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WasteWiseLearning to be

A C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

Learning to be Waste Wise: A Curriculum Resource

Original author: Pat ArmstrongOther contributors: Eric Bottomley, Cinnamon Evans, Gil Freeman, Angela Jenkins, Sandy King, JohnLaffin, Janine Lawrie, Deirdre Lenhoff, Anne Lundgren, Rosemary MacLean, Stuart McQuire, JosephNatoli, Kelli Nunes, Maree Pollard, Bob Winters and Jenny Zerafa

WA Editors: Jenny Anderton and Suzanne MillsWA Contributor: Louise Neilson

Learning to be Waste Wise is adapted from a publication of the same name with permission under a licenseagreement between DEP and EcoRecycle Victoria.

Original Project Manager: Steve Malcolm

This material is not to be produced for sale or other commercial use. It may be reproduced in full or part byschools for their own use.

© DEP, 2002

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the authors make no claim as to the accuracy orauthenticity of the content of this publication and do not accept liability to any person for the informationor advice provided in this document or incorporated into it by reference. DEP and the authors do not acceptany liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the content of this document.This document is provided on the basis that all persons accessing it undertake responsibility for assessingthe relevance and accuracy of its content.

National Library of Australiacataloguing-in-publication data

Armstrong, Pat, 1947–.Learning to be waste wise: a curriculum resource.

Bibliography.ISBN

1. Refuse and refuse disposal – Study and teaching(Primary). 2. Environmental education – Problems,exercises, etc. 3. Recycling (Waste, etc.) – Problems,exercises, etc. I. III. Title.

363.728071

Printed on recycled paper

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Getting Started 1Some Groundwork 2Links with the Curriculum Framework 5Science Curriculum Links 19Science Judging GuidesS&E Curriculum LinksS&E Judging GuidesLinks to Values

Chapter 2: Planning 41Developing a Program of Work for Years P–10 on ‘Waste’ 41A Middle Schooling Approach to Waste Minimisation 42Sample Units 53

Chapter 3: Keeping it Going 65

Chapter 4: Waste and Litter Resources 68

Chapter 5: Contacts and Services 88

Contents

AcknowledgmentsFor assistance in the preparation of this publication, the author would like to thank:

Alan Mayberry, Jim Grant (Gould League)Steve Malcolm (EcoRecycle Victoria)Dr John Andrews (Department of Education)Peter Devery (Catholic Education Office)Geoff Emmett, Cherry Andrews, Bruce Tamagno, Mike Hoye, Robyn Timmins,Madeleine Jenkins, Imre Hollosy, Alma Ryrie Jones (Board of Studies)Sue Elliott (Environmental Education in Early Childhood)Dr Annette Gough (Deakin University)David Robertson (Association of Independent Schools)John Laffin (Earthcare Education)Anne Lundgren (Black Rock Primary School)Jenny Zerafa (Tintern AGGS)

The authors would also like to thank the following teachers who provided valuableinformation and feedback on their respective school’s experience in waste minimisation.

Robin Wood and Maria Ramsden (Bimbadeen Heights Primary School)Eddie Natzis (Broadmeadows Primary School)Molly Butcher (Campmeadows Primary School)Steve Ramsay (Clayton North Primary School)Con Photopoulos (Cranbourne North Primary School)Margaret Kentler (Doncaster Primary School)Dianne Mallerick (Eltham East Primary School)Judy Walsh (Fairfield Primary School)Fiona Kelly (Greensborough Primary School)Susan Goodall (Knox Park Primary School)Sue Saunders (Monash Primary School)Julie Kearney (Oakleigh South Primary School)Karen Fitzsimons (Penola Catholic College)Grant Phillips and Julie Ellis (Presbyterian Ladies College, Junior School)Dianne Wilson (Preston Girls Secondary College)Anastasia Florence (Santa Maria College)Margaret Hirth (Strathewan Primary School)Marie Kick, Joanne Witt and Paul Wyss (Southmoor Primary School)Ross White (Upfield Secondary College)David Altis (Wales Street Primary School)Judy Casleton (Westmeadows Primary School)Anne Yardy (Wonga Park Primary school)Pauline Musgrave (Yarrabah School)

DEP would welcome feedback from teachers about the usefulness of this publication, as wellas any suggestions for improvement.

IntroductionEffective waste and litter education in schools offers a range of important benefits. This isincreasingly being recognised and some schools have already established impressiveprograms.

A best practice approach to waste and litter education involves the integration ofcurriculum and waste-conscious school operations, which offers not only educationalbenefits and reduced environmental impact, but also cost savings to the school and, in manylocal communities, a valuable element for a school’s marketing strategy.

A key focus is to use waste and litter as a theme within Learning Areas and TEE studies,rather than as an ‘add-on’ which requires extra curriculum time. Environmental issues suchas waste and litter have shown themselves to be very useful themes which schools can use tosimultaneously address both environmental/S&E learning outcomes and outcomes in adiversity of all other learning areas and at all Curriculum Framework levels.

This book is part of the Waste Wise Schools Kit, which has been produced by drawingtogether the best ideas from the many excellent projects undertaken by schools andeducational organisations in this field.

The Kit is consistent with the Ministerial policy for environmental education, Investing inthe Future: Environmental Education for Victoria’s Schools, released in May 1998, andallows schools to apply the policy in the practical real-life situation of waste management.

The major components of the Kit are:• No Time to Waste video• The Waste Wise Way: Savings, Benefits and School Operating Practices• Learning to be Waste Wise: A Curriculum Guide• Waste Information Sheets• Waste Wise Schools Case Studies Booklet• Ollie Recycles CD-ROM

The Kit was designed to help schools achieve all the elements of a best practice approachto waste and litter education and is based on the collective experiences of many schools,both primary and postprimary.

For further details on the Waste Wise Schools Kit, refer to the Introduction in thecompanion book: The Waste Wise Way: Savings, Benefits and School Operating Practices.

1Getting Started 1

1

Getting Startedch

apte

r 1

THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES GUIDELINES

TO SCHOOLS FOR DEVELOPING

EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND UNITS OF

WORK ON WASTE AND LITTER,

SHOWING HOW THESE CAN LINK TO

THE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK.

Learning to be Waste Wise: A Curriculum Resource2

1Before you actually launch into writingyour programs and units, take some timeout to conduct some essential research. Thisbook has much information that you willfind helpful in this research.

Form Working GroupsThese working groups could investigate thebest way to introduce waste and littereducation programs in the school. Thesegroups could be formed in different ways,perhaps at year levels or on a departmentbasis. One person should be responsible tocoordinate each group’s findings and reportback to the whole staff.

Contact Waste Wise WA to find out howa staff member from your school couldundertake professional development as partof the Waste Wise Schools Program.

Conduct Curriculum AuditsFind out where the topics of wasteminimisation and litter are currently being

covered in the school at each year level andin which Learning Areas. How well are thetopics being covered? What problems havethere been? Is there any coordination, sothat there is a sequential approach or arethe same topics being repeated year afteryear? Are some topics not covered at all?Draw up a table summarising the currentunits and programs on waste and litter inthe school at each year level Learning Area.Identify the gaps.

Check the Resources Already in theSchoolIdentify what resources you already have inthe school. Resources could include:• books• posters• videos• CD-ROMs• cassette tapes• unit planners• games• models.

Some Groundwork

3Getting Started

Identify New Resources andContactsUse the information in Chapters 5 and 6 ofthis handbook. Ask colleagues in otherschools or at Learning Area Networkmeetings to recommend key resources,contacts, excursions, etc. Budget to buysome of these key resources. Write to someof the key contacts to obtain relevantinformation. Check out the major sites onthe Internet. Alternatively, ask the studentsto do this for you. Plan for interestingexcursions or incursions.

Identify the LinksEstablish what links there are between thetopics of waste and litter and the followingdocuments and programs.

Identify where the topics of waste andlitter would be relevant to your school’scharter.

Look through the section in this chapter,‘Links with the Curriculum Framework’,starting on page 5, noting how manylearning outcomes can be achieved bystudents through studies of waste and litter.Identify the relevant examples for yourstudents.

Identify the Talents and Knowledgein Your School CommunityAt a staff meeting find out about staff,parents, grandparents, etc., who have skillsor knowledge in the waste and litter area.For example, a parent with experience incomposting may be able to speak to thestudents about their experiences. Find out if there are staff who have attendedprofessional development programs onwaste and litter or have experience in theseareas.

Identify Other Useful Contacts andResources in Your Local AreaCheck with the waste minimisation officeror conservation officer at your localcouncil.

Choose an ApproachThere are many ways that a school couldintroduce the topics of waste minimisationand litter reduction. Some of these are listedbelow:

IntegratedWaste minimisation topics can be integratedacross middle schooling and can be used todevelop ‘Values’ outcomes.

Faculty EmphasisThis could be a topic in S&E or Science, forexample.

Cross-curriculum ThemesLook for opportunities for cross-curriculumthemes in Learning Areas such as Science, S&E, Physical Education and Health,English, The Arts and Technology.

Environmental SubjectMore applicable to postprimary schools,waste minimisation topics could beincluded in subjects such as EnvironmentalStudies or Geography.

An EventThis could involve an excursion orincursion to a waste education centre orwaste treatment plant, with appropriateprevisit and postvisit activities. Educationcentres such as the Southern MetropolitanRegional Council’s Education Centre,Cleanaway or City Farm. Involvement inClean-up Australia Day could become afocus for a litter education. Refer toChapter 6, ‘Contacts and Services’.


1Competitions and FestivalsPreparing a school for a competition canprovide the stimulus for either setting up orimproving a waste minimisation program ina school. Examples include National ARCSchools Competition and Earth Schools.

TopicWaste minimisation could be a theme for aunit of work in almost any subject. Thetopic could be a part of the curriculum ortake advantage of a particular current eventor issue, e.g. kerbside recycling. It could be a theme for a level or even the whole school during a special period, such asWorld Environment Day, Arbor Week,Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge or WorldRecycling Day.

Look for opportunities for topics thatrelate to the school’s waste and litteroperating practices. For example, if theschool has set up a worm farm, there areobviously wonderful opportunities for thestudents to study compost worms,completing learning outcomes in Science,Mathematics and possibly other Learning Areas.

Look for Opportunities for HomeProjects or AssignmentsHome projects can provide opportunitiesfor the students to take home ideas learnt atschool and put them in place in the familiarenvironment of the home, thus establishinglife-long habit changes. They may also leadto an important flow-on effect of soundwaste and litter reduction habits from theschool to other members of the family.

Examples of home projects mightinclude:• developing a family waste action plan• starting a worm farm• maintaining a compost bin.

Record and Pool Your ResearchInformationThe working party should takeresponsibility for collating all thisinformation, making it available to other staff.

5Getting Started

Links with the Curriculum Framework and JudgingGuides for Assessment

Compiled by Louise Neilson

This section gives a detailed description of how thetopics of waste and litter can be used to assiststudents achieve learning outcomes in two LearningAreas (Science and Society and Environment) for alllevels of the Curriculum Framework.

The topics are also relevant to many other LearningAreas as shown in the middle schoolingdocumentation of learning outcomes (Chapter 2).

Also included are judging guides for Science andSociety & Environment which give pointers abouttypes of student achievement expected at different levels. A number of assessment tasks aresuggested as a guide only and are not intended as a complete list.

Learning to be Waste Wise in ScienceLinks with the Science Curriculum FrameworkThis section gives a detailed description of how the modules of waste can be used to assiststudents to achieve learning outcomes in the Life and Living and Natural and ProcessedMaterials strands within the Science Learning Area. Suggested activities are a guide only andillustrate how students can respond to the waste modules with different levels ofunderstanding. Some of the activities can be used across a range of levels (eg. Foundation to3 [F-3] and also [3-5].

It is important to note that it is the students’ responses that are levelled,not the activities themselves.


1LIFE & LIVING

Students understand their own biology and that of otherliving things, and recognise the interdependence of life.

Relevant Waste Modules:• Composting• Waste & the Environment

This work can be linked to outcome statements fromFoundation to Level 8.

Life and Living Strand Outcome StatementsLLF Demonstrates an awareness of own personalfeatures and basic needs.LL1 Understands that people are examples of livingthings and that, like all living things, they change over time.LL2 Understands that needs, features and functions ofliving things are related and change over time.LL3 Understands that living things have features thatform systems which determine their interaction with theenvironment.LL4 Understands that systems can interact and thatsuch interactions can lead to change.LL5 Understands the models and concepts that areused to explain the processes that connect systemsand lead to change.LL6 Understands the concepts and principles used toexplain the effects of change on systems of livingthings.LL7 Understands the role of science in developingknowledge about systems and change.LL8 Understands how to assess the role of science inhelping people to understand systems and change.

NATURAL & PROCESSED MATERIALS

Students understand that the structure of materialsdetermines their properties and that the processing ofraw materials results in new materials with differentproperties and uses.

Relevant Waste Modules:• Introduction to Waste• Reduce, Reuse & Recycle• Waste & the Environment

This work can be linked to outcome statements fromFoundation to Level 8.

