In-Person Transfer Station Field Trips
Field trips to the award-winning StopWaste Education Center offer students an opportunity to learn first-hand what happens to their recyclables, garbage and compostables at a working material recovery facility and transfer station. This field trip provides real-life application of concepts taught in the classroom in the areas of physical science, life science and investigation & experimentation. Trips (valued at $1,200) are free for Alameda County public school 4th grade classes. At this time, tours are not available for Alameda County private schools.
2022-2023 Field trips to the Davis Street Transfer Station and Fremont Recycling and Transfer Station are available. To receive updates on registration and other school news, sign up for our e-newsletter.
Questions? Contact Cristian Aguilar, caguilar@stopwaste.org.
Request a Field Trip
StopWaste is looking for active partners in reducing and preventing waste throughout the county and beyond. As such, we are no longer a first-come, first-serve program. Fill out the request form and let us know how this field trip can help amplify the sustainability efforts at your school and how you can take action with your students.
Due to limited capacity for in-person field trips, we may not be able to accommodate all field trip requests. To support the availability of our programs, we are offering Virtual Field Trips. StopWaste staff facilitate a virtual experience to bring the transfer station into the classroom. Learn more about the Virtual Field Trip.
Locations:
Our goal is to host students at the transfer station that is the closest to where their material goes.
- Davis Street Recycling & Transfer Station in San Leandro (Waste Management, Inc.).
Serves: Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, Emery, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo School Districts.
- Fremont Recycling & Transfer Station in Fremont (BLT, Enterprises).
Serves: Fremont, Newark and New Haven (Union City) School Districts.
In-Person Field trips include:
- A two-hour program including a visit to the Education Center and Garbage Pit.
- An opportunity to trace the path of compostables, recyclables and garbage from curbside to remanufacture or disposal.
- Learning about the 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot) and exploring how student’s individual actions can help reduce waste.
- A hands-on activity in the Education Center aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core Standards.
- Pre and post-field trip lessons aligned to NGSS and Common Core Standards.
- Free bus pick up and drop off at school.
Registration and Program Availability
Field trips are available to 4th grade Alameda County public school groups during the school year.
Davis Street Recycling & Transfer Station
Field trips are generally offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-11 am or 12:30-2:30 pm.
Wednesday morning trips are available to East County school districts only.
Fremont Education Center
Field trips are generally offered Thursdays, 9-11 am or 12:30-2:30 pm.
Bus pick up and drop off is 30 minutes before and after your field trip start and end time.
All field trips requests are reviewed by StopWaste staff. Once you've submitted a request, staff member will email to confirm the date and time of your field trip. To ensure the safety and comfort of all visitors, a maximum of 36 students can be accommodated per field trip, with one class allowed per time slot.
Accelar (dba Pronto) is our transportation provider and a bus is provided at no cost for this field trip. The typical bus reserved can hold up to 42 passengers. No transportation is provided for field trips other than Alameda County Public School 4th grades.
There is no charge for field trips to the StopWaste Education Center. (The value of this service is $1,200.) StopWaste provides this service to schools to support our county-wide goals to reduce the amount of compostables and recyclables entering our landfills. In exchange for this service teachers must commit to the following:
Before Your Field Trip
All teachers will receive a pre-packet in the mail sent to the school address provided during online field trip registration. This packet will include:
- Parent Permission Slips (required)
- 4Rs Activities.
Please make sure to bring Parent Permission Slips with you on the day of the field trip.
- Prepare students for their field trip with the Pre-Trip Activities enclosed in the confirmation packet prior to your field trip
- Ensure that students dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and long pants.
After Your Field Trip
We are asking all participating teachers to take the follow three actions with their students to educate their communities about reducing waste in Alameda County:
1. Post-Trip Action Projects
All participating teachers can choose action projects from this list:
- Green Team Action Project
- Presentation Action Project
- Educational Posters & Handouts Action Project
- Buddy Book Action Project
After your class completes an action project, students and teachers report back their actions:
2. Student Mission Report Back Letters
Students report what they learned and how they took action at school and at home to reduce food waste and practice the 4Rs by authoring "Mission Report Back Letters".
3. Teacher Action Report Back Form
Once the class has completed the action project, teachers report their action to StopWaste.
For additional information, call (510) 891-6532 or email edcenter@stopwaste.org.
Education Center
2615 Davis Street, San Leandro 94577
Phone 510 891-6532
Email: edcenter@stopwaste.org