School and early learning waste education

Facilitator: Bee Healthy Stories

Students become Eco Warriors and inquire into our big question, “Is waste really waste?"

Incursions options:

Eco Coder

Students explore how robots are now being used to help us recycle more efficiently. They will have a go at coding the BeeHealthy robots to ensure they take the appropriate waste to the correct recycling bin.

Monster Bins

Students feed the monster bins who are very fussy eaters. They learn about contamination and the problems it is causing with recycling. Students take action to help their school reduce contamination in their bins.

Plastic Pollution

Students explore the different ways we can recycle in Maroondah. They learn about plastic pollution and what they can do to help.

Textile Waste

Students learn about the lifespan of waste and the fun ways we can recycle. They then upcycle textile waste into new items.

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.

Complete our composting request form to access free resources, such as caddy stickers, for your school.

We have also created a composting and worm farm activity that you can use in your classroom.

Composting fact sheet(PDF, 467KB)

Worm farm junior activity sheet(PDF, 224KB)

School composting junior activity sheet(PDF, 194KB)

Composting upper primary activity sheet(PDF, 188KB)

Worm farm upper primary activity sheet(PDF, 2MB)

Lesson ideas for composting systems in schools(PDF, 188KB)

Find out more about different composting systems on our composting page.

Signage

Bin signage - A4(PDF, 1MB)

Bin signage - 260 by 200(PDF, 1MB)

Colouring sheets

Batteries(PDF, 831KB)

Circular economy(PDF, 459KB)

Linear economy(PDF, 386KB)

FOGO bin to compost(PDF, 386KB)

FOGO bin contents - with ticks(PDF, 118KB)

FOGO bin contents - no ticks(PDF, 115KB)

General rubbish bin contents - with ticks(PDF, 133KB)

General rubbish bin contents - no ticks(PDF, 133KB)

Keep your recycling loose(PDF, 298KB)

Mixed recycling bin contents - with ticks(PDF, 144KB)

Mixed recycling bin contents - no ticks(PDF, 144KB)

• Swap Party
  Children are encouraged to think about consumption and alternatives to buying things new.

• National Recycling Week: Reducing Waste
  Children explore the concepts of packaging, waste, and recycling in order to reduce the amount of packaging from their lunchboxes that ends up in landfill.

• The Art of Waste
  Children investigate the ways that waste materials can be creatively reused.

• Visy: Recycling
  Children investigate the composition of objects, the purpose of different bins for waste and recyclables, and the closed-loop recycling process.

• Exploring Closed Loop Recycling (Years Foundation to Two)
  Students investigate the composition of objects, the purpose of different bins for waste and recyclables, and the closed-loop recycling process.

• National Recycling Week: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Take Action! (Years Foundation to Two)
  Students learn about recycling and sustainability as part of Planet Ark's National Recycling Week.

• War on Waste - Waste Management (Years Foundation to Four)
  Students explore waste management topics such as waste categorisation, plastic waste, single-use plastics, waste decomposition, and school waste disposal systems.

• National Recycling Week: Recycling and Waste Reduction (Years Foundation to Six)
  Students explore recycling and waste reduction topics such as the Australasian Recycling Labels and their purpose, the recycling loop for various products, and the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources.

• Clean Up Australia Day: Let’s Talk Trash (Years Foundation to Six)
  Students are equipped with the skills and confidence to make informed, sustainable choices, actively contributing to a cleaner environment at school and beyond.

• Trash Talk: Building Literacy Through Waste Awareness (Years Three and Four)
  Students build their literacy comprehension skills while exploring the real-world issue of waste.

• War on Waste: The Environmental impacts of Waste (Years Three to Six)
  Students explore topics such as waste disposal methods, the impact of waste on the environment, and actions that individuals and households can take to address waste issues.

• Upcycling Cardboard (Years Five and Six)
  Students use Design Thinking principles to find sustainable solutions for Australia’s recyclables, helping to reduce material sent to landfill.

• Understanding Recycling Labels (Years Five and Six)
  Students learn about the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) and how individuals can make a positive impact on the environment by changing their recycling behaviour and consumer habits.

• Mobile Phones: Electrical Circuits and Sustainability (Years Five and Six)
  Students engage in hands-on activities to understand the fundamentals of electrical circuits, including how they power mobile phones and the role of circuit boards.

• Visy: Design Thinking for Sustainable Recycling Solutions (Years Five and Six)
  Students are empowered to identify and address issues related to recycling in their community.

• 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.

• Visy: Creating Sustainable Solutions (Years Seven to Ten)
  Students learn about closed-loop recycling and the re-manufacture of recyclable materials into new packaging products.

• 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.

• Take 3 For The Sea: Exploring Solutions to Plastic Pollution (Years Seven to Ten)
  Students explore their connection to the ocean and the impact of plastic waste on it.

• 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.

• Circular Classroom and design(Years Ten to Twelve)
  Students learn about circular economy.