On 1st December 2022, three of the students from DP2 Geography class went on a field trip to the Kaduwela Garbage and

Process Diagram From Which We Learnt About the Plant. By: The Author

Recycling Center. In order to fix our own biogas plant on campus, our goal was to obtain liquid for the plant during this trip. It was a 20 minute driving distance from our school, and the moment we arrived, we were exposed to a strong smell of a typical garbage dump.

It has been partially funded by the UN in hope to alleviate Sri Lanka’s landfill stress and encourage sustainable garbage disposal (6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance). On the right of the site was a huge garbage dump of

Tracktor Bringing In Trash. By: The Author

the decomposed mixture of waste. Then, I saw this impressive sight that will stay in my memory for a long time. Large flocks of white storks and black qrows landed on the mounting waste, feeding on it. On top of the weird, contrasting visual, I realized my misconception of the birds’ role in the environment. On the left was the biogas plant that transforms some of the waste into energy. The center has six huge biogas plant buried underground, which was a much more efficient and complex system than ours. On the notice board next to it, we learnt about the systematic approach of the large-scale disposal of waste using the biogas plants. We were also able to make connections back to curricular concepts such as the hydrolysis process and energy transfer. We collected the liquid from the tanks, and loaded them onto our truck. We also observed the process of a tractor bringing garbage to the dump and transferring them around.

Recycling Center of Solid Waste. By: The Author

Another sector of the center is recycling. Surprisingly, this part is small, organized, and neat. During our interview with the workers there they told us about the materials they recycle and the solid waste situations around the neighborhood. We also got to know that the workers do not receive any bonus for their strenuous work, and all the money goes to the government. After waving goodbye to the people, we went on the truck back to our campus.

Arriving at school right on time for service, we were able to apply the liquid to the biogas plant during the group session and measured the rising height (4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences).