Student Worksheet

Thought-starter: Research shows that the first place consumers look for packaging disposal information is on the package itself.

1. What’s recycling about?

If you were to do a quick internet search for the following term: ‘recycling in Australian news’, you would see a range of headlines describing the current state of recycling in this country. At the time this lesson was written, these included headlines such as:

"The recycling crisis doesn't mean your rubbish needs to go to landfill. Here's how you can help" (Source).
"Thousands of tonnes of recycling destined for landfill as SKM shuts its doors"(Source).
"Township rallies around local man recycling thousands of Australia's used bread tags into everyday items"(So urce).
"60 Minutes exposes the shocking practices behind recycling in Australia" (Source).

Most of these stories relate to the Chinese recycling ban (find out more here). This ban has led us to focus on several key issues relating to recycling. These include creating more Australian-based recycling facilities to process recycling and process recycled materials into new items, and improving the understanding of what should and shouldn’t go in a recycling bin and why.

In this lesson, you will be focusing on recycling correctly.

2. Using your recycling bin correctly.

You are now going to watch a clip about recycling. Before you watch, take a moment to answer the question 'why is it important to use the recycling bin correctly?'. Record your answers to this question in Column A of the table below:

Question	Column A – answer question before watching the clip	Column B – answer question after watching the clip
Why is it important to use the recycling bin correctly?

Now watch the following clip. This clip describes the recycling process at the Albury Material Recovery Facility (NSW):

What happens to your recyclables? Albury Material Recovery Facility (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWXPeQS5goo)

Once you have watched the clip, add any additional thoughts about the question 'Why is it important to use the recycling bin correctly?' in Column B of the table above.

3. How do you know if you’re using the recycling bin correctly?

When recycling items around the house, most of us use the labelling on the packaging to figure out what goes into which bin.

To help consumers recycle their packaging correctly, a new packaging labelling system has been introduced called the Australiasian Recycling Label. Find out more about this labelling by watching this clip:

The Australasian Recycling Label (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYVfA8mGJYg&t=10s)

Next, head into your kitchen and check the labelling on a range of food packaging. Try to check a range of different packaging materials (e.g. glass, metal, cardboard, plastic containers and wrappers), choosing at least 10 items. If possible, select some items with the new Australasian Recycling Label.

List the items below, explaining what sort of material each item is made of and doing a quick sketch of the label (or take a photo). You can then state what you would do with the packaging based on the label, justifying your answer:

Once complete, think about the packaging you looked at and reflect on what you found using the following questions (you will be sharing your responses with your peers later in the classroom):

1. How helpful did you find the other styles of labelling in deciding which packaging should go in which bin? Give examples.

2. How helpful did you find the new Australasian Recycling Label in deciding which packaging should go in which bin? Give examples.

3. Do you think ARL should be required on all packaging? Why or why not?
What other ideas do you have for helping people choose the right bins for their packaging waste?

Reflection

Finally, think about what you looked at in these activities and complete the following:

What I used to think…

What I now think...

National Recycling Week - Introducing Australia's New Recycling Labels

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