Recycle Races

January 6th, 2010 @ kadraoui // No Comments

RECYCLE RACES

Learning Objectives

• Understand the recycling process, the benefits of recycling and which materials can be recycled.
• Develop good sorting behaviour to reduce contamination (putting unsuitable materials into recycle bins).

Curriculum Links

• Science
• Geography
• Citizenship
• PE
  

Materials:
Two bags (with one item for each pupil) of clean recyclable, non recyclable and organic waste items (or use pictures of food waste items instead), two sets of coloured stickers (e.g. one red set, one blue set) to attach to the waste items in each bag, three containers clearly labeled ‘recycle’, ‘compost’ and ‘rubbish’, a space suitable for pupils to move around.

How to play

1. Discuss the properties of items that can be recycled and composted. Discuss what problems arise if the wrong materials are put in the wrong bin (contamination).
2. Divide the group or class into two teams and ask each team to form a straight line.
3. Place the three clearly labeled containers at the front of the room, one for general rubbish, one for recyclables and one for compost.
4. Place a bag containing a mixture of waste items at the front of each line. Ensure there is the same number of items as there are number of pupils in each team.
5. When the race starts, the first team member takes a waste item from the bag at the front and passes it through their legs to the next person, who passes it on overhead. This continues all the way down the line.
6. When it reaches the last person, they hold the item up in the air and the team shouts out ‘recycle’, ‘compost’ or ‘rubbish’, depending on what bin it should go into.
7. The team member then goes to the front of the line and picks the next item from the bag, starting the process again.
8. When the bag is empty, the team should sit down to show that they have finished. The winning team is the team that sorts the rubbish correctly, not who finishes first, unless there is a tie.
9. Go through each team’s answers with the class to reinforce which items should be recycled, and which bin the rubbish should have been put into.

Extension ideas

• Investigate what’s in your class’s waste bin. Brainstorm ways to reduce your waste.
• Research the benefits of recycling and research and discuss the recycling process e.g. what happens to paper when it gets recycled?

Top tip
This activity is ideal to run in a hall, a gym, or a playground to allow pupils space to run around

Recycle Races

Waste Free Lunch

January 6th, 2010 @ kadraoui // No Comments

WASTE FREE LUNCH

Learning Objectives

• Look at the benefits of recycling and introduce the different recycling processes.

• Introduce the concepts of reducing, reusing, recycling and sending waste to landfill

• Identify materials that can be recycled.

• Understand the importance of reducing food and packaging waste.

• Develop an awareness of healthy foods and identify ways to incorporate healthy eating into school lunches.

Curriculum Links

• English
• Maths
• Science
• Design and Technology
• Citizenship

A.    Preparation

• In groups, explore the journey of waste when it is thrown away compared to when it is recycled or composted. Discuss the advantages of items that can be reused, recycled or composted compared to landfill or incineration. Visit the ‘Home’ section on www.recycling-for-charity.com to find out about waste and the recycling process.
• Gather examples of lunch waste from the class on a typical school day. Look at the leftovers and discuss what can be reused, recycled, composted and what needs to be thrown away.
• As a class investigate how you can reduce food and packaging waste. Are there reusable or recyclable packaging alternatives? Could you choose food with less packaging or smaller/more appropriate portions?
• Write a list of recommendations on how to prepare a waste-free lunch and give examples of items you could pack.
• Decide on a date for the waste-free lunch, send a letter home to parents ideally giving two weeks notice and tell them how to participate in the activity (see downloadable sample letter). You may like to include the list of recommendations/examples prepared by the students.

B. The lunch

1. The waste-free lunch can be held as a class or school-wide event with either individuals or classes competing against each other.
2. On the day, students should sit in the normal dinning area. Give them time to enjoy their lunch, then allocate points for different types of leftover waste: Reusable waste = 0 points, recyclable = 1 point, compostable = 1 point, waste that needs to be thrown away = 2 points. The student or class with the lowest score wins!
3. Alternatively rate student’s lunch leftovers with a traffic light system, handing out red, yellow or green stickers, depending on how waste-free their lunch is.
4. Attentive students should be able to achieve a zero-waste lunch.
5. Compare the results to the amount of waste produced from lunch on a typical school day.

Ways to adopt and extend the activity

• This activity can be adapted for use at any time of year for seasonal events such as Christmas parties or summer picnics, indoors, outdoors, on a large or small scale and with a wide range of age-groups.
• Incentivise the activity by offering prizes or house points.
• Get students to draft the letter to their parents, or even better, invite the parents to join in with the lunch.
• Waste-free lunches tend to be healthy and inexpensive. Use this activity as a platform to discuss:

• how packaging choices affect product prices;
• nutrition; and
• related environmental issues (seasonal produce, food miles and animal welfare).

