Dawson M., Sarah R., Adam R., and Jessie S.
Teacher: Kimberly Martin
Our community, Kirkwood, Missouri, is a suburb of St. Louis. In the past, the Native American Mississippian tribes built mounds for their leaders, while in the 20th century, our culture built mounds of trash. Now in the 21st century, the focus in our community and at our school is on recycling and sustainability.
At Kirkwood Middle School, we have a student group called “The Green Team” that promotes ways to care for the environment. The group also promotes healthy living and does the school recycling. Through our photographs, we want to share our community’s past, present, and future. We will show the past through Cahokia Mounds. Then, we will transition to the landfill, and to the future with recycling and our school.
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- Saint Louis, founded in 1764, is the 16th largest urban area in the United States with a population of 2,845,298.
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- The Native American Mississippian culture settled and lived in our area between 700 and 1400 CE. The remains of sophisticated civilization are preserved at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Built in stages over a 200 to 300 year period, the Cahokia Mounds represent the largest archaeological site related to the Mississippian culture in the Americas.
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- Cahokia Mounds: The base of the mound covers an area of 14 acres, and though eroded, it rises to a height of 100 feet. The summit of the mound was home to the ruling Sun Chief and his family.
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- The area that would become Saint Louis was central to Native American Mississippian culture, which built numerous earthen mounds that gave the city the nickname “Mound City.” Milam Landfill was built over a 40-year period by trucks bringing trash to create a mound over 170 feet high.
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- An estimated 65-75% of Milam Landfill consists of Saint Louis garbage delivered five days a week by over 330 trucks.
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- Milam Landfill, a 222 acre lot, takes in 6,000-8,000 tons of trash each day with 38% of the landfill consisting of paper.
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- This gas-recovery plant pulls in 1.2 million cubic feet of methane a day, supplying over 3,500 homes and businesses with electricity and saving 44,000 barrels of oil each year.
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- In the first six months of 2011, Resource Management paid the city $119,871 for recycled material, and the city saved an additional $80,171 in landfill fees that would have been paid if the material has been thrown away instead of recycled.
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- The Kirkwood Recycling Center recycled 2,820 tons of trash, which was 43% of 4,949 tons produced in the first six months of 2011.
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- Our school recycled 20 tons of paper earning around $80.00 that we used towards purchasing recycling bins and energy efficient light bulbs.
In the past, economic growth could seem at odds with recycling due to cheap land in the United States. After all, 86% of waste in theUnited Statesis disposed of through a landfill. The City of Madison, a nearby community in Illinois, receives one million dollars each year for allowing Milam Landfill to operate there.
However, economic growth can be aligned with recycling and sustainability. Our community has received approximately $120,000 in the first six months of this year from recycling materials. Also, Kirkwood saved a little over $80,000 in landfill fees. This money will help during difficult economic times.
In addition, methane gas from the nearby landfill can be a source of energy in the community. Milam Landfill provides electricity for over 3,500 buildings including homes and schools.
As world population grows and pressure for land increases, landfills are going to become too expensive. Recycling will become even more important. Also, in developing countries, recycling provides a livelihood for many people. Recycling can be an economic engine.
Communities in the Midwest are visiting Kirkwood to find out how they can earn as well as save money through recycling, particularly since many local governments are under financial stress.
Innovation is also creating electricity through methane collection that supplies homes, businesses and schools with power. Milam Landfill has enough methane for at least another 30 years if the landfill closed today.
Companies are using post-consumer materials more in the manufacturing process. Items recycled in Saint Louis are used all over the United States and even overseas.
- Aluminum cans go to Kentucky and Tennessee to be made into new aluminum cans.
- Cardboard is sent to Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Iowa, Mexico and China to be made into medium board.
- Paper and chipboard go to Joplin, Missouri to be made into roofing materials.
- Plastic containers are sent to Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, and Iowa to be made into clothing, carpeting, new containers, lumber, drain pipes, and trash bags.
- Brown, clear, and green glass is sent to Pevely, Missouri, to be made into bottles for Anheuser-Busch InBev, a Belgian-Brazilian company that is the largest brewer in the world.
- Cans are sent to Illinois and Indiana to be made into car parts and appliances.
On average, 70% of a household’s waste can be recycled in some way. We are proud that in Kirkwood, households are approaching recycling 50% of their household waste.
Thank you for your project. I learned many interesting things from this project. Congratulations to your community and your school for what you are doing to recycle and protect your environment. Many groups in my country recycle trash and plastic to make useful products, but it’s not big scale like your community.
What you are doing in your community and at your school is inspirational, and it was interesting to learn how different products are recycled into new things. I am going to show this to my teacher to see if we could do something like this at my school.
An inspirational project. I like it. If all cities have program like it, I think the matter of garbage will be reduced in this world.
Dea Angelia (SMPN 3 Sugio, Lamongan)
This is incredible. I wish our school could recycle. And that loop thing in St. Louis is really cool. My dad has been there and he said it was beautiful and it inspires me that y’all like to have a nice town.
That is so amazing what y’all do …It is so inspiring. I wish our schools all over the State of Texas would do this … Good Job guys !!!!!!:)
Cool stuff.
I was attracted to your pictures! The one with the two piles of garbage was weird, but AWESOME!!! I want to go play in it.
These projects were very informative. I never knew plastic containers could be recycled to make clothes!
This is cool and very informative.
That’s cool.
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really nice photographs and comments!
It’s so amazing and inspiring !
nice job guys ! you rock and i’ll give 2 tumbs for yours