Natural and Processed Materials OutcomeStatementsNPMF Demonstrates an awareness of materials and theirproperties.NPM1 Understands that different materials are used inlife and that materials can change.NPM2 Understands that materials have different uses,different properties and undergo different changes.NPM3 Understands that properties, changes and uses ofmaterials are related.NPM4 Understands that properties, changes and uses ofmaterials are related to their particulate structure.NPM5 Understands the models and concepts that areused to explain properties from their microscopicstructure.NPM6 Understands the concepts and principles used toexplain physical and Chemical change in systems andfamilies of chemical reactions.NPM7 Understands the role of science in developingknowledge about the Structure, change and use ofmaterials.NPM8 Understands how to assess the role of science inhelping people describe the structure, change and use ofmaterials.

Curriculum Framework Science Outcome Statements

From Science Outcome Statements (1998, page 72)

From Science Outcome Statements(1998, page 92)

Science C

urriculum Links

7Getting Started

PRIMARY SCHOOL (YrK-6)

LEVELS F-3

Emphasis is on classroom or schoolwaste• Aware that we produce and

need to remove waste.• Aware that different materials

have different properties anduses.

• Describe the shape, size,texture and materials of wasteitems in a ëfeely box’.

• Sort class rubbish and identifywaste items and the materialsused in their production eg.Plastic, glass.

• Identify problems of too muchwaste in school.

• Carry out a lunch box audit interms of waste producedthough packaging food.

• Describe observable changes toa variety of materials placed ina compost bin or as litter.

• Suggest ways that the 3Rs canbe put into practice in theclassroom.

PRIMARY SCHOOL (Yr7-9)

LEVELS 3-5

Emphasis is on household waste• Perform experiment to test

which materials will rot orchange over time either in acompost heap or on the groundas litter.

• Sort household rubbish andidentify waste items and thematerials used in theirproduction.

• Carry out a home audit ofwaste. How much does ourfamily throw out in aweek/year/month?

• Research where householdwaste goes.

• Investigate the effect of variouschemicals on the breakdown ofdifferent waste material.

• Field trip to recycling centre orlandfill site.

PRIMARY SCHOOL (Yr10+)

LEVELS 5-8

Emphasis is on the community –domestic and industrial waste• Categorise community and

state wide rubbish and identifywaste items and the materialsused in their production.

• Study waste disposal practicesthat produce gas (eg. Methane)that pollute the atmosphere anddiscuss alternatives.

• Investigate Local and WAgovernment policies that relateto litter and waste in regard toprotection of naturalenvironments.

• Research the chemistryinvolved in recycling proceduressuch as in Aluminium cans orpaper recycling.

• Compare different technologiesassociated with waste disposal.

Introduction to Waste: Science Curriculum Links(Natural and Processed Materials)Module Overview:1. What is waste?2. Where does it come from?3. Where does it go?4. Problems associated with too much waste. 5. Minimising waste through the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.6. Overall impact of 3Rs on school or local environment.


1


LEVELS F-3

• Identify and list living and non-living things in a compost bin.

• Cut and paste the pictures ofscrap food that can be put intocompost bins.

• Create ëbottled compost’.• Discuss the needs of compost

creatures, ie. food, shelter,water.

• Identify the external features ofanimals in a compost heap anddescribe how these featureshelp them to survive and thrive.

• Observe size, colour and shapeof different compost creaturesand use these observations tosort the animals.

• Use an identification chart toidentify all creatures in acompost bin.

• Make a simple compostcreature showing basic bodyparts, eg. Worm: saddle,segments, mouth.

• Create compost creaturejigsaws.

• Investigate life cycles ofcompost worms in a wormfarm.

• Make compost posters.


LEVELS 3-5

• Sort compost creatures intogroups according to variouscriteria such as number of legs,wings or no wings, antennae ornone.

• Use a key to identify a variety ofcompost creatures and classifythem into relevant phyla andclasses.

• Use a hand lens/microscope toidentify body parts of compostcreatures and describe howthey work.

• Discuss camouflage in compostcreatures and how it helps theanimal survive.

• Play games such as: Bug Bingo,Build a Bug, Tops and Tails(From Waste Matters).

• Investigate the best conditionsfor compost.

• Map relationships betweenliving things in a composthabitat.

• Draw simple food chains forcompost creatures.

• Design a brochure about whyand how to compost.


LEVELS 5-8

• Research the importance ofdecomposers in food webs.

• Observe, record and discusspopulation growth in a wormfarm.

• Test which factors affectdecomposition of organicmaterial in a compost bin andprepare report on test results.

• Explain the role of compostcreatures in converting greenwaste into nutrient rich soil.

• Draw a flow chart showing thetransfer and transformation ofmaterial and energy through afood web in a compost heap.

• Conduct research into theimpacts on various ecosystemsof using composted waste inparks and reserves.

• Research the types ofcomposting – backyard,commercial, worm farms andthe processes and merits ofeach.

Composting: Science Curriculum Links(Life and Living)

Module Overview:1. Elements of the compost bin: living and non-living.2. Identify and classifying living things according to structure (phyla & classes).3. Internal and external structures of compost creatures.4. Life cycles (eg. Worms).5. Interactions in the compost bin (as a habitat) including the compost as a food web.6. Importance of decomposers.7. Compost conversion of waste to nutrient rich soil

(transformation of material and energy).

Science C

urriculum Links

9Getting Started


LEVELS F-3

• Describe the visible propertiesof the following materials andbrainstorm uses: cardboard box,milk carton, soft drink bottle(PET), old newspapers.

• Prepare a written reportdescribing the processesinvolved in producing: plasticfrom petroleum products; glassfrom sand, soda ash and lime;aluminium from bauxite; paperfrom trees.

• Display different types of plasticpackaging and explain whyparticular plastics are used forcertain purposes.

• Construct a timeline showingthe durability of commonpackaging materials.

• Research the role of fuel inrecycling processes.

• Research and describe theburning of waste materials asfuel, eg. old tyres as fuel forcement kilns.


LEVELS 3-5

• Investigate products made fromrecycled materials and used forinsulation (eg. Ceiling insulationmade from newspapers orfleece jackets made from PETbottles).

• Investigate the rate of decay ofdifferent types of litter.

• Design and conduct a series oftests to discover the propertiesof a particular plastic used topackage softdrink and prepare awritten report of results.

• Conduct research and prepare areport about the uses for oldtyres, including using them forfuel.

• Show how different plastics canbe separated using a flotationtank.

• Show how magnetic materialscan be separated from non-magnetic ones eg. Steel cansfrom aluminium cans.

• Describe the process ofconverting waste gas to energy.


LEVELS 5-8

• Conduct research to determinethe composition and properties,such as density, flexibility andhardness, of plastics commonlyused in packaging. Discuss whycertain plastics are used forparticular purposes inpackaging.

• Investigate the problems ofcontamination in recyclingprocesses and the effects ofthis contamination on theproducts made from recycledmaterials.

• Research variations in therelative percentages of virginand recycled paper fibre thatare used in various types ofrecycled paper manufacture.

• Present findings to class aboutinvestigation into degradabilityof different materials used inpackaging and the advantagesand disadvantages of thesematerials.

• Demonstrate the production ofmethane from decaying matter.

• Research the economics ofrecycling.

3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Science Curriculum Links(Natural and processed materials)

Module Overview:1. Sorting rubbish into different groups.2. Visible properties of materials, identification of recyclable materials.3. Testing decomposition of materials.4. Describing processes involved in producing various recyclables from raw material to end

product.5. Using and sorting recyclables relating to properties of materials.6. Using waste as an energy source.7. Recycling of matter in ecosystems.


1


LEVELS F-3

Natural & Processed Materials• Identify materials that could be

recycled or reused at school orhome.

• Set up a 3 bin system in theclassroom for: food scraps,paper and rubbish.

• Monitor waste in the classroom(how much) and determinewhere the rubbish goes to.

• Identify litter problem areas atschool.

• Examine changes that occurover time to a variety of wastematerials found in class rubbish.

• Compare degradability ofdifferent materials found aslitter.

• Suggest ways of minimisingclassroom waste by using the 3Rs.


LEVELS 3-5

Natural & Processed Materials• Monitor waste in the home,

how much does your familythrow out perweek/month/year? (includerecyclables, compost, rubbish).

• Determine where householdwaste goes (landfill site,sewerage system, recyclingdepot).

• Investigate the use of recycledplastic to produce agriculturalpiping, softdrink bottles,clothing, and floor tiles orreused wood to produce newproducts for consumers.

• Determine why litter is found incertain areas at school andsuggest ways it can bereduced.

• Investigate attitudes ofpeople/students to littering.


LEVELS 5-8

Natural & Processed Materials• Investigate wastes produced in

WA (domestic, commercial,building, industrial, medical,toxic and radioactive).

• Trace waste back to sourcesand research how it is createdand how to dispose of it.

• Investigate household rubbish,car tyres and methane gas fromsanitary landfills as alternativeenergy sources.

• Compare the economic andenvironmental costs of makingiron and iron alloys from virginand recycled materials.Research effectiveness ofnational and state littercampaigns.

• Analyse the cost and benefitsof recycling materials comparedto the consumption of newresources.

Waste and the Environment: Science Curriculum Links(Natural and Processed MaterialsLife and Living)

Module Overview:1. Identify and define waste.2. Describe where waste comes from.3. Collection of waste.4. Sorting waste.5. Uses of waste items (linked to properties).6. Where does waste go?7. Problems with waste.8. Minimising waste (3Rs)9. What can schools/individuals do to help?

Science C

urriculum Links

11Getting Started


LEVELS F-3

Life & Living• Identify all the living and non-

living things in the schoolenvironment.

• Complete a litter survey at anearby park, beach, creek etc.and look for evidence of theeffects of litter on living things.

• Investigate and describe theeffects of litter on organisms inmarine or rural environments.

• Research the role of livingthings in the decay process.

• Draw posters with an anti-littering slogan and links toenvironmental effects.


LEVELS 3-5

Life & Living• Conduct research into the

methods used in the disposal ofhousehold waste and theeffects on various ecosystems.

• Compare the different methodsof waste disposal at school anddescribe the effect on differentecosystems.

• Investigate what affects thedecomposition of organicmatter.

• Design a brochure to stoppeople dumping plastics in themarine environment – outlineeffects of plastic packaging (eg.plastic bags) on marineorganisms.


LEVELS 5-8

Life & Living• Collect information regarding

the effect of chemicals, waste,fertilisers, litter, dog droppingsetc. entering waterways andprepare a report.

• Investigate the advantages anddisadvantages of recyclingcertain waste materials fromhouseholds and industry andthen determine the impact, ifany, of these recyclingprocesses on ecosystems.

• Investigate the role ofmicrobiology and its place inwaste management throughlarger scale compostingoperations.

• Design a model of an industryshowing how they can userecycling practices.

• Research the governmentpolicies that specifically relateto litter and waste production inregard to protection of naturalenvironments.

Waste and the Environment: Science Curriculum Links(cont.)

Module Overview:Waste and the Environment (continued) – Life & Living


1

Science Jud

ging Guid

es

13Getting Started

Science Judging Guides

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check student’s understanding in the Natural and Processed Materials strand.

Assessment• Investigate the waste disposal practices involved in class, school, home and/or

community. Suggest ways of minimising waste production by using the principles of the3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle).

• Collect and sort your class’s /school’s rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclablematerial. Create three new products out of the recyclable material collected. Write a report on each new product including what properties of the material selectedmake it suitable for its new use. For example, make note pads out of (one-sided)recycled paper or seedling pots from milk cartons.

• Publish a small information booklet on ways to reduce waste in the home.• Design and make a model of a recycling station to be established at the school.

This could be costed out and presented to the Principal or P&C.

LEVEL

F

2

3

Introduction to Waste Module Judging Guide

Understands that differentmaterials are used in life andthat materials can change.

Demonstrates an awareness ofmaterials and their properties.

Understands that materials havedifferent uses, differentproperties and undergo differentchanges.

Understands that properties,changes and uses of materialsare related.

• Lists materials that can be reused or recycled in classroomrubbish.

• Describes observable changes to a variety of waste materialsfound in the classroom rubbish.

• States some of the problems associated with too muchwaste.

• Describes the general properties of ‘waste’ items.• Relates the 3Rs to waste minimisation.• Classifies household or classroom waste into various

categories for sorting (uses 3Rs).• Predicts what might happen if too much waste is produced.

LEVEL INTRODUCTION TO WASTEMODULE POINTERS

NATURAL & PROCESSEDMATERIALS STRANDOUTCOME STATEMENTS

• Awareness of properties of different materials, eg. Materialsfeel different, hard, soft, strong or flexible.

1 • Recognises some of the materials that would be found inclassroom rubbish.

• Describes the shape, size and texture of waste items in a‘feely box’.

• Aware that waste materials can change appearance overtime.

• Recognises that too much rubbish being made can causeproblems.


1LEVEL

• When sorting rubbish, identifies waste items and the materialsused in their production eg. plastic, glass.

• Describes the changes that take place in the different categoriesof waste over time and can relate these changes to theproperties of that material, eg. glass will have little change dueto hardness, stable, non-reactive with many chemicals.

• Explains how applying the 3Rs helps minimise waste.

Understands that properties,changes and uses of materialsare related to their particulatestructure.

4

• Applies fundamental model of atomic and molecular structureto explain difference in substances and why particularmaterials are used for certain purposes eg. recycling.

• Uses models of atoms and molecules to represent elements,compounds eg. Aluminium – bauxite, steel.

