Teaching Resources for National Recycling Week

  • National Recycling Week Teaching Resources

    National Recycling Week is held in the second week of November each year. Naturally, you can recycle all year round with these lessons designed to be used at any time.

Lessons to bring sustainability and recycling in the classroom

Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week started in 1996 to bring a national focus to the environmental benefits of recycling. This highly regarded annual campaign continues to educate and stimulate behaviour change by promoting kerbside, industrial and community recycling initiative. It also gives people the tools to minimise waste and manage material resources responsibly at home, work and school. In partnership with Planet Ark, we have developed lessons from early learning through to year 10 to help educators bring these important topics into the classroom.

2025 National Recycling Week

Planet Ark's National Recycling Week runs from 10-16 November 2025 and offers a wide range of recycling-themed activities, lesson plans and events ideas that have been developed specifically for Australian schools.

Scroll down and download your favourite resources, and head to Planet Ark's website to see other ways you can get involved.

New resources

  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Plants and Compost: Let’s Break it Down

  • Primary
  • Year 1 - 2
  • Science
  • Biology
  • Environmental
  • Sustainability
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Working for Scraps: Worm Farms for the Classroom

  • Primary
  • Year 3 - 4
  • Science
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Creating a Green Circular Economy

  • Secondary
  • Year 7
  • Science
  • Biology
  • Environmental
  • Biodiversity
  • Energy
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Are Enzymes the Future of Plastic Recycling?

  • Primary
  • Year 4
  • Science
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Closing the Loop: Building and Construction Waste

  • Primary
  • Year 5 - 6
  • Technology
  • Design and Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Economic
  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

Pack a Snack

  • Primary
  • Year 5 - 6
  • Technology
  • Design and Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling

Supporting resources

  • Activity
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Reducing Lunchbox Waste

  • Early Learning
  • Technology
  • Design and Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Economic
  • Design Thinking
  • Lesson
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Upcycling Timber

  • Primary
  • Year 3 - 4
  • Technology
  • Design and Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Economic
  • Design Thinking

Early learning

  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Reducing Waste

  • Early Learning
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability

Primary

  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Recycling and Waste Reduction

  • Primary
  • Foundation
  • Year 1 - 6
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Taking Action

  • Primary
  • Foundation
  • Year 1 - 2
  • English
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • History
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Taking Positive Steps Towards Sustainable Waste Management

  • Primary
  • Year 5 - 6
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • History
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • The Arts
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week – Reducing Waste and Recycling Right

  • Primary
  • Year 3 - 4
  • English
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • The Arts
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Economic
  • Design Thinking
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - NAPLAN Preparation

  • Primary
  • Year 3 - 6
  • English
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability

Secondary

  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - The Importance of Reducing Waste

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • English
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - The History of Waste

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • History
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Sustainable Recycling Practices

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Preparing for NAPLAN

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 10
  • English
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Exploring Sustainability Through Creative Expression

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 10
  • English
  • Science
  • The Arts
  • Music
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Advertising and Excessive Consumption

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 10
  • English
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Business and Economics
  • Technology
  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Electronic Waste and Packaging

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 10
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • Business and Economics
  • Technology
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Waste Reduction and Sustainability

  • Secondary
  • Year 9 - 10
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Geography
  • The Arts
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability
  • Unit
  • Free
  • ...

National Recycling Week - Reducing Our Consumption

  • Secondary
  • Year 9 - 10
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Environmental
  • Recycling
  • Sustainability

With thanks to our partners

Held in the second week of November each year, Planet Ark National Recycling Week aims to educate and inspire households, schools, workplaces and councils to rethink their rubbish by following the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse and then recycle. National Recycling Week helps you better understand what happens to your rubbish and recycling beyond the bin, and how to improve your environmental footprint with tips and ideas on applying the waste hierarchy to your daily life.