For Secondary School Teachers & Students

Field Trip Grants Available!

To encourage secondary school teachers to bring students to our facilities, the Department of Solid Waste Management issues grants to cover all or a portion of the costs associated with site visits (such as substitute teacher and transportation costs). Limited grant funding is provided each semester, available to secondary schools only, public or private. Individual grants are based on a teacher's actual trip expenses, in amounts up to $250, and are issued after the field trip has been completed, to reimburse for actual costs.
 
Online applications may be submitted at any time of the year, but grants are available on a first-come-first-served basis; early applications are encouraged. After being notified that they have been selected to receive a grant, teachers may arrange a field trip for any time during the school year. Once the trip has been completed, funds will be released directly to the participating school.

Field trips to our site can be tailored to align with your classroom content or special projects. Tours include:
  • active sanitary solid waste landfill
  • landfill gas-to-energy project
  • large-scale composting site
  • waste transfer station
  • recycling drop off site
  • composting demonstration area
Discussions can involve landfill biology, resource recovery and conservation, environmental impacts of waste management, cultural connections to waste, Frederick County's landfill history and future and more. Up to 1 full bus-load can participate in a tour. We encourage teachers to also combine a trip to our site with nearby facilities, such as the Montgomery County waste-to-energy plant or recycling sorting center.

For more information, contact Annmarie Creamer at 301-600-7405 or send an email. Apply now!
Our Classroom Programs Bring Content Standards to Life!
Our programs on waste disposal and recycling can address a wide range of goals and topics that support Maryland State content standards, including:
  • understanding policies the government has assumed regarding public issues and their impact on people in other places
  • recognizing that consequences may occur when natural resources are used
  • using current events to answer questions
  • the ability to develop and apply knowledge and skills gained from an environmental issue investigation to an action project which protects and sustains the environment.
Paper Making
We can tailor our discussion to support your existing lesson plans or help plan new content! Presentations might take the form of an interactive PowerPoint slideshow, a hands-on paper making lab, or a STEM event display. Students and teachers are also invited to tour our facilities to gain firsthand knowledge. Our goal is to help you and your students make textbook knowledge more meaningful through application to local issues.

Contact Annmarie Creamer, Recycling Outreach Program Coordinator, at 301-600-7405 or by sending an email.