Top tip
Why not reward pupils for their efforts by handing out silver, gold or green stickers, depending on how ‘waste-free’ their lunch was.

EXAMPLE: LETTER TO PARENTS/GUARDIAN

Name of school
Address of school
Telephone number


To:
Name:
Address:

Date:             


Can you help to prepare a waste-free packed lunch?

Dear Parent or Guardian,

We are learning how reducing the amount of waste we throw away can have a positive impact on the environment.

As part of this work we are holding a waste-free packed lunch competition on (insert day), (insert date). We hope as many students as possible are able to participate, including those who usually have school dinners.

The aim of the waste-free lunch is for each pupil to bring a packed lunch, which produces as little food and packaging waste as possible. Points will be awarded to the students or class with the least amount of rubbish that needs throwing away at the end. The students or class with the lowest number of points wins!

Ideas for creating a waste-free lunch include:

• use containers that can be used again eg tupperware, a flask or an old ice cream box;
• avoid using disposable packaging and individually wrapped snacks; and
• if you can’t reuse the packaging, ensure it is recyclable or compostable.

Do let me know if you have any questions about this project.

Best of luck!

(Teacher’s name)
(Teacher’s role)

Waste Free Lunch

Action Plan

January 6th, 2010 @ kadraoui // No Comments

ACTION PLAN

Learning Objectives

• Interpret data from the waste audit.
• Evaluate needs arising from the audit data.
• Provide realistic solutions to these needs.
• Co-operate effectively as a group.

Curriculum Links

• English
• Science
• Geography
• Citizenship

A. Preparation

1. Before this activity, you should carry out a waste audit (see ‘Waste audit’ activity).
2. If you are about to set up a new recycling scheme, assess the data from your waste audit and contact your local authority to discuss recycling collections for your school (see ‘Organising your school’s recycling to be collected’ in this Action Pack). Liaise with your bursar, site manager/caretaker and the school management to find out about existing rubbish collections, costs and frequency.

B. Action plan

1. Waste audit review

• As a class, discuss the environmental benefits of recycling outlined in this Action Pack, see the section on ‘Environmental Benefits’.
• Present the data collated from the waste audit and, as a class, identify the waste ‘hot spots’, and most common types of waste found at the school. Discuss why certain locations and materials present greater problems than others and agree likely explanations.

2. Group brainstorming

• With these explanations agreed, break the class up into smaller groups and come up with solutions to the school’s waste issues. Groups can be assigned specific hot spots or materials to address. Alternatively all groups can be assigned the same prominent waste issues to achieve a greater variety of interesting solutions.
• Student groups can use the template overleaf to draw up their suggestions.
• As a class, discuss and agree which proposed solutions will be most effective.
• Collate these agreed solutions into a final action plan, using the template provided overleaf.
• Assign tasks to appropriate individuals within the class and across the school, and agree realistic timeframes in which tasks should be completed.

3. Execute your tasks

Assign some class time for your students to carry out the activities they have assigned themselves and to notify other staff and students of the responsibilities assigned to them. The tasks will depend on whether you already recycle at school or are about to set up a new recycling scheme.

Some examples of action plan tasks are listed below:

• Provide training to staff and pupils on what materials can be recycled at your school and where. For example you can involve students in preparing a training session for their classmates where they will discuss issues such as contamination (throwing the wrong material into the wrong bin) and explain the benefits of recycling.
• Distribute recycling containers and clearly label them. Students can download, print and attach the easily recognisable  labels (available at http://www.recycling-for-charity.com) to the recycling containers.
• Clearly mark recycling areas, for example by putting up awareness posters (also available athttp://www.recycling-for-charity.com), so everyone knows where the containers are and what should go in them.
• Let everyone know about the new recycling scheme and prepare an assembly or newsletter to introduce the system.

C. The follow up

1. Set a review date when you will revisit your action plan as a group to see how far you have come and identify what else you can do.
2. Schedule a follow up waste audit after a few months to measure the effectiveness of your scheme.

Extension ideas

• Add a section on recycling to your school’s website. This could include details of key people involved and a regular recycling newsletter.
• Develop recycling training sessions for the classroom.
• Regularly prepare an assembly to share recycling results, achievements and development plans for the future.
• Prepare a school notice board showing graphs of results and recycling achievements.
• Involve the local press and radio to let everyone know about the school’s scheme.
• Team up with another school in the area to share ideas via the internet.
• Pupils can develop a database with the help of spreadsheet software packages and record recycling information, draw graphs and analyse the data.