• Understands the meaning of chemical formulae eg. Userecyclable or general waste examples.

• Explains recycling procedures such as aluminium cans orsteel, using chemical reactions where possible.

• Uses a case study of waste disposal to explain the physicaland chemical practices in such a system.

• Through a critical study of industrial research anddevelopment into recycling, explains why understandingreaction mechanisms and factors affecting reaction rates iscritical to the efficiency of a process.

• Appraises methods used to assess the costs and benefits ofrecycling materials compared with the consumption of newresources.

• Compares and evaluates the alternative technologies ofwaste disposal eg. incineration, pyrolysis.

• Examines the relationships between population size, garbageproduction and resource consumption in different countries.

5

6

7

Understands the models andconcepts that are used toexplain properties from theirmicroscopic structure.

Understands the concepts andprinciples used to explainphysical and chemical change insystems and families ofchemical reactions.

Understands the role of sciencein developing knowledge aboutthe structure, change and use ofmaterials.

• Generates a complex flow diagram to describe the flow ofenergy and materials involved in a system eg. waste disposal.

• Applies their understanding of materials to many kinds ofissues, including quality of life, health, economic andenvironmental issues. For example, analyses the benefits tothe individual and community of applying the 3Rs.

• Applies their understanding of theories to makerecommendations on societal issues eg. Waste productionand disposal procedures for domestic and industrial use(government policies).

Understands how to assess therole of science in helping peopledescribe the structure, changeand use of materials.

8

INTRODUCTION TO WASTEMODULE POINTERS

NATURAL & PROCESSEDMATERIALS STRANDOUTCOME STATEMENTS


15Getting Started

Compost Judging Guide

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check student’s understanding in the Life and Living Strand.

Assessment• Keep a journal to record the changes that occur to the compost bin over time. In

particular, concentrate on the compost creatures.• Choose one of these creatures for an in depth investigation. Describe, classify and

examine the interactions of this one creature with all the other compost organisms.What is likely to affect the survival of your creature?

• Make a compost bug from recyclable materials and label each part. Give a talk aboutyour bug, including an explanation of structures, which help it to live in a compost bin.

• Make a 3D model of the food web of a compost bin.• Design and implement an experiment to test a hypothesis relating to survival of

creatures in a compost bin.

F

1

2

• Recognises their own need for food, water and shelter.• Aware that we produce waste and need to remove waste

(toileting and other).

• Lists the living and non-living things in a compost bin.• Observes that there are visible differences in structure

between the compost creatures.• Draws or makes a model of a compost creature.• Observes changes that have occurred to the compost over

time (eg. Volume reduction, colour change, birth or death ofanimals.

• Discusses the needs of the compost creatures (eg. Food,shelter, water).

• Draws or makes a model of a compost creature and attemptsto label parts.

• Identifies come external features of animals in a compostheap and simply describes how these features help them tosurvive. Eg. Insects with wings that allow them to fly.

• Simply writes or draws about the life cycle of one of thecreatures in the compost ie. Describes the changes in aworm from egg stage.

Demonstrates an awareness ofown personal features andbasic needs.

Understands that people areexamples of living things andthat like all living things, theychange over time.

Understands that needs,features and functions of livingthings are related and changeover time.

LEVEL COMPOST MODULEPOINTERS

LIFE & LIVINGSTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS

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1LEVEL

3

4

5

6

7

8

• Relates structure to function, eg. Discusses camouflage incompost animals and how this might help the animals tosurvive, eg. hide from predators.

• Uses an identification chart to identify all the creatures in acompost bin.

• Draws simple food chains for compost creatures.

• Relates how structural features of the compost creaturescontribute to the organism’s well being. Identifies theadaptations that assist survival.

• Maps relationships between living things in a habitat,discusses role of decomposers.

• Uses a hand lens or microscope to identify body parts ofcompost creatures and describe how the body parts worktogether.

• Observes, records and discusses the population growth ofworms (or other creatures) in the compost bin.

• Identifies the factors that affect survival of one or more of thecompost creatures (eg. moisture, acidity).

• Explains the factors that can affect the decomposition oforganic material in a compost bin.

• Explains the role of compost creatures in converting greenwaste into nutrient rich soil.

• Draws a flow chart showing the transfer and transformation ofmaterial and energy through a food web in a compost bin.

• Pyramid of biomass.• Analyses the impact of using composted green waste in

parks and reserves.

• Examines the pros and cons of the long term impact onecosystems of increasing use of landfill or more peoplecomposting instead of throwing away green waste.

• Discusses the importance of biodiversity in the compost,gardens and elsewhere.

• Assesses the consequences and limitations of not taking andinterdisciplinary approach to an environmental impact reviewinto a proposed landfill site on the coast.

• Describes the role of different scientific disciplines in acommercial composting operation.

Understands that living thingshave features that formsystems which determine theirinteraction with theenvironment.

Understands that systems caninteract and that suchinteractions can lead tochange.

Understands the models andconcepts that are used toexplain the processes thatconnect systems and lead tochange.

Understands the concepts andprinciples used to explain theeffects of change on systemsof living things.

Understands the role ofscience in developingknowledge about systems andchange.

Understands how to assessthe role of science in helpingpeople to understand systemsand change.

COMPOST MODULEPOINTERS

LIFE & LIVINGSTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS


17Getting Started

3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Module Judging Guide

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check students’understanding in the Natural and Processed Materials strand.

Assessment• Set-up a recycling station for the classroom and/or the whole school. Students can help

to sort the waste and investigate the potential to reuse and recycle the waste collected.Students keep a reflective journal throughout the process to consider what they havelearnt about materials and their properties in the context of recycling.

• Develop an advertising campaign to educate the students about the correct recyclingmethods in your school.

• Prepare a video that discusses the 3Rs.• Show, using a diagram the steps in recycling a can, a glass bottle, and a plastic container.

F

1

2

3

• Awareness of properties of different materials, eg. Materialsfeel hard or soft, strong or flexible.

• Recognises that different materials are used for makingdifferent things, eg. Cup is plastic, box is cardboard.

• Sorts materials based on their properties eg. Classify wood,metal, plastic or wool as being hard or soft.

• Aware that materials can change and describe those changeseg. Leaf – green to yellow to brown.

• Relates the use of materials to their properties.• Lists the different ways that paper or plastics can be used.• Recognises that looking inside materials is useful in

understanding them.• Distinguishes between different changes in materials,

eg. Bread goes mouldy when left wet, but plastics don’t change.

• Relates changes they make to materials to their changedproperties, eg. crushing cans.

• Relates the properties and structure of materials to theirdifferent uses and connects the different properties of materialto specific uses, eg. Displays different types of plasticpackaging and explains why particular plastics are used fordifferent purposes.

• Describes uses for cardboard boxes, milk cartons, oldnewspapers.

• Describes changes to the properties of materials and relatesthese to the process causing the change, eg. Describesprocesses involved in producing glass from sand or paper fromtrees or aluminium from bauxite.

Demonstrates an awareness ofmaterials and their properties.

Understands that differentmaterials are used in life andthat materials can change.

Understands that properties,changes and uses of materialare related.

Understands that properties,changes and uses of materialsare related.

3RS POINTERSLEVEL NATURAL & PROCESSEDMATERIALS STRANDOUTCOME STATEMENTS

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14

5

6

7

• Determines factors that influence the choice of material forspecific purposes, eg. Investigate products made fromrecycled materials.

• Uses simple methods to determine properties such ashardness and flexibility eg. Designs and conducts a series oftests to discover the properties of plastic in soft drink bottles.

• Groups substances that have several properties in commonand specifies appropriate uses for them eg. Sorting recyclingwaste; magnetic materials from non-magnetic.

• Recognises and describes conditions that affect reactions andchanges in materials eg. Rusting in metals, biodegradability.

• Describes in words common examples of chemical change,eg. Combustion of fuel, decomposition of organic matter.

• Describes separation procedures used in recycling eg.Separating plastics in a floatation tank.

• Applies fundamental models of atomic and molecular structureto explain differences in substances and why particularmaterials are used for certain purposes eg. Use recyclablematerials to illustrate this.

• Uses models of atoms and molecules to represent elementsand compounds, eg. Aluminium – bauxite, steel.

• Understands the meaning of chemical formulae, eg. Userecyclable examples.

• Describes the process of molecules combining to producedifferent polymers with different properties, eg. Plastics thatare soft or rigid.

• Explains recycling procedures such as in aluminium cans orpaper, using chemical reactions where possible.

• Investigates the problems of contamination on the productsmade from recycled materials.

• Through a critical study of industrial research and developmentin recycling, explains why understanding reaction mechanismsand factors affecting reaction rates is critical to the efficiencyof a process.

• Appraises methods used to assess the costs and benefits ofrecycling materials compared with the consumption of newresources.

Understands that propertieschanges and uses of materialare related to their particulatestructure.

Understands that models andconcepts are sed to explainproperties from theirmicroscopic structure.

Understands the concepts andprinciples used to explainphysical and chemical changein systems and families ofchemical reactions.

Understands the role ofscience in developingknowledge about the structure,change and use of materials.

LEVEL 3RS POINTERSNATURAL & PROCESSEDSTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS

19Getting Started

LEVEL 3RS POINTERSNATURAL & PROCESSEDSTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS

Understands how to assessthe role of science in helpingpeople describe the structure,change and use of materials.

• Generates a complex flow diagram to describe the flow ofenergy and materials involved in a system, eg. A recyclingplant, after visiting one

• Applying their understanding of materials to. many kinds ofissues, including quality of life, health, economic andenvironmental issues.

• Applying their understanding of theories to makerecommendations on societal issues, eg. Recycling proceduresin place and government policies.

8

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1Waste and Environment Module Judging Guide

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointer, can be used tocheck students’understanding in both the Life and Living and the Natural and ProcessedMaterials strands.

Assessment• Complete a litter survey at school or your local environment. Determine what impact

the litter has on the living organisms in that area. What could be done to improve thesituation?

• Complete a school waste audit, report and recommendations as given in theWaste Wise Way.

• Develop a school litter (or school waste) reduction plan. Implement the plan and discussthe impact this has made on your schoolís litter problem.

• Develop a waste policy for your class, year or school.• Prepare a report that describes where school rubbish comes from and where it goes to

during disposal. It is important to have a breakdown of the different categories ofrubbish collected and to include how the 3Rs could reduce the amount of rubbishcollected for waste disposal.

• Create a poster (or video or PowerPoint presentation) on the effect that litter, or rubbishin general, has on the environment. Include pictures and articles to illustrate yourpoints.

LEVEL N&PM STRANDOUTCOMESTATEMENTS

WASTE &ENVIRONMENTPOINTERS

L&L STRANDOUTCOMESTATEMENTS


F

1

Demonstrates anawareness of materialsand their properties.

Understands thatdifferent materials areused in life and thatmaterials can change.

• Awareness ofproperties of differentmaterials, eg. Feelhard or soft.

• Recognises some ofthe features thatwould be found inclassroom rubbish.

• Aware that wastematerials can changeover time.

• Aware that litter is aproblem at school.

• Recognises that toomuch rubbish cancause problems in theenvironment.

Demonstrates anawareness of ownpersonal featuresand basic needs.

Understands thatpeople are examplesof living things andthat, like all livingthings, they canchange over time.

• Aware that weproduce waste andof the need toremove waste.

• Identifies living andnon-living things inthe schoolenvironment (or localbushland, etc).

21Getting Started





2

3

4

Understands thatmaterials havedifferent uses, differentproperties and undergodifferent changes.

Understands thatproperties, changesand uses of materialsare related.

Understands thatproperties, changesand uses of materialsare related to theirparticulate structure.

• Lists materials that canbe reused or recycled inclassroom rubbish and/or litter.

• Describes observablechanges to a variety ofwaste materials found inthe rubbish.

• States some of theproblems associated withtoo much rubbish.

• Identifies litter problemareas at school.

• Monitors waste in theclassroom anddetermines whererubbish goes to.

• Sorts litter and/orclassroom rubbish intovarious categories ofwaste.

• Relates 3Rs to wasteminimisation.

• Compares thedegradability of differentmaterials found as litter.

• When sorting rubbish,identifies waste productand the materials usedin their production.

• Compares thedegradability of differentmaterials found as litterin terms of theirmicroscopic structure.

• Links the uses of wasteitems to their properties.

• Explains how applyingthe 3Rs helps minimisewaste.

Understands thatneeds, features andfunctions of livingthings are relatedand change overtime.

Understands thatliving things havefeatures that formsystems whichdetermine theirinteraction with theenvironment.

Understands thatsystems caninteract and suchinteractions canlead to change.

• Lists the needs of theliving things found inthe school.

• Completes a littersurvey of their school.

• Describes the effectthat litter or rubbishhas on living things.

• States the role ofliving things in thecomposting/decaying process.

• Suggests what useslitter may provide forliving things, eg.shelter.

• Compares the differentmethods of wastedisposal at school anddescribes the effectson differentecosystems.

• Explains the rates ofdecay amongstdifferent organicmaterials found in litteror rubbish.

• Researches effects ofrubbish on differentorganisms in differentenvironments.

Science Jud

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1LEVEL N&PM STRAND

OUTCOMESTATEMENTS




• Explains theinteractions betweenliving things and theirexternal environmentthat occur over time.

