Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students investigate what happens to different solid waste streams in their local area.

This activity can support and extend upon student work from the activity '5 minute school waste tour'. Findings from that activity can be used in this activity.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1.

Begin this activity by asking students to think about all the different waste streams that leave your school and list these on the board. These steams might include some of the following materials:

Organics (food scraps)
Organics (garden waste)
Paper and cardboard
Recyclables (Plastic bottles, aluminium cans, steel cans and glass)
Printer or photocopier cartridges
Other items such as corks or unwanted clothing/household goods
Rubbish

Step 2.

Ask the students to share what they already know about what they think happens to the materials in each of the school’s different waste streams and to write these next to the relevant streams written on the board. Some examples of possible destinations of these waste streams are:

Transfer station
Materials Recovery Facility (known as MRF)
Waste to energy plant
Active landfill site (some sites have a electricity generators powered from landfill gas)
Green waste facility
Recycling factories for specific materials (paper and cardboard, glass, aluminium, steel, plastic, corks)

Step 3.

Ask students to think about how they could find out more about the fate of each of the different types of waste materials. Write these ideas on the board (e.g. website search, council brochure, contact the local council, invite a waste management officer to speak to the class and contact the waste contractors).

Step 4.

Explain that in this activity students will work in groups to research the pathway for one type of material and report back to the class. Divide the class into groups of at least two students, giving each group the task of researching the pathway of a particular waste stream. These waste stream could include:

Organics (food scraps)
Organics (garden waste)
Paper
Cardboard
Plastic bottles
Aluminium cans
Steel cans
Printer or photocopier cartridges
Other items such as corks or unwanted clothing/household goods
Rubbish

Each group then:

Writes down a list of questions that they would like to investigate for their type of material. (The groups investigating the pathway of rubbish might like to find out what the Council is planning to do in the future if the current rubbish disposal sites becomes full.)
Writes a plan for finding out this information.
If contacting someone at the Council or waste contracting company, makes a list of the questions that they will ask.
Conducts the research to answer their waste questions.
Prepares a presentation with the answers to their questions in PowerPoint.

Assessment/Reflection

Groups present their results to the rest of the class. Ask students to use the Peer Assessment Rubric to provide feedback to other groups.

Extension

As an extension activity, consider taking your students to visit a waste education centre.

Useful Resources

Waste pathways

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

Additional Info

In this lesson