Secondary school waste education

Council provides a range of helpful waste education resources and programs for schools in Maroondah.

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School incursions

Council provides a range of free waste education incursions for secondary schools within Maroondah.

Schools can book one incursion day per calendar year. Providers will consult with your team to ensure that the sessions are unique to your students’ needs.

Facilitator: Cirque du Soil

Incursions options

The lifecycle of Everyday Objects

Students often see objects as things to be used and discarded, but what if we could give them a new continuity of life? This program explores the journey of everyday items and their sum of parts up to packaging, such as plastic bottles, clothing, electronics, and food.

Circular Economy in Action

This hands-on incursion offers a deep dive into the circular economy through hands-on activities that make the concept tangible and relatable.

Option one - Students will engage in upcycling and resource management tasks that demonstrate how waste can be transformed into valuable resources, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.

Option two - Students will engage in creating their own micro-recycling stations using upcycling of local waste resources and participate in group games of “waste-ketball” that demonstrate linear vs circularity.

Designing for the Future: Circular Innovation

Innovation is key to advancing the circular economy, and this incursion empowers students to become the designers of tomorrow's circular products and services. Using a design thinking framework, students will collaborate to create prototypes of products that align with circular economy principles, learning to balance functionality, sustainability, and creativity.

Waste Not, Change a Lot

What if we could redesign waste out of our world and create communities where nothing goes to landfill through local youth action? In this hands-on, action-focused session, you’ll discover how the circular economy works, explore your role in making change, and create a DIY climate action plan to bring back to your home, school, or community.

Little to Big Circular Economy Champions

In this interactive incursion, students will step into the shoes of various stakeholders in a community, from business owners to government officials, and explore how different perspectives and decisions impact the transition to a circular economy.

Book an incursion

Submit a booking enquiry form to discuss an incursion at your school.

Submit booking enquiry

Please email waste.education@maroondah.vic.gov.au if you have any other school requests or enquiries.

Waste audit hire kit

The waste audit hire kit helps schools carry out a waste or litter audit. This information can be used when completing the ResourceSmart waste module.

The kit contains a guidebook, tubs and equipment to sort the waste, scales, worksheets, follow up activities and more.

Submit booking enquiry

Put a grin on your recycling bin game

recycling bin decorative image

Swipe across the recyclables to put them in your recycle bin. Try not to swipe on non-recyclable items.

Choose a difficulty level below and get ready to swipe!

Put a grin on your recycling bin

Professional development and parent education sessions

All Maroondah based educational settings are eligible to receive professional development for staff or a parent education session with Council’s Waste Education team to assist on waste reduction or waste management.

Potential topics include:

  • Composting
  • Reducing food waste and nude food
  • Understanding waste and bins
  • Recycling and hard to recycle items
  • Evaluating and advising on waste management plans.

For more information, please email waste.education@maroondah.vic.gov.au.

Waste reduction initiatives

Resources and lesson plans

Lesson plans

  • The True Cost of Consumption (Years Seven and Eight)
    Students investigate the less obvious costs of the things we buy, and consider their true cost to not just your bank account, but to the world.
  • War on Waste: Circular Economy (Years Seven to Ten)
    Students explore waste, sustainability, and the environment. These lessons are designed for flipped classrooms, where students learn at their own pace.
  • Clean Up Australia: Waste Reduction Activities (Years Seven to Ten)
    Students learn about waste management and reduction. These lessons are ideal for participating in Schools Clean Up Day or for a Clean Up event at any time of the year.
  • The Cost of Plastic Waste Presentation (Years Nine and Ten)
    Students learn about the financial cost of plastic waste including costs related to cleaning up plastic waste, impacts on tourism and impacts on fisheries and aquaculture.