• Describes the effectthat non-biodegradable litterhas on the naturalcycles of matter.

• Appliesunderstanding of foodchains and webswhen determiningthe impact thatplastic rubbish has onmarine organisms,eg. plastic bagsresembling jellyfish.

• Explains the role ofmicrobiology and itsplace in wastemanagement throughlarge scalecomposting instead ofthrowing away greenwaste.

• Analyses WA govern-ment policiesthat relate to litterand waste productionin regard to protectionof naturalenvironments in WA.

5

6

Understands themodels and conceptsthat are used toexplain properties fromtheir microscopicstructure.

Understands theconcepts andprinciples used toexplain physical andchemical change insystems and familiesof chemical reactions.

• Applies fundamentalmodels of atomic andmolecular structure toexplain differences insubstances and whyparticular materials areused for certainpurposes, eg. Al cans:light and low corrosive.

• Uses microscopicstructure to explain howrecycled plastic hasmany different uses.

• Explains recyclingprocedures usingchemical reactionswhere possible.

• Uses a case study ofwaste disposal toexplain the physical andchemical practices insuch a system.

Understands themodels andconcepts that areused to explain theprocesses thatconnect systemsand lead to change.

Understands theconcepts andprinciples used toexplain the effectsof change onsystems of livingthings.

23Getting Started





• Examines the prosand cons of long termimpact onecosystems ofincreasing use oflandfill or more peoplecomposting instead ofthrowing away greenwaste.

• Analyses WAgovernment policiesthat relate to litterand waste productionin regard to protectionof WA’s naturalenvironments.

• Assesses theconsequences andlimitations of nottaking aninterdisciplinaryapproach to anenvironmental impactreview of a proposednew landfill site nearthe coast.

7

8

Understands the roleof science indeveloping knowledgeabout the structure,change and use ofmaterials.

Understands how toassess the role ofscience in helpingpeople describe thestructure, change anduse of materials.

• Appraises methods usedto assess the costs andbenefits of recyclingmaterials compared withthe consumption of newresources.

• Compares and evaluatesthe alternativetechnologies of wastedisposal.

• Generates a complexflow diagram to describethe flow of energy andmaterials involved in awaste disposal system.

Understands therole of science indevelopingknowledge aboutsystems andchange.

Understands how toassess the role ofscience in helpingpeople tounderstand systemsand change.

Science Jud

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Learning to be Waste Wise in Society& Environment

This section gives a detailed description of how the modules of waste can be used to assiststudents to achieve learning outcomes in the Place & Space, Natural & Social Systems andResources strands within the S&E Learning Area. Suggested activities are a guide only andillustrate how students can respond to the waste modules with different levels ofunderstanding. Some of the activities can be used across a range of levels, eg. F-3 and also 3-5. It is important to note that it is the students’responses that are levelled, not theactivities themselves.

RESOURCES

Students understand that peopleattempt to meet their needs andwants by making optimum use oflimited resources in enterprisingways.

Relevant waste module:– Waste & Resource Management

This work can be linked to outcomestatements from Foundation to Level 8.

Resources strand OutcomeStatementsRF Recognises and managespersonal resources and work done.R1 Understands that people useresources in various ways to satisfytheir needs and wants.R2 Understands that peoplecooperate to utilise resources in aneffort to satisfy needs and wants.R3 Understands that people makechoices when determining how theywill use and manage limitedresources.R4 Understands that efficient useand management of resourcesincreases the ability to satisfyneeds and wants.

PLACE & SPACE

Students understand that theinteraction people have with placesin which they live is shaped by thelocation, patterns and processesassociated with natural and builtfeatures.

Relevant waste module:– Waste & Space

This work can be linked to outcomestatements from Foundation to Level 8.

Place & Space strand OutcomeStatementsP&SF Recognises features in theenvironment and cares for those ofpersonal importance.P&S1 Understands that familiarplaces have a variety of featuresand that people care for places thatare important to them.P&S2 Understands that places indifferent locations contain specificfeatures and these places are usedand cared for by people in thecommunityP&S3 Understands that naturalprocesses affect the natural andbuilt features of places and thesefeatures have an influence on

NATURAL & SOCIALSYSTEMS

Students understand that systemsprovide order to the dynamicnatural and social relationshipsoccurring in the world.

Relevant waste module:– Waste, the environment

& economics

This work can be linked tooutcome statements fromFoundation to Level 8.

Natural & Social Systemsstrand Outcome StatementsN&SSF Responds to elements innatural and social world to meetimmediate needsN&SS1 Understands that thenatural and social world containselements which, in various ways,satisfy needs and wants.N&SS2 Understands that thenatural and social world containelements which interact incommunities to satisfy needs andwants.N&SS3 Understands that, in naturaland social systems, relationshipsoccur to provide order to theinteractions found in them.

25Getting Started

S&

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urriculum Links

RESOURCES

R5 Understands that access toownership and management ofresources influence how needs andwants are satisfied.R6 Understands that the extent towhich people satisfy their needsand wants is a consequence totheir access to, ownership of andability of manage resources.R7 Understands that the balancebetween economic growth andecological sustainability affects thenature and direction of resourcesuse, management procedures andworkplace practices.R8 Understands that the degree ofbalance between economic growthand sustainable development willhave implications for resources use,management procedures andworkplace practices in the future.

human activity and on peopleísviews about which places need tobe cared for.P&S4 Understands that people andplaces are interdependent, resultingin patterns of features and activitiesacross different places, and thatpeople act to sustain theenvironment according to theirvalues.P&S5 Understands that a range offactors, processes and valuesinfluences the interdependence ofpeople and places and the resultantspatial patterns as well as thedifferent ways in which individualsand groups act to sustain theenvironment.P&S6 Understands that over time,variations have occurred in theinterdependence between peopleand places, spatial patterns withinlandscapes and the extent to whichpeopleís commitment to ecologicalsustainability has influenced theircare of places.P&S7 Understands that the patternsand processes that explain thespatial variations of features on theearthís surface and peopleís level ofcommitment to ecologicalsustainability.P&S8 Understands that peopleimplement change in response tocompeting demands for the use ofplaces according to theircommitment to ecologicalsustainability.

N&SS4 Understands thatmodifications to natural and socialsystems occur as their elementsadapt to changes in theenvironment.N&SS5 Understands that naturaland social adapt to change in theirenvironment in various ways,according to their purpose.N&SS6 Understands that peopleaffect and are affected by theinteraction between natural andsocial systems on a global scale.N&SS7 Understands that peopleísinteractions with natural andsocial systems varies according to their commitment to the valuesof ecological sustainability,democratic process and socialjustice.N&SS8 Understands that thequality of life on earth is related to the degree to which people act according to the values ofecological sustainability,democratic process and socialjustice.

PLACE & SPACE NATURAL & SOCIALSYSTEMS

From Science Outcome Statements (1998)

Introduction to Waste: S&E Curriculum Links (Place & Space)

Module Overview:1. What is waste?2. Where does it come from and go to?3. Roles of various groups in the community in waste management.4. Issues associated with waste.5. Minimising waste through the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.6. People’s different attitudes to waste and waste management.7. Developing a class/school action plan for managing waste more effectively.8. Overall impact of action plan on school or local environment.


LEVELS F-3

• Collect food scraps at schooland place into a specialcompost bin.

• Collect and display litter foundin school grounds.

• Sort classroom items suitablefor recycling.

• Discuss ways of minimisingwaste (reduce, reuse, recycleand compost) when usingpublic places.

• Conduct a litter survey inschool/local beach/park andwrite a report.

• List 10 reasons why peoplelitter.

• Conduct a rubbish audit atschool.

• Consider material that can bereduced, reused, recycled orcomposted at school – in theclassroom, office, staffroom,canteen etc.

• Investigate the benefits ofmulching and describe howmulch can help care for places.

MIDDLE SCHOOL (Yr 7-9)

LEVELS 3-5

• Visit a landfill site, recyclingfacility or op shop and describehow these places arecontributing to the way the stateis reducing its local waste.

• Design a method for collectingfood scraps and separating themfrom inappropriate materials forcomposting. Explain how thishow this will help to reduce thetotal amount of waste producedby the school.

• Design and produce anti-litterposters and slogans for a schooldisplay.

• Interview/survey students,parents or community aboutwaste disposal practices.

• Suggest follow-up actions towaste survey.

• Collect newspaper articles aboutlitter and waste and use these toexplain how individuals andgroups have different points ofview in the issue.

• Participate in a role-play aboutcommunityís views on thelocation of a tip in their area.

• Visit local waterways to observethe impact of littering and preparea report on findings.

LATE ADOLESCENCE (Yr 10+)

LEVELS 6-8

• Research use of native forestsin paper production and preparereport.

• Demonstrate changes in landuse of landfill and the effect onwater runoff and catchments.

• Organise a class debate aboutusing alternatives to wood pulpfor the manufacture of paper.

• Participate in a role-play thatexamines the various opinionsof the community about thelocation of a new local landfillsite.

• Examine and report on theeffect of waste and litter oncatchment areas.

• Explain the impact thatrecycling can have on theconservation of resources andon the environment.

• Develop a campaign to preventlittering in a local park, anddraft a letter, that could be sentto local council, about thecampaign.

• Analyse survey resultsinvestigating local opinionregarding effectiveness of localwaste management.


1

Waste, The Environment and Economics: S&ECurriculum Links (Natural and Social Systems)

Module Overview:1. Features of natural systems (living and non-living).2. Cycles in natural systems and the role of people.3. Food chains and food webs in the compost bin (flow of energy through systems).4. Inputs and outputs in natural systems.5. Adaptations – reactions to change.6. Impact of humans and increasing population growth on ecosystems.7. Importance of conservation and ecological sustainability.8. Management of natural systems and different approaches of groups such as

government, industry, conservationists and community groups.9. Analysing Environmental Impact Statements related to waste management.

10. Economic systems.


LEVELS F-3MIDDLE SCHOOL (Yr 7-9)

LEVELS 3-5LATE ADOLESCENCE (Yr 10+)

LEVELS 6-8

27Getting Started

• Discuss the effects of litter inthe bush, a river or the beach.

• Display pictures of beautiful,litter free environments.

• Make a model of a food chainor web within a compost bin.

• Investigate the decompositionof organic materials with simpleexperiments, eg. Bottled compost.

• Set up a classroom worm farmand discuss worms’needs forcorrect food, moisture etc.

• Investigate what happens togreen waste in local area andprepare a report.

• Illustrate the uses of wormcastings.

• Draw the sequence of eventsfor:

– tree to scrap of paper ona beach

– bauxite to aluminium can on the street

• Role-play of the compostingprocess and the flow of organicmaterials.

• Watch video showing recyclingof paper or glass then drawflow chart of the product’smanufacturer.

• Conduct research into thewaste and recycling servicesused by the school, the costs ofthese services and howdecisions about services aremade.

• Discuss the legislation thataffects waste managementpractices.

• Investigate and report on theimpact of litter in stormwateron marine life.

• Investigate the changes to theEarthís atmosphere caused byhuman activity and assess therelative contribution ofmanufacturing packaging,waste disposal and productionof methane from landfill.

• Availability of resources – whyare some countries rich or poorwith regards to resources andhow might this affect waste?

• Compare the use of resources,in terms of economic growth,which are required in theproduction or paper, plastic,glass and metals.

• Investigate politics, laws andcommunity rules regardingmanagement of resources andnatural systems.

S&

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urriculum Links


1PRIMARY SCHOOL (YrK-6)

LEVELS F-3LATE ADOLESCENCE (Yr 10+)

LEVELS 6-8

• Consider the rules that helpcontrol litter at school anddevelop new rules to furtherreduce litter problems.

• Debate “fines for littering are aneffective means of solving thelitter problem.”

• Describe how factors such aschanging values, education,cost to consumer, commodityprices and technology haveaffected the recycling of certainmaterials.


LEVELS 3-5

29Getting Started



LEVELS 6-8

• Set up a shop corner in theclassroom to display differenttypes of packaging.

• Identify products usingcommon items of householdpackaging.

• Create a tip mural – drawthings people send to landfill,identify the things that havevalue and could beused/disposed of elsewhere.

• Place lunch leftovers in aschool compost and explainwhy this is important.

• Plan and help maintain schoolvegetable garden usingcompost.

• Set up a 3-bin system todispose of rubbish in theclassroom (food scraps forcompost, paper for recycling,rubbish).

• Use worm castings forgrowing seedlings and reporton progress.

• Use both sides of worksheetsand explain how this savesresources.

• Recycle classroom scrappaper and explain how thissaves resources.

• Compare renewable and non-renewable resources andexplain the role of recycling inconserving these resources.

• Examine relationshipsbetween the location ofresources and the world’spopulation distribution.

• Examine the effect of demandfor resources on naturalfeatures and formations, eg.Mining bauxite for aluminiumor sand for glass.

• Identify future needs andoptions associated withrenewable and non-renewableresources.

• Debate ‘No green wasteshould go to landfill’.

• Organise a Rubbish-free Lunch.• Role-play ‘No household

garbage collection for onemonth’.

• Prepare and present speechon 3Rs to class, school orparents.

• Identify the types ofmanufactured resources andgoods produced in Australiaand how they contribute towaste problems.

• Investigate and report on therelationship between currentuse of resources used inpackaging and the futureavailability of these resources.

