Teacher Preparation

Students will...

... understand that even the most ordinary pieces of waste can have a very involved life cycle
... learn that we use a range of renewable and nonrenewable resources
... take action to reduce their personal waste.

Students can...

... demonstrate critical thinking in relation to the waste they create.

Teacher content information: Biodegradation times depend on the environmental conditions. Materials will break down faster when exposed to the elements (sunlight, heat, rain, etc) and decomposers (fungi, bacteria, insects and other invertebrates). Landfills are not ideal environments for decomposition, so trash in landfills takes much longer to break down.

Print a copy of each waste flashcard, sticking the two sides of the card together so that the breakdown rate corresponds to the correct waste type. The breakdown rates for the flashcards are as follows:

Banana - 3-4 weeks
Tin cans - 200-500 years
Plastic rings from six pack - 450 years
Sock - 1 year
Leather boot - 40-50 years
Paper bag - 1 month
Glass bottles - unknown

Supporting resources: Waste factsheet, Packaging factsheet.

Ask students to collect some rubbish in advance of this activity.

Teaching Sequence

Step 1.

Begin by asking your students to bring in a piece of waste (preferably clean) that they had recently planned to throw in a bin and from an item that they use regularly. This piece of waste could be anything but should be clean and safe e.g. an apple core, a chip packet, a plastic bag from a loaf of bread or the packaging of a packet of biscuits.

Step 2.

Ask students to examine their piece of waste, trying to imagine its life cycle. For example, the life cycle of a piece of a chocolate bar in a wrapper could potentially go as follows:

A cocoa farmer grows cocoa trees on their plantations, collecting cocoa beans for export.
The beans are exported via land and sea freight, using a variety of fuels and transport methods to get to the processing factory.
At the factory, the seeds are cleaned, processed and turned into cocoa powder.
The cocoa powder is combined with other ingredients, including sugar, preservatives, nuts, fats, salt, dairy products, flavours and additives.
The chocolate is cooked and then moulded into the desired bar shape, according to the correct weight and appearance, and sent along the conveyer belt to the packaging section.
The bar is packaged in a foil wrapper which so far has travelled from the mines to a factory where it is processed, dyed, printed and cut into the correct shape.
The bar is then packaged into a box (also with its own life cycle) with 99 other bars in the same range.
This box is then shipped to a distribution centre and delivered to a shop, where it is unpacked and placed on the shelf ready for purchase.

Step 3.

Ask students to use a similar approach to describing their piece of waste, but to undertake research to ensure that the life cycle they develop for their piece of waste is as correct as possible. For some pieces of waste, there won’t be a packet to work with, but the process will be similar. For example, a banana must start somewhere, grown from a seed or cutting, sprayed, picked, transported, stuck with stickers, delivered to a store and then finally sold.

Step 4.

Ask students to create a poster or computer-based image that describes the life cycle of their piece of waste.

Step 5.

Ask students to present their poster to the class along with an oral presentation. Ask the other students in the class to make suggestions about steps that may have been missed in any of the life cycles presented.

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on this activity by completing the KWHL chart.

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 - The Life of a Piece of Waste

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Summary

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Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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