As a rural area, Adams County suffers the disadvantage of distance to recycling markets, brokers and recycling center. Transportation costs limit aggressive recycling programs, so the county's education on environmental issues focuses primarily on prevention. In 1993 county staff began educating fifth graders throughout the county on household hazardous waste. They chose this age group because the students were already receiving an environmental health curriculum. Presentations included demonstrations about the properties of HHW, interactive games, product label reading and handouts.
Presenters leave materials in the classroom for later review.
They presented the same information, using the same handouts and games, to the second graders. In the 1996 school year, those second graders were in fifth grade. This past spring, when county staff made their annual trip to the Ritzville fifth grade classroom, they began with a verbal quiz. They discovered that the children knew the definition of hazardous, what types of products were dangerous and what were safer substitutes. They were well versed in reading labels and they knew 101 uses for baking soda and vinegar.