• Report on the advances intechnology that enablerecycled materials to bemanufactured into innovativeproducts.

• Discuss the issues associatedwith increasing resource useand waste disposal.

• Discuss best practice inwaste minimisation anddisposal in other countries.

• Focus on what can be done toimprove the state of thenatural environment (wasteproblems) at community,corporate and governmentlevels.


LEVELS 3-5

Waste and Resource Management: S&ECurriculum Links (Resources)

Module Overview:1. Identify different types of resources.2. Renewable and non-renewable resources – Geography.3. Uses of resources: influence of government, technology, economics, and global factors.4. Management of resources – implications of wasting &/or conserving.5. Legislation relating to protection of natural resources (waste).6. Examples of industry and business best practice in resource (waste) management.

S&

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urriculum Links


1PRIMARY SCHOOL (YrK-6)


LEVELS 6-8

• Mark on a map the location ofthe world’s/Australia’simportant resources, discusshow they are used.

• Make a catchment modelshowing the influence of litter,chemicals etc on water quality.

• Discuss factors that affect theuse of a particular resourceduring and after a visit from aguest speaker from a mining ormanufacturing company.

• Create a collage showingproducts and packaging thatcan be reused or recycled.

• Conduct a litter survey and usethe information to develop aschool litter reduction plan.


LEVELS 3-5

31Getting Started

S & E Judging Guides

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check student’s understanding in the Place and Space strand.

Assessment• Prepare a poster about why waste/litter is an important issue. Include information

about types of waste, how waste is generated and environmental impacts.• Set up a classroom recycling station; monitor and keep a diary of progress and

problems.• Develop an action plan to improve school waste practices. Consider student attitudes

to waste and litter (based on the results of a student survey) and how to best encouragetheir support.

• Compile a litter map of the school identifying problems areas and investigate patternsof litter in relation to other features.

• Draw a flow diagram of how a piece of paper (or other item) goes from being a rawmaterial to litter in stormwater drains.

LEVEL

F

1

2

3

Waste and Space Judging Guide

Recognises features in theenvironment and cares for thoseof personal importance.

Understands that familiar placeshave a variety of features andthat people care for places thatare important to them.

Understands that places indifferent locations containspecific features and theseplaces are used and cared for bypeople in the community.

Understands that naturalprocesses affect the natural andbuilt features of places and thesefeatures have an influence onhuman activity and on people’sviews about which places needto be cared for.


PLACE AND SPACESTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS

• Aware of waste sources in the classroom (eg. paper) andhow to dispose of them.

• Familiar with facilities and features of the school grounds(including bins, compost etc.) and how they are looked after.

• Identifies areas that are well cared (eg. free of litter) for andgives reasons why.

• Compares features of different local environments: school,parks, bushland, shopping centre (eg. litter, bins, recyclingfacilities).

• Identifies how different places are used and cared for (eg. volunteers clearing litter, gardeners using compost).

• Understands that mulch/compost can be used to reducewaste and improve gardens/bushland.

• Aware that littering can affect other places (eg. marineenvironments via stormwater drains).

• Identifies features of local areas (eg. bushland) that are wellcared for and gives reasons why other places are poorlycared for.

S&

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1LEVEL

4

5

6

7

8

Understands that people andplaces are interdependent,resulting in patterns of featuresand activities across differentplaces, and that people act tosustain the environmentaccording to their values.

Understands that a range offactors, processes and valuesinfluences the interdependenceof people and places, and theresultant spatial patterns as wellas the different ways in whichindividuals and groups act tosustain the environment.

Understands that over time,variations have occurred in theinterdependence between peopleand places, spatial patternswithin landscapes and the extentto which people’s commitment toecological sustainability hasinfluenced their care of places.

Understands the patterns andprocesses that explain spatialvariations of features in theearth’s surface and people’s levelof commitment to ecologicalsustainability.

Understands that peopleimplement change in response tocompeting demands for the useof places according to theircommitment to ecologicalsustainability.


PLACE AND SPACESTRAND OUTCOMESTATEMENTS

• Investigates common features of landfill sites, ie. Why specific locations are selected.

• Identifies different opinions towards litter in theschool/community and suggests reasons why some peoplelitter.

• Researches community opinions about landfill sites andidentifies relationships between values and people’s use ofplaces.

• Describes the potential effects of landfill sites onenvironment, eg. water catchment or bushland.

• Discusses why public consultation should/shouldn’t be part ofwaste legislation.

• Identifies how waste minimisation/recycling can h elp protectnatural environments.

• Discusses how people’s values affect their commitment toenvironmental sustainability and waste minimisation.

• Researches and discusses how people’s attitudes havechanged over time.

• Understands the “not in my backyard” concept as it relates towaste disposal.

• Identifies the national/global environmental issues associatedwith waste minimisation and recycling.

• Understands how recycling initiatives relate to changingvalues about the environment.

• Identifies links between change in community attitudes andwaste minimisation policy/legislation.

• Discusses how other countries’ environments, resources andsocial priorities influence their environmental/waste reductioncommitment.

33Getting Started

S&

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es

Waste, The Environment & EconomicsJudging GuideThe example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check student’s understanding in the Natural and Social Systems strand.

Assessment• Design a brochure about compost, its benefits and how to make it.• Research one recyclable material (eg. paper) and write a report about its waste impacts,

how it is recycled, how to improve recycling rates and the benefits of recycling it.• Prepare a report about the responsibilities of various groups with regards to waste, eg.

individuals, communities, businesses and government.• Evaluate current waste practices at school/home and devise an action plan to implement

and promote better waste practices.• Develop a public awareness campaign to promote the benefits of waste minimisation.


LEVEL NATURAL & SOCIAL SYSTEMSSTRAND OUTCOME STATEMENTS

F

1

2

3

• Identifies basics needs and how to meetthem. Can relate needs to waste production(eg. needs to eat..creates waste such asapple core).

• Identifies sources that supply different needs,eg. food comes from.., shelter comesfrom..(relate sources to waste created).

• Identifies the needs of compost worms andhow to satisfy them.

• Draws a compost bin food web and identifieshow needs are met.

• Identifies how families meet their needs andwants and how this creates waste.

• Understands why waste needs to bedisposed of in household and school.

• Describes how school/household waste iscollected and disposed.

• Identifies relationships between compostcomponents (eg. between scavenging andpredatory insects).

• Identifies the role of individuals, householdsand local government in domestic wastedisposal.

Responds to elements in natural and socialworld to meet immediate needs.

Understands that the natural and social worldcontains elements which, in various ways,satisfy needs and wants.

Understands that the natural and social worldcontains elements which interact incommunities to satisfy needs and wants.

Understands that, in natural and socialsystems, relationships occur to provide order tothe interaction found in them.


1INTRODUCTION TO WASTEMODULE POINTERS


4

5

6

7

8

• Describes how compost can reduce wasteand benefit plants.

• Describes how worm farm populations adaptto changes in temperature or food supply.

• Describes how people’s waste behaviourshave changed over time (eg. in Australiasince 1788).

• Identifies barriers to recycling in thehome/school.

• Identifies how recycling participation haschange since the 1970s (in response to the‘green’ movement).

• Identifies economic issues that constrain/assist recycling.

• Assesses the benefits of anti-litter legislationand clean-up campaigns.

• Describes how policies and laws haveattempted to modify people’s wastebehaviours.

• Understands that waste issues areconnected with global environmentalconcerns such as global warming andbiodiversity.

• Understands that different countries consumeand dispose of waste in different ways.

• Identifies relationships between populationgrowth and waste issues.

• Discusses how economic status affectsconsumption and waste.

• Understands that countries’attitudes towaste and environmental protection candepend on social and economic priorities.

Understands that modifications to natural andsocial systems occur as their elements adaptto changes in the environment.

Understands that natural and social systemsadapt to change in their environment in variousways, according to their purpose.

Understand that people affect and are affectedby the interaction between natural and socialsystems on a global scale.

Understands that people’s interaction withnatural and social systems vary according totheir commitment to the values of ecologicalsustainability, democratic process and socialjustice.

Understands that the quality of life on earth isrelated to the degree to which people actaccording to the values of ecologicalsustainability, democratic process and socialjustice.

35Getting Started

Waste and Resource Management Judging Guide

The example below shows how a judging guide, with content specific pointers, can be usedto check student’s understanding in the Resources strand.

Assessment• Create a mural of packaging materials and explain how packaging affects resource use.• Draw a diagram depicting the stages of manufacturing an item from raw materials, eg.

bauxite to aluminium cans. • Prepare a speech about how minimising waste conserves natural resources.• Create a poster showing how non-renewable resources are used and possible renewable

resource alternatives.• Research and report on best practice resource management in an Australian business.



F

1

2

3

• Identifies resources used for classroom workand that some (eg. paper) create waste.

• Names resources at home (eg. food) thatcreate waste.

• Describes reasons why food is packaged incertain ways.

• Identifies items commonly thrown away.• Identifies which items can be reused.

• Identifies the resources used to makecommon items.

• Identifies the stages (and people) involved inmanufacturing items (eg. glass bottles) fromraw materials and using them to storefood/drinks.

• Describes how green waste is collected bycouncils and turned into compost/mulch tobe used on gardens.

• Aware of ways to reduce waste by using the 3Rs.

• Produces a rubbish free lunch.• Uses worm farms to recycle green waste and

create compost.

Recognises and manages personal resourcesand work done.

Understands that people use resources invarious ways to satisfy their needs and wants.

Understands that people cooperate to utiliseresources in an effort to satisfy needs andwants.

Understands that people make choices whendetermining how they will use and managelimited resources.

S&

EJud

ging Guid

es


1INTRODUCTION TO WASTEMODULE POINTERS

LEVEL NATURAL & PROCESSED MATERIALSSTRAND OUTCOME STATEMENTS

4

5

6

7

8

• Describes how compost can reduce waste,enhance soil quality and improve plantgrowth.

• Researches and reports how recycling anitem (eg. aluminium can) conservesresources.

• Describes how using renewable resourcesimproves environmental sustainability.

• Understands the relationship betweeneconomic status and consumption (wastegeneration).

• Describes the relationship between currentuse of resources in packaging and the futureavailability of those resources.

• Identifies potential problems arising if non-renewable resources are exhausted.

• Describes how access to resources improveswith advances in technology.

• Researches and reports how other countriesmanage non-renewable resources.

• Assesses alternatives to non-renewableenergy and ways to improve their viability.

• Describes initiatives used by businesses toachieve sustainable resource use.

• Identifies government policies aimed atimproving resource use and assesses theirlikely effectiveness.

• Investigates potential ways to convert wasteinto useful innovative items and identifiespossible barriers and solutions to innovationsbeing adopted.

• Reports on how businesses are adopting a‘Triple bottom line’ approach to managingeconomic, environmental and social resources.

• Researches and reports how wise resourceuse is being implemented in other countries.Identifies factors that make initiativessuccessful in these cases.

• Discusses the relationship betweengovernments’economic and environmentalpolicies.

Understands that efficient use andmanagement of resources increases the abilityto satisfy needs and wants.

Understands that access to, ownership andmanagement of resources influence how needsand wants are satisfied.

Understands that the extent to which peoplesatisfy their needs and wants is a consequenceof their access to, ownership of and ability tomanage resources.

Understands that the balance betweeneconomic growth and ecological sustainabilityaffects the nature and direction of resourcesuse, management procedures and workplacepractices.

Understands that the degree of balancebetween economic growth and sustainabledevelopment will have implications forresources use, management procedures andworkplace practices in the future.

37Getting Started

Values and Learning to be Waste Wise

This section describes how the modules of waste can be used to assist students to achieveoutcomes in Values within the Curriculum Framework.

Suggested pointers are a guide only and illustrate how students can respond to the wastemodules with different types of values. Some of the pointers can be used across a range ofValues. It is important to note that it is the students’responses that are assessed for valuesnot the activities themselves.

Links with Values in Curriculum Framework

VALUE

1.3 Empowerment

1.6 Critical reflection

4.1 Participation and citizenship

4.2 Community

4.4 Contribution

4.7 Social justice

• Ability to critically assess waste issues and developbehaviours to reduce waste.

• Encourages others to become involved in wastereduction activities at school / home.

• Able to identify waste producing behaviours and designalternatives.

• Examine school / home waste process and seeksolutions.

• Illustrates awareness of waste as a social /environmental issue.

• Participates in waste reduction actions.• Promotes waste awareness at school / home /

community• Promotes waste behaviour change.

Works within local community to:• promote waste minimisation awareness• promote waste minimisation behaviour

• Involved in recycling, reducing, reusing• Participates in whole school waste minimisation event.

• Recognises that waste to landfill affects futuregenerations’opportunities.

WASTE MODULE POINTER

Pursuit of knowledge and commitment to achievement of potential

Social and Civic Responsibility


1VALUE

5.2 Conservation of the environment

5.3 Sustainable development

• Recognises the need for waste reduction.• Works towards reducing waste at school, home or

within the community.• Shows care when dealing with any living creatures (eg.

in compost).

• Awareness of conserving resources for futuregenerations.

• Participates in classroom / school waste reductionbehaviours.

