Kooser Elementary School third graders learned about the landfill-sized value of recycling from several special guests this fall.

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Lincoln Waste Diversion Coordinator Willa DiCostanzo and friendly mascot Land Phil spoke to more than 150 students in the school cafeteria. The Kodiaks learned about the importance of recycling from DiCostanzo and asked Gaylor Baird about her civic responsibilities. They also smiled in wonder at Land Phil, which is the city’s official waste diversion ambassador.

Kooser students Breyden and Harper said they enjoyed meeting all three guests. They felt they learned a lot from the 30-minute appearance. They also received stickers and pencils after the presentation.

“I liked that I got to see who the mayor was and what she looks like,” Harper said. “I liked that I got to meet Phil and see what he looks like.”

“I enjoyed seeing the smiles on the faces of all the students,” Breyden said. “I liked the goodies they gave us and I liked to meet them both.”

The city’s visit was timely. The third graders recently finished a unit studying communities and local government. Educators connected with the mayor’s office to coordinate the visit to help make real-life learning ties for the Kodiaks after their unit.

Classmate Trinh said it was fun listening to both DiCostanzo and Gaylor Baird.

“I enjoyed that they told us about the new things happening in the city and how we can help the city and the landfill,” Trinh said.

Gaylor Baird said she liked spending part of her day with the Kodiaks. She welcomed multiple students to the cafeteria’s stage for a question-and-answer session. They asked what she liked about her job, what some of her proudest moments were and who she works with at city offices. She also spoke about the “Love Your Land Phil” education campaign that the city launched in July.

“This fills my cup,” Gaylor Baird said. “This is such a wonderful opportunity to hear from some of our youngest residents about what they care about, and I’m so glad they care about taking care of our community and helping keep our environment clean.”

DiCostanzo said she was happy to teach the Kodiaks about reducing, reusing and recycling materials. The city created the Land Phil mascot as part of a $1.7 million recycling education and environmental grant. United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 officials awarded the grant to Lincoln in 2024. City leaders are using the funds to inform local residents about ways to reduce waste, save food and recycle more items.

The grant allowed Lincoln to build a large-scale education program with many community partners. The $600,000 campaign has included a new Land Phil website, videos translated into eight languages and print and broadcast ads for radio, television, social media and billboards. There have also been multiple public outreach events such as community-based classes and visits to local schools.

“We wanted it to be fun and we wanted it to be educational,” DiCostanzo said. “The fact that people are embracing Land Phil is making us really excited about the concept. We’re seeing the idea working in the city.”

Lincoln and Lancaster County opened a solid waste landfill and yard waste composting facility on Bluff Road in 1989. Approximately 150 garbage trucks transported material to the landfill each day during the first few years of its existence.

Lincoln’s growing population has caused those numbers to increase since then. Today, an estimated 450 garbage trucks make daily landfill deliveries.

DiCostanzo began the Kooser lesson with a short presentation about ways to slow the landfill’s growth. She told students that items such as newspapers, magazines, aluminum cans, cereal boxes and plastic bottles could all be recycled. She then held up different products and asked the Kodiaks if they should be placed in landfill or recycling bins. Students cheered as they gave thumbs-up or thumbs-down responses to her questions.

DiCostanzo told third graders that many other items could be repaired or reused instead of thrown away. For example, old jeans could be repurposed as cleaning rags or tote bags. In addition, a comprehensive study showed that 22.7 percent of Lincoln’s landfill contains food waste. This number could be reduced with more intentional food use strategies.

DiCostanzo said she has been impressed with the way Lincoln residents have responded to the Love Your Land Phil campaign. Many children have hugged the mascot during school visits, and adults have expressed their enthusiasm on social media platforms.

“It’s not just kids,” DiCostanzo said. “We have adults who are identifying that they’ve become avid fans of Land Phil. I’ve had teens come up to me and say, ‘Hey, I follow you on TikTok.’ We get yelled at as we are walking down the street. So, we’ve really been grateful by the embrace in the community.”

Gaylor Baird also referred to Land Phil while speaking with students. Seven Kodiaks walked up front and asked her questions they had written on notecards. Land Phil and the mayor ended the event by giving smiling high fives to everyone as they left the cafeteria.

Gaylor Baird said she was encouraged by the way students paid attention during the afternoon. She felt confident that the city would be in good hands down the road.

“It shows that they care,” Gaylor Baird said. “It gives me a lot of hope for the future of our city, and I think there’s a future mayor in this crowd.”

Discover how the LPS Sustainability Department promotes recycling efforts throughout the school district.

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