Eating snacks, playing on the computer and tromping around in the mud - not a typical list of activities for a teacher's lesson plan, but for fourth grade students at West Newton Elementary school that is exactly how they spent their Tuesday morning.

Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful began hosting a recycling learning lab at the Recycling Processing Center in Newton County. The learning lab is a week-long event in which nearly 160 students will participate.

Students get a glimpse into the workings of the landfill as well as the recycling center through various activities and tours of the facility.

According to Laurie Riley, programs and education specialist for Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful, students learn through eight different work stations.

"The stations are set up to teach the students about various types of pollution and recycling," Riley said.

The station topics ranged from composting to water pollution to paper recycling. Each station is run by a volunteer from the community, Riley said. The crowd favorite is the edible landfill project, where students simulate the anatomy of a landfill with edible products then they get to enjoy their creations. Funds to help with the edible landfill project are donated to Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful by the Service Guild.

 Student Tyrik Grant said the time spent at the learning lab was a welcomed break from the normal classroom but just as educational.

"I learned that everybody should recycle, and you shouldn't just throw everything in the trash can," Grant said.

For more information about the learning lab or how to volunteer contact Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful at (770) 748-2015.