WASTE MODULE POINTER

Environmental Responsibility

39

2

Planningch

apte

r 2

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DEVELOP

UNITS OF WORK AROUND THE TOPIC

OF WASTE AND LITTER. THIS CHAPTER

CONTAINS A PROCESS FOR

DEVELOPING A COMPLETE PROGRAM,

AS WELL AS TWO SAMPLE UNITS OF

WORK ON WASTE AND LITTER.

ONE OF THESE UNITS WAS

DEVELOPED AND USED OVER SEVERAL

YEARS BY EXPERIENCED TEACHERS.

THE SECOND WAS DEVELOPED BY

EDUCATORS AT THE GOULD LEAGUE

AND USED BY OTHER TEACHERS IN

SCHOOLS. USE THE UNITS AS

EXAMPLES OF HOW TO DEVELOP

YOUR OWN UNITS FOR

YOUR CLASSES.

2

40

Developing a Program of Work for Years P–10 on ‘Waste’This section describes in some detail how todevelop a sequential program on waste forYears P–10, so that students do not studythe same old topic in the same way, yearafter year. However, the process describedin this chapter could be used equally well todevelop single units of work for a particularlevel.

IntroductionThis strategy for writing a comprehensiveand sequential program on ‘waste’ forschools was developed by:• John Laffin (Earthcare Education)• Pat Armstrong (Gould League of

Victoria), and• Maria Ramsden (Bimbadeen Heights

Primary School).The proforma planner was adapted from

one devised by Jan Hayes of FyansfordPrimary School, with assistance from KathMurdoch. While this material is copyright,teachers are welcome to photocopy any ofthe sheets for the purposes of developing aunit on ‘waste’ for their school.

How to Use the MaterialsThis set contains the following:• Some Key Organising Concepts• Some Key Skills• Some Key Understandings (from Waste

Matters, Gould League)• Overview for Years P–6 Program:

‘Waste’• Overview for Years 7–10 Program:

‘Waste’• Sample Unit Planner for Years P–6:

‘Waste’• Sample Unit Planner for Years 7–10:

‘Waste’• Sample Units for Level 3, Level 5 and

Levels 5–7

Years P–6There are eleven subtopics listed in theoverview. As each subtopic can beconsidered at each of the three levels(junior, middle and senior), this programhas effectively thirty-three modules (units)of work. A planner can be prepared foreach of these units, using the lists ofunderstandings, skills, concepts andresources provided. Activities can either bedevised by staff at each level or selectedfrom the resources list. It is recommendedthat schools use an integrated approach toeach unit. The set of thirty-three plannerforms will provide a school with acustomised program on ‘Waste’. The unitscan be linked to the Curriculum Frameworkby listing the appropriate Learning Areas,Strands and Learning Outcomes.

Years 7–10Eleven subtopics are listed in the overview.As each subtopic can be considered at eachof the two levels (7–8 and 9–10), thisprogram has effectively twenty-twomodules (units) of work. A planner can beprepared for each of these units, using thelists of understandings, skills, concepts andresources provided. Activities can bedevised from small group discussions orselected from the resources listed below.The set of twenty-two planner forms willprovide a school with a customisedprogram on waste. The units can be linkedto the Curriculum Framework by listing theappropriate Key Learning Areas, Strandsand Learning Outcomes. Some Key Organising Concepts

41Planning

atmosphereauthoritybacteriabehaviourbiodegradablecausationchangecombustioncommunication/mediacompostcompostingcondensationconflictconsumptioncooperationculture

cyclesdecision makingdeforestationdegradabilitydemanddistancedistributiondiversityendangered speciesenergyenvironmentevaporationfood chains/websfungigasesgreenhouse effect

habitathumusinter-relationshipsinterdependencelocationmagnetismmicro-organismsmineralsmulchingneedsozonephotosynthesispollutionpowerpressure groupproduction

recyclingrenewabilityresourcesresponsibilitiesrightssocietysoilstatesupplysustainabilitytechnologytemperaturetoxic chemicalstraditiontranspirationvalues

alternative energy

Some Key Understandings• We all produce waste materials.• We need to think before we throw

something in the rubbish bin.• Some materials decay naturally and

fairly quickly; some do not.• Domestic and school waste materials can

be classified, according to composition,as organic or manufactured (paper,metal, glass, plastic, composite).However, we should not overlook otherdomestic waste such as chemicals,rubble, branches, clothing and toys.

• People in different places producedifferent kinds of rubbish.

Some Key Skills

actively listeningclarifying valuesclassifyingcooperatingcomparingcreating

empathisinggathering datagathering informationimagininginterpreting datalogical thinking

making decisionsobservingpredictingpresenting a point of viewquestioningrecording

reporting (oral and written)representing datasolving problemstaking actionusing factual texts asreferences

Murdoch, K., 1992, Integrating Naturally: Units of Work for Environmental Education, Dellasta.

• We are producing more rubbish todaythan in earlier times.

• It costs money to collect and dispose ofrubbish.

• Rubbish is disposed of mainly to landfillsites (tips).

• In many cities and towns, the availabletipping space is rapidly declining. Othermethods of disposing of rubbish, such asincinerators, can be very expensive.

• It is increasingly difficult to find suitablenew landfill sites.

• If people discard less waste, then landfillsites will last longer.

• Some materials can be composted; some

Some Key Concepts

2


can be reused for the same or a differentpurpose; and some can be recycled intothe same or a different product.

• We can all manage and reduce the wastethat we produce by recognising andunderstanding the composition of wastematerials, by separating different kindsof waste according to its composition,by composting and reusing products orreturning them for recycling.

• Much of our waste comes frompackaging.

• Although modern packaging bringsmany advantages, the packages cancreate problems when they are thrownaway. Packaging as litter can look uglyand harm people and wildlife. Packagingas rubbish takes up valuable landfillspace.

• We can reduce the waste problem bychoosing products in large sizes, in bulk,with the least amount of packaging,

with packaging that can be reused orrecycled, and with packaging that ismade all or in part from recycledmaterials.

• Much of our waste comes from goodsthat can be described as ‘short-termuse/long-term rubbish’.

• We can all reduce our rubbish by usingfewer disposable items and by buyinggoods that are designed to last.

• The materials used in manufacturedgoods are derived from renewable andnon-renewable resources.

• The extraction and processing of theresources used in making everydayproducts consumes energy and can alsoled to environmental damage.

• Minimising waste can save resources,conserve energy and reduceenvironmental degradation.

• Composting, reducing, reusing andrecycling are examples of ‘act locally,think globally’.

Overview for P–6 Program: ‘Waste’

TOPIC

AND

SUBTOPIC

JUNIOR PRIMARY

SCHOOL EMPHASIS

Types

MIDDLE PRIMARY

HOME EMPHASIS

SENIOR PRIMARY

LOCAL COMMUNITY

EMPHASIS

What is in our classroomrubbish bin?Classify contents as:• paper• drink containers• food wrappers.What other sorts of waste arecollected at our school? e.g. aluminium cans.Properties of various materialsused in packaging.

Types of waste accumulated athome:• food and garden waste• packaging (metal, plastic,

paper, glass, mixed)• paper and cardboard

(including newspaper andjunk mail)

• kitchen and laundry waste• sewage• discarded clothing, tools • tags, household appliances.

What type of waste is producedby the community?• kitchen/laundry waste• sewage• air pollutants• packaging• food and garden waste• clothing• toys, appliances, car parts,

tools• batteries• building• toxic• radioactive.

LEVELS: USE JUDGING GUIDES TO DETERMINE STUDENT LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT

1. WHAT IS WASTE?

43Planning

TOPIC

AND

SUBTOPIC

JUNIOR PRIMARY

SCHOOL EMPHASIS

MIDDLE PRIMARY

HOME EMPHASIS

SENIOR PRIMARY

LOCAL COMMUNITY

EMPHASIS

Sources

Quantities

Destination

Composting

Reduce

Reuse

Where do these items come from?• canteen• home.

How much rubbish is in ourroom today/for the week? (Howmany bins?)

Where does the waste go? e.g.Our room: • compost• rubbish• paper recycling.Who collects these? How often?

Decomposition of food from theclass bin/compost bucket.List living and non-living thingsin a compost bin.The needs of living things in acompost bin.Lifecycle of a compost worm.Simple examples of adaptationsof compost creatures.

How goods are packaged.Materials used in packaging.

Reuse materials/objects wherepossible without buying newones.What materials are used incraft/art at school?

Trace types back to source, e.g.shops, sunlight.Processes involved in producingthe things we use.

How much does our family throwout per week/month/year?(Include recyclables, compost andrubbish.)

Where does the waste from homego?• landfill site• sewerage system• recycling depot.

How to compost.Survey of home composting.Life cycles in compost bins.Simple classification of thecreatures in a compost heap.Diversity of life in a compostheap.

Analysis of home garbage.Classifying packaging.Benefits of packaging.Problems of packaging.

Reuse materials/objects wherepossible without buying newones.Reuse in the home: toys, clothing,plastic bags, jars, etc.

Sources:• shops• homes• schools• factories• offices, hospitals• sportsgrounds• public places.

Shire/city statistics – population,participation rates, volumes ofgarbage, composition – changesover time.

Where does the local waste go?• recycling factories/depots• mulch/compost• landfill site• sea• air.

Science of composting:• ideal conditions• requirements• temperature changes• life in compost – micro-organisms and invertebrates,including earthworms.Population growth of worms inworm farm.

History of packaging and shoppingpractices.Ways to reduce waste byshopping carefully.

Reuse materials/objects wherepossible without buying newones.Attitudes to reuse.Fashion.Peer group pressures.Lifestyles. Convenience.

2. PROBLEM SOLVING

2


TOPIC

AND

SUBTOPIC

JUNIOR PRIMARY

SCHOOL EMPHASIS

MIDDLE PRIMARY

HOME EMPHASIS

SENIOR PRIMARY

LOCAL COMMUNITY

EMPHASIS

Technology of recycling.Local community statistics onrecycling.People’s attitudes to recycling.Papermaking.Uses for recycled products, e.g. insulation.

Survey of local people about theirattitudes to their city/shire’swaste and recycling services.Research into the total cost ofgarbage disposal in the city/shire.How decisions are made aboutlocal waste and recyclingservices.

Problems of litter, especially theeffects on organisms in differentenvironments.Rates of decay of different typesof litter.How can we reduce littering? e.g.rules, fines.Attitudes of people to littering.

Renewable and non-renewableresources.Manufacture of materials used inpackaging.Burning of landfill gas forelectricity.Use of old car tyres as a fuelsource for cement kilns.

What do we recycle at home?Stages in recycling:1. buy from shops2. sorting at home3. collection4. return to factory5. remade into new goods6. deliver to shops.

Why do we need a rubbishcollection system for homes?• large volumes• some items do not decay

(cannot bury/compost)• some items are not recyclable• problems of rubbish – smells,

disease, attract vermin.History of local garbage collection.

Compare litter in several locationsover time:• school (various places)• shops• streets surrounding • school.The problems this litter creates.Why is the litter in each place?How can it be reduced?Litter pathways.

What are materials made from?Comparison of renewable andnon-renewable resources.Flows of packaging products fromproducer to consumer.

Recycle

Disposal

Litter

Energy andresources

Cycles e.g. water.What do we collect for recyclingat school?

Why do we need to haverubbish collected from ourclassroom?• tidiness• hygiene (smell, germs).Setting up three-bin system inclassroom – food scraps forcompost, paper for recycling,rubbish.

Litter in the school.Problems caused by litter atschool.Identifying the problem areas.Classifying litter.

Needs and wants.Classifying materials: glass,paper, metal, plastic, food.

3. ISSUES ABOUT WASTE

45Planning

TOPIC

AND

SUBTOPIC

JUNIOR SECONDARY

LOCAL AND STATE EMPHASIS

MIDDLE SECONDARY

NATIONAL/GLOBAL EMPHASIS

Overview for Years 7–10 Program: ‘Waste’

Types

Sources

Quantities

Destination

Composting

Reduce

Reuse

What type of waste is produced by the State?• domestic• commercial• building• industrial• medical• toxic• radioactive.

Trace types back to sources.

Statistics – cities, urban areas, participation rates,weight/volumes of garbage over time.

How is the State’s waste disposed?• landfill• recycling• incineration• litter• composting/vermiculture.

Best conditions for composting.School management of composting.Types of composting in the State – backyard,commercial, worm farms.Classification of compost creatures.

Survey of shoppers practices. Packaging design.Contribution of packaging to household garbage.

Investigation of the secondhand trade in the State:• opportunity shops• secondhand shops• garage sales• advertised secondhand goods.

Comparison of waste in Australia and othercountries:• domestic• commercial• building• industrial• medical• toxic• radioactive.

Relate types of waste with standard of living (GNP, etc.).

Statistics – comparison of statistics for Australiaand several developed/developing countries.

Comparison of disposal methods of severaldeveloped/developing countries.The impacts of these methods on the environment.Economics of different disposal methods.

Comparison of large-scale composting andvermiculture in Australia and overseas – reasons forany differences.Role of living things in the composting process.Flow of energy and materials during composting.

Comparison of packaging and shopping practicesbetween developed countries and developingcountries.

Economics of reuse versus recycling for certaingoods, e.g. milk bottles.

