Teaching Sequence

Part A: Understanding Packaging

Step 1

Begin this activity by discussing with your students the notion that as humans we are creating more and more waste and that much of this waste comes from packaging. Use the following questions to guide the discussion:

Why do we need things to be packaged? (Suggested answers: safety, contamination, avoid damage, keep fresh, etc.)
What is packaging made from? (Suggested answers: plastic, paper, cardboard, polystyrene etc.)
What do we do with the packaging once we have used it? (Suggested answers: throw it away, recycle it, compost it etc.)

Step 2

Students should then spend several minutes outside in the schoolyard collecting and inspecting the waste left lying around after lunch. Before they head out though, ask students to review the Waste S af ety Code for working with litter. Students should wear rubber gloves and/or tongs when collecting and handling litter.

Step 3

Spread all the waste out on the ground or a sheet so that the students can take a closer look. Work as a class to identify all the different types of rubbish and the various amounts of each type of waste.

While inspecting the waste discuss the following with the class:

What are the different types of rubbish that we've picked up?
What do all these bits of rubbish have in common?
Which types of rubbish were there the most?
What are these items made of?
Why does a person buy something with packaging if they don't want that packaging?
Is it possible to have food and drink at school that doesn't come with unwanted packaging?
What items in this waste collected will decompose fairly easily & what won't?

Step 4

As a class, classify the waste into clear piles (plastics, paper, metals, food packaging, organic waste, other). Next, divide up the class into small groups. Each group is in charge of one of the piles of rubbish. Their job is to discuss various ways in which the materials can be:

Reused - means to use something again that you would normally throw away (e.g. glass jar for food or plastic bags for bin liners)
Recycled - means the product goes through a mechanical process to change its form. This is only recommended when reducing and reusing is not possible
Reduced - to limit the amount of waste you create in the first place. This includes buying products with less packaging
Recovered - to convert waste into resources (such as electricity, heat, compost and fuel) through thermal and biological means.

Part B: Rethinking Waste

Step 1

Recap with your students why we need to think of waste differently. Talk to your students about how rubbish was once a natural resource and that our Earth has a limited amount of resources. Discuss with your students the concept of 'closing the loop' (see this this image). This refers to the continuous lifecycle of resources. Examples of closing the loop include the use of recycled materials instead of raw materials during the manufacture of new products, or the recycling of food waste into composts which are then used to help in agriculture and food production. Can students apply this concept to their pile of waste?

Step 2

Ask students to complete the Student Worksheet.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to think about what they looked at in this lesson and answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What information presented in this lesson was connected to what I already know?
What information presented in this lesson extended my thinking?
What is still challenging for me? What questions do I have?

Supporting resources

Links on waste-free lunches

Links on turning trash into treasure

A gallery of pictures showing some of the ways that big businesses are turning waste into new products
Amazing products made of trash: the resource of the future
Terracycle - eliminate the idea of waste
The Plastiki
Turning old shoes into new products with Nike
28 Everyday Products Made of Recycled and Upcycled Materials

Extension

Design a comparative table of the effects of different rubbish items on the environment. Compare, paper, plastic, glass and non-recyclable items. Analyse the results.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Clean Up Australia - New From Old

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