Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: Students investigate the types and quantities of organic waste produced by the school, how the school deals with this waste and how well it is dealing with this waste.

Students review the Class Safety Code, especially if they will be working outdoors or around compost bins.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1.

Begin this activity by explaining to the students that in this activity they will be investigating the types and quantities of organic waste produced by the school, how the school deals with this waste and how well it is dealing with the waste.

Step 2.

Discuss with the students what they understand by organic waste and how different types of organic waste are dealt with by your school. Write their ideas on a blackboard or whiteboard. The following questions could help guide the discussion:

What is meant by organic waste? (Suggested answer: organic waste is a type of waste that comes from plants or animals, and which can be broken down by micro-organisms and other living things.)
What are some examples? (Suggested answers: food scraps and garden waste.)
Where does this waste come from? (Suggested answers: food scraps from student and teacher meals; garden waste from gardening activities such as mowing lawns, pruning trees and bushes, leaves and stalks from the vegetable gardens, raking leaves and sweeping paths.)
Where does all this organic waste go? (Suggested answers: compost bin, worm farm, fed to the chickens, chipped for mulch or in the rubbish bin.)
What fraction of the total amount of waste produced by the school do you think would be made up of organic waste? (There are some estimates that this figure could be as high as about half.)

Step 3.

Discuss Class Safety Codes, especially if students will be working outdoors or around compost bins.

Step 4.

Divide the class in half (group A), explaining to students that one half is to divide further into small groups (the A groups) to investigate how the different types of organic matter (food scraps and garden waste) are collected in the school. This could be done by several groups looking at the classroom compost collection buckets: one group could look at the staffroom compost bucket, another group could look at the outside compost buckets, and another could speak to the school gardener about chipping or mulching on site. One group could even speak to the administration staff to see if any organic material is sent off site for composting or mulching. Each group is to investigate (these instructions are also available on the student worksheet; Worksheet - A groups):

The types of organic material that are being collected (e.g. fruit and vegetable scraps in the compost bucket).
The types that are not accepted (e.g. sandwiches, cakes, meat and dairy).
How the material is collected (e.g. food for the compost bin is collected in small buckets with lids, one in each classroom and one in the staffroom).
How much material is being collected (e.g. we estimated that the bucket in each classroom had approximately 200 grams of food scraps each day, so with 30 classrooms, we estimated that our school produced 6 kgs per day, 30 kgs per week or 1200 kgs per year).
How well the collection system is working – good points and areas that could be improved (e.g. we noticed students appeared to be using the compost buckets, but that some of the fruit in the buckets had not been emptied for some time and was mouldy and smelly).
Suggestions for improving the collection system (e.g., have daily roster for collection in each classroom).

Step 5.

The second half (group B) is to also divide into small groups (the B groups), but these groups are to investigate how the different types of organic matter (food scraps and garden waste) are treated in the school. One group could look at the compost bins, another group could look at the worm farms, another group the chicken shed, and another could speak to the school gardener about how the garden waste is dealt with – is it chipped or just composted? Each group is to investigate (these instructions are also available on the student worksheet; Worksheet - B groups):

The types of treatment of the organic waste (e.g., the food scraps are added to a plastic compost bin with a tight fitting lid).
How well the treatment is working – good points and areas that could be improved (e.g., we noticed that food scraps had been added recently, but the bins seemed to be overflowing).
Suggestions for improving the treatment (e.g., buy more compost bins for the school).

Step 6.

All groups to give a presentation giving their observations and their suggestions for improvement.

Assessment/Reflection

1. Overall, what do the students estimate to be the total amount of organic waste collected by the school each week for either composting, worm composting or chipping for mulch? Could this figure be improved? How?

2. Ask students to create a poster or presentation with details of recommendations for reducing the amount of organic waste going to landfill.

3. Ask students to complete the PMI chart in the student worksheet.

A look at our organic waste

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