1. WHAT IS WASTE?

2. PROBLEM SOLVING

2


Recycle

Disposal

Litter

Energy andresources

TOPIC

AND

SUBTOPIC

JUNIOR SECONDARY

LOCAL AND

STATE EMPHASIS

MIDDLE SECONDARY

NATIONAL/GLOBAL

EMPHASIS

Products collected for recycling from:• industry• commerce• homes• shops• hospitals• leisure and sports venues.Technology of recycling different materials.

Field trips to one or more of:• sanitary landfill site• materials recovery facility (MRF)• large-scale composting facility• recycling factory.State legislation regarding waste management.

Analysis of school’s litter – amount, compositionand sources.Composition of the State’s litter – land-based andwater-based.Impact of litter on marine life in Port Phillip Bay.State campaigns to reduce littering.

Comparison of different drink containers – rawmaterials, waste produced, energy consumption,materials and energy saving during recycling.Logging of native forests for the purpose of paperproduction.

Economics of recycling.International trade in items collected for recycling.Ethics involved in this trade, e.g. sale of carbatteries to Asian countries.New products made from recycled materials.Impacts of recycling on the environment.

Problems associated with sanitary landfill:• landfill gas• leachate• litter• noise• smells.Advantages and disadvantages of depositlegislation.Alternative technologies of waste disposal, e.g. incineration, pyrolysis.Differences between the States regarding legislationin waste management.

Litter in the marine environment:• types• sources• problems• possible solutions.Degradability of different materials found as litter.Effectiveness of national campaigns to clean uplitter.

Relationships between population size, garbageproduction and resource consumption in differentcountries.Renewable and non-renewable resources –adequacy of resources.The environmental recycling, energy and thegreenhouse effect.Drink containers, energy and carbon dioxide.Landfill gas as an energy source.Resources used in packaging.

3. ISSUES ABOUT WASTE

47Planning

Sample Unit Planner for Years P–6:‘Waste’

■ Topic: Problem Solving■ Subtopic: Composting■ Level: Use Judging Guide

Key Understandings• Composting is the controlled breakdown

of organic materials under idealconditions of moisture, nutrients andoxygen.

• Micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) arechiefly responsible for the breakdown offood and garden waste in a compost bin.Small invertebrates complete the process.

• A food web exists in a compost bin.

Key ConceptsDecomposition, change, microorganisms,invertebrates, compost, production, foodchains/webs.

Key SkillsGathering information, using factual textsas references, solving problems, predicting,taking action, classifying, reporting (oraland written), gathering data, interpretingdata, observing, recording.

Key Resources• Armstrong, P. and Laffin, J., 1993,

Waste Matters: EnvironmentalEducation Activities About Waste,Gould League.

• Environment Protection Authority,Down to Earth (video).

Other details that could be included:• monitoring and assessment procedures

(students)• evaluation (teacher).

2


Sample Unit Planner – Sequence of Activities

■ Planning through an inquiry-based, integrated curriculum

1. Tuning in • Show students a plastic bottle full of food scraps and grass clippings. Cover with soil and seal the container. Ask students to predict what will happen and how long this might take.

• Record changes over time.• Display examples of rotting fruits.• Discuss what might be taking place.

2. Preparing to Find Out • What do we know about compost?• What are decomposers? – group discussion.• What materials can/cannot be composted? Students draw a compost wheel – things

that can be composted, things that cannot be composted, things that live in compostheaps.

• What do we want to find out about composting? – lists.

3. Finding Out • ’Mouldy oldies’, Waste Matters, p. 49.Shared Experiences • ’Decomposition in a carton’, Waste Matters, p. 48.

• ’Bottled compost’, Waste Matters, p. 52.• ’Compost, it’s alive’, Waste Matters, p. 55.• ’At home with compost’, Waste Matters, p. 57.• Interviews with parents/grandparents – How did you get rid of food scraps and

garden waste in the ‘old days’?

4. Processing • Art – compost heap mural, compost creatures, costumes for compost theatre.Sorting Out • Language – poetry, scripts for drama, reports of experiments.

• Drama – life in a compost heap – compost theatre.• Maths – graph results of home composting survey.• Science – posters oral/written reports of experiments, diagrams.

5. Making Connections • Students complete concept map with ‘composting’ as a central word.• Students write the statement: ‘What we know about composting.’ Compare

statements with original questions.• Students draw a food web of the compost heap.

6. Taking Action • Design a brochure about how to compost.• Start a school compost bin.• Design posters about composting. Display these around the room and at local

shopping centres.• Perform compost theatre to other classes/parents.

Based on Murdoch, K., 1992, Integrating Naturally:

Units of Work for Environmental Education, Dellasta.

– S&E: Time,Continuity &Change

– Science:Life & Living


– S&E: Natural andSocial Systems

– The Arts: Drama,Visual Arts

– Maths:– Chance & Data


– Values:Active Citizenship

– English:Writing

49Planning

Sample Unit Planner for Years 7–10: ‘Waste’

(By Angela Jenkins of Deakin University)

■ Topic: What is Waste?■ Subtopics: Types, Sources, Quantities, Destination■ Levels: Use Judging Guides

YEAR

1997

SEMESTER

1

KEY LEARNING AREA

Science

STRAND/SUBSTRAND

Life and living:Living together

Lesson 1: Tuning inThe teacher prepares a questionnaire for studentsto fill out to explore what the students alreadyknow about the topic of waste, e.g. what iswaste? (See inquiry model.)

Class discussion about content of questionnaire,led by teacher.

Show video relating to waste topic.

Encourage informal discussion.

CURRICULUM FOCUS LEARNING OUTCOMES EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATING

ACHIEVEMENT

Developing students’ ideas and skillsabout the topic of waste, andencouraging them to act upon theirfindings, which may include:• joining a group/organisation• participating in a class

presentation/display to the localcommunity

• setting up a waste managementprogram in their own home orschool, and

• approaching the local council.

Level 5 Explain the effects of variousenvironmental changes on living thingsin ecosystems.

Level 6 Explain the role of living things in thecycling of matter and flow of energy inan ecosystem.

Students are able to explain the basiceffects that waste has whenintroduced into an environment, takingin effects on both plants and animals,i.e. sewage affecting marine life.

Students are able to simulate thebreakdown of organic material in acompost of household waste.

TEACHER STUDENTS TIME

Fill out the questionnaire by themselves.

Participate in class discussion, sharing ideas.

Watch the video, taking notes if required.

Discuss the video and what it is saying with classmates or the entire class.

10 minutes

10–15 minutes

20 minutes

5 minutes

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

2


TEACHER STUDENTS TIME

Lesson 2: Establish a SubtopicTeacher brings to class magazines and otherrelevant media (newspaper articles) with largecoloured cardboard for poster making.

Every 10 minutes, teacher heads discussion ofdifferent groups, to check on progress, also givesstudents an opportunity to share what they arelearning.

Students organise themselves into groups of aboutfour, choose a subtopic i.e. litter or industrialwaste, and create a poster with pictures andarticles on the effects of their subtopic on theenvironment.

Students work in their groups and every 10 minutes report to the rest of the class whatthey have discovered and how they haveprogressed on their poster.

30–35 minutes

5 minuteswithin the above35 minutes

Teacher sets the posters to be finished in the next lesson.

Lesson 3: Considering Social ActionThe teacher hands out lists of differentenvironmental community groups.

The teacher writes on white/black board asstudents brainstorm ideas for action within theirown school.

The teacher divides class into four groups, eachhaving a different issue at the school. Generatesdiscussion by going to each group, suggestingideas as to how action can be accomplished.

The teacher brings class back together to discussany possible opposition to suggested programsand why.

On the board the teacher goes over the basics ofwriting an official letter.

The best letter from each subtopic is voted on bythe students and sent to the addressed place, i.e. the school council.

10 minutes

10 minutes

5 minutes

25 minutes

Students brainstorm waste matters within theschool that are developed issues or should bedeveloped into action plans.

Students discuss with each other the possibleaction to take and the resources needed to carry itout.

Students again brainstorm and discuss as a classany reason for not being able to reach any goalsset for improving a waste matter at their school.

Students write letters to those they think mayobject to their setting up of waste programs.

Students vote on the best letters, the remainingones are displayed with the posters around theroom.

As a follow up to these three lessons, (and perhaps more) teachers are encouragedto organise with students a display of thistopic in a large room, and produce aninformation night for parents and membersof the local community. This would give thestudents the chance to talk about what theyhave learned, and display the work and

program initiation they have achieved, and the benefits from these.

This could be used as a topic review.Assessment for this unit will comprise of

a mark for students’ posters and letters andthe rest will be established from classparticipation (or lack thereof).

51Planning

A Middle Schooling Approach to Waste Minimisation

DescriptionThis module aims to promoteunderstanding of what waste is and howwaste production can be minimised byreducing, reusing and recycling householdmaterials. Students will also be encouragedto consider the economic andenvironmental benefits of these processes.This outline is written for students in Years 7-9, but it can be adapted for useacross the Primary and Secondary years.

RationaleTo enable students to develop their ideasand skills about the topic of waste and toencourage them to act upon their findings.

AssessmentsWill vary depending on each LearningArea but overall there will be oneintegrated task where students will beexpected to create an informationbrochure aimed at reducing waste in theaverage household and/or school.

• Major Integrated Task– Background information on what

waste is, where it goes and what can be done about it (Society & Environment).

– Waste audit including graphicalinformation (Mathematics).

– Instructions on composting includingresults from investigations,information on compost systems andenvironmental benefits of compostinggreen waste (Science).

– Creative Writing piece on trip to thetip (English).

• Product made from recycled materials(Technology and Enterprise).

• Anti-littering poster in target language(LOTE).

• Healthy, litter free lunch (Health & Physical Education).

• Waste minimisation murals (Arts).

Strategies and ResourcesWaste Wise Schools Kit

Activities/ExcursionsMake recycled paper or note pads fromone-sided paperStudent organised litter-free lunch orrecycling poster competitionVisit a waste transfer station, landfill site or recycling business, eg. Red Hill landfillor Cleanaway Materials Recovery FacilityVisit The Homestead at Perth ZooGuest speakers including staff from LocalCouncils, the recycling industry orenvironmental organisations.

2


ENGLISH S&E SCIENCE MATHS

• Read and analyse‘Spaceship Earth’(Reading).

• Describe a trip to the tipin terms of smells,sounds, feelings(Writing).

• Letters to local councilabout waste issues (W).

• Advertisements that relyon packaging (Viewing).

• Perform a play on wasteissues (Speaking &Listening).

• Interview other studentsor key personnelregarding waste (S&L).

• Consider the saying‘waste not want not’ for meaning (R).

• Compare differentwritten text about waste (W).

• Explain how people’s useof natural and humanenvironments changeover time (Time, Continuity &Change).

• Describe grandparents’lifestyle in relation todisposable products(TC&C).

• Examine newspapersand other media thathave dealt with wasteissues (Place & Space).

• Conduct a waste audit(Resources).

• Where does waste go inthe local area? (R).

• Role play scenario aboutwaste managementdecision making in localcouncils (Natural & SocialSystems).

• Introduction to Waste.• Litter survey (Natural &

Processed Materials).• Analyse the properties

and uses of differentmaterials in a rubbish bin(N&PM).

• Effect of litter onenvironment: impact onnatural organisms (Life & Living).

• Composting: significanceof decomposition.Investigating compostcreatures, creating owncompost (L&L).

• Bottled science activitiessuch as makingterrariums from PETbottles (L&L).

• 3RS: related to schoolpractices andcommunity.

• Litter Mapping of schooland graph results(Measurement & Space).

• Estimating weight ofpackaging (M).

• Using waste data, drawa sector graph (M).

• Composting activityinvolving fractions and%s (Number).

• Worm farms: calculatingvolumes etc (N, M).

• Biodiversity: counting,recording, graphing (M).

• Waste usage activities(N, M).

• Audits (Algebra, Chance& Data, N).

Activities from FootprintsProject ”Waste Less” by EcoRecycle Victoria,1998.

LOTE ARTS HEALTH & PHYS ED. TECHNOLOGY

• Activities on shoppingand waste in targetlanguage.

• Activities on seasonsand wastes in targetlanguage.

• Comparisons betweenthe ways differentcountries dispose ofwaste, impact onenvironment, recyclingpractices, generalattitudes to waste,lifestyle in terms ofwaste.

• Design anti-litteringposters (CommunicationArt Ideas).

• Decomposition in acartoon.

• Create a video of wasteminimisation practices atschool (Using Art Skills,Techniques, Technologies& Processes).

• Compost heap mural(UASTT&P).

• Drama and costumesdesign and manufactureon ‘life in a compostheap’ or ‘being a litterbuster’ (UASTT&P).

• Survey students atschool regarding attitudeto litter (Attitudes &Values).

• Examine food packagingin relation to litter/packaging and quality offood (Concepts for aHealthy Lifestyle).

• Work with canteen onways to reduce wastefrom food (InterpersonalSkills).

• Design a healthy lunchmeal with packagingthan can be recycled orreused (CHL).

• Case study of recyclingbusinesses (Technologyin Society).

• Ideas for small businessthat have a 3Rs themeeg. T-shirts withlittering slogan,compost or wormfarming business(Enterprise).

• Investigate thedevelopments inmachinery used forsorting materialscollected for recyclingat kerbside (Technologyin Society).

• Collect suitablerecycled material todesign and make auseful item (Materials).

