Waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing our communities. Whilst government recycling schemes help manage part of the problem, many common items remain difficult to recycle or reuse. Waste Warriors are individuals who choose to fight for our environment by reducing waste in new and inventive ways.

Note:

• Maximum number of students for this program is 75 per day.
• Students are highly encouraged to bring an old t-shirt from home that can be cut up and re-purposed.

No prior knowledge necessary.

How can we use our resources more sustainably?

In this program students will:

• Understand that many resources are non-renewable, and that recycling and reuse helps us manage waste sustainably
• Recognise the properties of different materials, and that these properties are used to sort waste in recycling facilities
• Identify which waste materials are difficult for councils to manage and why
• Discuss alternate methods of reusing or recycling materials that are difficult to dispose in kerbside bins
• Discover how water is filtered and cleaned for reuse, and why this process is so important in Australia
• Feel empowered to make a positive difference as a warrior against waste

Students will:

• Conduct an experiment to discover how materials are sorted at a recycling plant
• Sort plastics that are suitable or not suitable for recycling
• Shred suitable plastic lids for recycling
• Using an injection mold to recycle plastic lids, creating a new object
• Turn an old t-shirt into a no-sew bag
• Use their problem-solving skills to filter dirty water

Science – Science as a human endeavour

• Scientific knowledge, skills and data can be used by people to explain how they will meet a need or solve a problem (VC2S4H02)

Science – Science understanding

• The properties of natural and made materials, including fibres, metals, glass and plastics, influence their use and re-use (VC2S4U05)
• Water is an important Earth resource that originates from various sources; water cycles through the environment by moving through the sky, landscape and ocean, and involves processes including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, melting, freezing, crystallisation, infiltration and run-off (VC2S4U07)

Science – Science inquiry

• Observations can be used as a basis for posing questions to identify patterns and relationships, and to predict the outcomes of investigations (VC2S4I01)
• Scientific investigations to answer questions or test predictions can be planned and conducted using provided scaffolds, including identifying the attributes of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment (VC2S4I02)
• Findings can be compared to those of others, including, as appropriate, whether a test was fair or not, to enable conclusions to be drawn, and may lead to the identification of further questions for investigation (VC2S4I05)

Geography – Diversity of places and environments

• The importance of environments, including natural vegetation and water sources, to people and animals in Australia and on another continent (VC2HG4K03)
• Sustainability and its application to the use of natural resources and the management of waste (VC2HG4K09)

Capabilities – Critical and creative thinking

• Ways to identify, structure and communicate a conclusion justified by a range of reasons (VC2CC4R01)

The following Learning Continuum is a guide for teachers to show the links between the programs Ecolinc offers onsite, online and through outreach. The Learning Continuum can be used to access Ecolinc resources to support the development of units of work.

Outreach programs are conducted by an Ecolinc education officer at your school. They are available to moderately disadvantaged primary schools in the Geelong, Ballarat and western suburbs areas (or within 100km radius from Bacchus Marsh).