Braden River and McNeal elementary students load up on knowledge

The 15 students who trekked on a school bus through a maze of used tires, old electronics and 150 feet of buried trash, never knew what happened next after their parents threw away last week's garbage.

Manatee County School District Energy and Recycling Coordinator Patrick Gallagher wanted to change that. So the school district partnered with two East County schools so children could explore the county dump.

Dec. 1, Gilbert W. McNeal and Braden River elementary schools' students toured the Lena Road Landfill, the only landfill in Manatee County.

"Wow, that's cool," fourth-grader Justin Cangro said, as he eyed the mound of hundreds of tires outside of his window. "Look at all those tires."

Students talked with officials about where trash goes after truck drivers collect it weekly, and they learned other fun facts about the 1,200-acre space.

"Tires cost $86 per ton to dispose of," Gallagher told wide-eyed students. "It's the most expensive item we take in here. So, see, what you throw away goes somewhere."

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].