Playing with Garbage

At Club Eco, an environmental clubhouse for children at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum, children play in trash, but don’t get dirty.

The clubhouse, which opened last month, uses hands-on exhibits and interactive media to teach children about the environment and the benefits of recycling.

There is the “Pulp Factory,” where children learn how paper is made; a “Gallery of the Recycled,” which displays backpacks, T-shirts, clipboards and shoes made from plastic bottles; and a “Mini-Materials Reclamation Facility,” a fun, hands-on lesson where children pull a lever and get dumped on by “trash”--items labeled as various recyclables--which they have to sort.

The media center uses touch-screen video games to teach lessons on protecting the environment.

“We want to show that children can earnestly make a difference, and that they can implement these lessons at home, at school and around the world,” said Helene P. von Schreiber, director of marketing for the museum.

Browning-Ferris Industries, a waste management company, funded the exhibit.

The museum is at 310 N. Main St. Advance, prepaid reservations are required. Hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Information: (213) 687-8801.