Top tip

It may be helpful to contact your local authority before undertaking this activity with your pupils to see what actions would be feasible in your area and manage pupils’ expectations.

EXAMPLE: ACTION PLAN

Action Plan & Recycle @ Work

Survey

January 6th, 2010 @ kadraoui // No Comments

SURVEY

Learning Objectives

• Investigate the different categories of school waste and ways of monitoring the volume.
• Record and analyse waste data.

Curriculum Links

• Maths
• Science
• Citizenship

Materials:

• Bagged rubbish;
• old carrier bags (eight for each group);
• 10-20 large bin bags;
• spring balances or Newton meters;
• ground sheet/floor covers;
• clipboards with copies of the recording sheet;
• rubber gloves (one pair for each adult and child);
• overalls, or old clothing.

A. Preparation

1. Identify an ‘average’ school day on which you will audit your school’s waste (e.g. not during events, the end of term clear out, or when groups are out of school). Let all staff know when the audit will take place.
2. Carry out a risk assessment for the activity.
3. You may want to send a letter home to parents to inform them about the activity, ask them to provide clothing and possibly to request adult volunteers to support the activity in school.
4. Ask the site manager/caretaker to save one day’s waste from the entire school, including non teaching areas such as bathrooms, staff rooms, offices and external areas, e.g. the playground.
5. Ask the site manager/caretaker to look through the bags to remove sharp objects and label each bag with the area of the school it came from (e.g. classroom 1, playground). Ensure that bags of food waste are clearly labelled and kept separately. Store all bags of waste safely overnight.

B. The audit

1. Explain health and safety issues to the students, for example, gloves must be worn before touching any waste, students should call an adult if they see any sharp objects in the rubbish etc.
2. Weigh all bags containing food waste (e.g. from the canteen) with the whole class, log the results in grams on the recording sheet and dispose of the waste in the usual manner.
3. Divide a class into three to four groups. Each group should have a ground sheet to work around, a recording sheet and pencil, and a set of spring balances or Newton meters. Each child should wear protective rubber gloves.
4. Each group should empty the contents of one bag of rubbish at a time onto the plastic mat and sort it into the different types of waste shown on the recording sheet.
5. Groups should have a separate carrier bag for each waste type. They will sort the waste into these bags and weigh them using an appropriate spring balance or Newton meter. Log the results on the recording sheet.
6. Once the contents of the carrier bags in each group have been weighed and recorded, empty them into larger bin bags and re-use the carrier bag.
7. When all bags have been sorted and the data has been recorded, dispose of the waste and recyclables in the usual manner.

C. The follow up

1. The next time the group meets, calculate the daily, weekly and annual waste totals for the whole school. Multiply daily totals by five for the weekly results, and the weekly totals by 38 weeks (the average number of weeks per year spent at school). Work out the percentage of different types of waste produced.
2. Compare waste data from different areas around your school and identify waste ‘hot-spots’.
3. Discuss your findings. What are the most common types of waste? Is any of it recyclable? Which type of waste would make the biggest difference if recycled?
4. Use the information from your waste audit to plan or improve your recycling scheme as outlined in the ‘Action plan’ activity.

Ways to adapt and extend the activity

• If you don’t have the necessary equipment, attach recording sheets to each bin on the evening before the audit. Get everyone to tally what they throw in the bin. This avoids the need for sorting the waste by hand and is particularly suitable for smaller schools. The tallies can be used to estimate the relative proportions of materials in each area.
• Ask the students to note down at least five action points that could reduce the school’s waste. As a group, decide what the top five actions are and break them into smaller, achievable steps.
• Whilst sorting the waste, get pupils to note down the most common waste items. How could you reduce this type of waste?
• Present your findings to the rest of the school through an assembly or newsletter.
• Repeat your audit after you have set up or improved your recycling scheme. This will show if your recycling system and action plan is effective. It also identifies areas which require further work.

Top tip

Why not contact your local authority recycling department to see if there is anyone that can come and help you run this activity?

PUPILS WORKSHEET: WASTE AUDIT

Survey

Get all involved!

January 6th, 2010 @ kadraoui // No Comments

GET THE WHOLE SCHOOL INVOLVED

Try to involve as many people as possible

Involving pupils and staff across your school in setting up and running your recycling scheme is essential to ensure the scheme works successfully. If the school community has ownership of various tasks and responsibilities, participation is likely to be higher and contamination (throwing unsuitable materials into recycling bins) is likely to be lower. Whole school involvement also ensures recycling continues even if enthusiastic staff and pupils move on.

Get all involved!