53Planning 53Planning

8. Where is the most rubbish in theschool? – specific areas tallied, graphdrawn, conclusions reached.Assess: Tally graph and findings.

9. What’s in the garbage bin? – activitysheet with related questions.Assess: Completed sheet, answers torelated questions.

10. Where does our litter go? – activitysheet to show how much litter finishesup in our waterways and the sea.

11. Waste or save? – activity sheet focusingon ways to conserve energy rather thanwasting it.Assess: Completed sheet.

12. Saving energy in the home – worksheet.Assess: Completed worksheet.

13. Compost song – singing.

14. Lester and Clyde reading of story,answering of questions, generaldiscussion.Assess: Involvement in discussions.

15. Needs and wants – what is thedifference? How can limited resourcesaffect choices being made? List someexamples of essential needs and wants.Which resources are renewable or non-renewable? What could we do to limitthe use of resources?

Sample Unit 1: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, RefuseSample Units

* from Armstrong, P. and Laffin, J.,

1993, Waste Matters:

Environmental Education

Activities About Waste, Gould

League.

** from Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,

Gould League Teacher’s Package.

A unit of work for Year 3, at Blackrock Primary School. Provided by Anne Lundgren.Judging guides will help determine level ofachievement.

1. What happens to our rubbish at home?– survey, discussion, conclusions.Assess: Completed survey.

2. The rubbish in my life* record sheet –survey sheet to be completed at homefor collation and discussion.Assess: Completed survey sheet,involvement in discussion.

3. Lunchbox leftovers* – activity sheet toisolate those items that can be reused,recycled or composted.Assess: Completed worksheet.

4. My rotting experiment** – experimentrecord sheet, discussion and conclusion.Assess: Completed record sheet.

5. I am already doing these things toreduce, reuse, recycle – worksheet.

6. Composting in a bottle – observation ofchanges over time.

7. Rubbish sorting – collect ten pieces ofrubbish in the school ground, sort intogroups, draw a graph to show what wasfound.Assess: Completed graph.


By Pat Armstrong and Bob WintersGould League of Victoria

A program to help reduce litter and wastein schools.

Research into Student LitteringLitter has been an ongoing problem forschools and the community at large fordecades. Schools have tried many strategiesto deal with school littering with varyingdegrees of success.

However, before a school can developtruly effective strategies, they need to knowwhy students litter in the first place andconversely why they don’t litter. While therehas been some research conducted on whypeople in general litter, there appears tohave been very little, if any, research onschool littering.

Some recent research, carried out bySocio-environmental Assessment and Policystudents from RMIT in Melbourne, hasshed some light on school littering. The research was carried out by twostudents, Sonia Van Klaveren and MandyVerdon, and coordinated by the GouldLeague of Victoria. The research wasfunded by the Litter and RecyclingResearch Association of NSW.

In this project, students from fourpostprimary schools in the Melbournemetropolitan area were asked to complete a structured questionnaire that includedquestions concerning the effect of litterreduction programs, the schoolenvironment and students’ attitudestowards litter. In addition, observationaldata and interviews with a staff memberwere undertaken at each of the fourschools.

The study was limited by the smallnumber of schools selected and thenarrowness of the type of schools surveyed(i.e. Melbourne postprimary schools).

Sample Unit 2: School Litter Busters

Some of the key conclusions in thislimited study were that:• Most students do not take responsibility

for their littering actions. 78 per cent ofstudents reported littering sometimes oroften.

• Surprisingly, there was a weak linkbetween students’ concern forenvironmental matters and their self-reported frequency of littering at school.

• When provided with incentives, studentswere more eager to pick up litter in theschool yard, but they still had to beasked. Yard duty and picking up litterfor punishment did not seem to reducelittering in schools. Students, in general,did not believe that yard duty deterredother students from littering.

• The main reasons students gave whyother students litter were: insufficientbins, laziness and did not care. The mainreasons students gave why otherstudents did not litter were: it spoils theplace, fear of punishment and it iswrong.

• There is little evidence to suggest thatlittering is related to rebelliousness orpeer group pressure.

• The canteen was the main source oflitter.

• There was little, if any, litter educationin the schools studied.

School Litter BustersOne of the more interesting results of theresearch was that there was only a weaklink between students’ concern forenvironmental matters and their selfreported littering behaviour. 76 per cent ofstudents who reported some degree ofconcern for environmental matters reportedthat they often or sometimes littered. Thissuggests that concern for environmentalmatters does not necessarily lead to lessstudent littering. Many students, it seems,while they are concerned about the

55Planning

environment, do not see that by droppinglitter themselves, they are contributing to amajor environmental problem.

The purpose of the School Litter BustersProgram is to help create stronger links instudents’ minds between student litteringand minimising school waste in generalwith concern and care for the environment.

The program provides strategies thatwill help reduce littering in schools as wellencouraging the removal of litter from theschool grounds.In this unit, you will find:• a checklist for reducing litter in schools• some steps to assist schools to set up a

School Litter Busters Program• activities and worksheets to help students

understand the concepts ofdecomposition of materials and toanalyse the distribution of litter in theschool

• a litter questionnaire (a similar one wasused in the research discussed on page 57)

• a guide to how litter reduction educationprograms relate to the Curriculum andStandards Framework.

Steps in Setting Up School LitterBusters1. Some Introductory ActivitiesInclude education about littering and theeffects of littering on the environment in thecurriculum. A simple introductory activity,‘Rotten Litter’ on page 59, looks at thedecomposition rates of some commonmaterials.

As part of geography, science orenvironmental studies (or even better as across-curriculum study) have the studentsinvestigate the extent of littering in theschool, the composition of the litter, thesources of the litter and the distribution ofthe litter. The activity ‘Litter at school’ onpage 60 provides a technique forinvestigating litter in the school and gives aconvenient record sheet.

2. Research• Have the students investigate if the school

has a school litter policy.• Have the students design and conduct a

survey on the attitudes of studentstowards littering and the reportedfrequency of littering. A samplequestionnaire can be found on pages 62–63. The data can be collated manuallyor with a suitable computer softwarepackage and the results expressedgraphically. These results should serve asa benchmark for comparing the results offuture surveys.

3. Develop a School Litter PlanInvolve the students in a process to developa school litter reduction plan. A checklist toassist schools can be found on page 43 ofThe Waste Wise Way in the Waste WiseSchools Kit.

4. Take ActionTogether with the students implement theschool litter plan.

5. Monitoring• Have the student repeat the sampling of

litter on a regular basis to assess theeffectiveness of the school’s plan.Publicise any reductions in the amount oflitter in the school. Modify the school’slitter plan if necessary.

• At least once (say after three months)after the implementation of the litterreduction plan, have the students repeatthe students’ litter survey so that they canidentify whether or not the new plan hasled to changes in the attitudes of thestudents towards litter and their reportedfrequency of littering.

2


A Guide to Reducing Litter in Schools – a ChecklistRefer to the checklist in The Waste Wise Way: Savings, Benefits and School OperatingPractices, p. 43.

Armstrong, P. and J. Laffin, 1993, Waste Matters: Environmental Education Activities About Waste, Gould League of Victoria, p. 19.

57Planning

A sampling activity which involves students countingthe litter in a number of sample areas to give an


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59Planning

1. What is your age?

2. Are you:Male Female

3. What things would you call litter?(Tick one or more boxes.)

Lunch wrappersCigarette buttsFood scrapsFallen leaves, twigsDrink bottles and cansOld car in a paddockNone of these

4. Which of these things is undesirable litter?(Tick one or more boxes.)

Drinking strawsEmpty drink bottleChip packetDead leavesApple coreNone of these

5. Litter can effect the environment in a number ofways. Rank from 1–10 the ways below, from mostserious to least serious. (1 = most serious.)

Is a health hazardCan harm animalsCan injure peopleIs a fire hazardCan block drainsCan contain poisonsCauses accidents on roadsMakes a place look uglyCan be smellyOther

6. Do you think your schoolground is:Heavily litteredSlightly litteredNot littered

7. Do you drop litter?Often Sometimes Never

7a. If you answered ‘Never’ to question 7, why don’t youdrop litter? (Pick one or more boxes.)

You think that litter spoils the appearance of aplace.You are afraid of being caught and punished.You know it is wrong.You don’t like seeing litter.You know that animals can be hurt or killed bylitter.You are concerned that people will be hurt bysharp litter.You are worried that it will be washed intorivers, bays or the ocean.

7b. If you answered sometimes or often to question 7,why do you drop litter? (Pick one or more boxes.)

You are too lazy to put it in the bin.If you can’t find a bin, so you just drop yourrubbish.You don’t mean to, you drop it accidentally.You do it so other people will think you aretough.You think that empty bottles and wrappers aredirty and you drop them so that you don’t haveto hold them.You think it is fun.You don’t care.You like being a rebel.

8. Have you picked up litter at school this year?Yes No

9. If you answered ‘Yes’ to question 8, why did youpick up litter at school?

PunishmentFor class yard dutyVolunteeredOther

10. Making students pick up litter at school stops themfrom dropping litter themselves. Do you agree ordisagree?

Agree Disagree

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11. Who should pick up litter in your school?(Pick one or more boxes.)

Students on yard dutyStudents caught dropping litterAll studentsTeachersPrincipalCleanersOther

12. Who is responsible for the amount of litter in theschool?(Pick one or more boxes.)

PrincipalStudentsTeachersCleanersOther

13. Why do you think that some kids litter?(Pick one or more boxes.)

They are too lazy to put it in the bin.They can’t find a bin, so they just drop theirrubbish.They don’t mean to, they drop it accidentally.They do it so other people will think they aretough.They think that empty bottles and wrappers aredirty and they drop them so that they don’thave to hold them.They think it is fun.They don’t care.They like being rebels.

14. Why do you think that some kids don’t litter?(Pick one or more boxes.)

They think that litter spoils the appearance of aplace.They are afraid of being caught and punished.They know it is wrong.They don’t like seeing litter.They know that animals can be hurt or killed bylitter.They are concerned that people will be hurt bysharp litter.They are worried that it will be washed intorivers, bays or the ocean.

15. If you had a choice, would you buy a salad roll fromthe canteen/tuckshop in:(Pick one box only.)

Plastic wrap and a paper bagPlastic wrapPaper bagPaper wrapRecycled paper wrap or bagNo wrapping, but on a clean plate from homeOther

16. If you had a choice, would you buy a drink from thecanteen/tuckshop in a:(Pick one box only.)

A bottle or can that could be recycledA bottle or can that cannot be recycledA disposable cupA clean cup brought from homeOther

17. Does you school teach you about littering at school?Yes No

18. What do you think should be done to reduce theamount of litter in your school?

19. How concerned are you about environmentalmatters?(Pick one box only.)

Very concernedConcernedSlightly concernedNot concerned

Thank you for your time.

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61Planning

School Litter Busters and theCurriculum FrameworkThe School Litter Busters Program can helpstudents to achieve many learningoutcomes in several Learning Areas. Someof the relevant Learning Areas are:

S&E Strands: Place and space, Resources andNatural and Social Systems

Mathematics Strands: Measurement, Chance and dataand working mathematically

Science Strands: Natural and processed materials

Technology & EnterpriseStrands: Materials and Information

Depending on the level of commitmentof the school to this program, students maybe required to:• research existing waste and litter policies

of the school• design an investigation of the amount,

sources and distribution of litter in theschool

• take measurements for this investigation• take measurement of the places sampled

for the investigation• take photographs of litter in the school

before and after the introduction of theSchool Litter Busters Program

• analyse the amount, sources anddistribution of litter in the school, usinggraphs and diagrams

• design and conduct a survey of students’attitudes towards litter as well as theirreported littering behaviour

• analyse the results of this survey, usingappropriate graphical techniques andcomputer software

• work with other students and staff todevelop a litter reduction plan for theschool

• take actions to carry out this plan• promote the plan with the school

community• undertake ongoing measurements of the

amount and distribution of litter in theschool in order to assess the effectivenessof the plan

• conduct a second survey after the planhas been implemented to judge if therehas been a change in the attitudes of thestudents towards littering and/or theirreported littering behaviour.

Students with litter

‘picker-upperers’.

63

3

Keeping it Goingch

apte

r 3

HAVING DEVELOPED EXCITING PROGRAMS

AND UNITS OF WORK ON THE TOPICS

OF WASTE AND LITTER, YOU WILL

NEED TO WORK AT MAINTAINING

THE MOMENTUM AND ENTHUSIASM.

THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES SUGGESTIONS

FOR MAINTAINING ENTHUSIASM AND

INTEREST IN THE TOPICS.

3


EvaluationEvaluate your own programs. Invitefeedback from the students. Did they findthe work interesting and relevant? Howwould they improve the program? Useassessment procedures to determine if thestudents achieved the expected learningoutcomes. Adjust your programs/units onthe basis of this evaluation.

CompetitionsEnter students’ work in competitions, e.g. the WA Environment Award. As thetopics of waste and litter are relatively new,there is still so much to be learnt. Hence thetopics lend themselves to original research,often without the need for sophisticatedequipment.

IntegrationIt is important that the programs and unitsof work developed by your school areintegrated with the waste and litteroperating practices being set up by theschool. This will help to ensure that, on onehand, the students understand why the newpractices have been set up and, on the otherhand, make their classroom studies seem somuch more relevant to their everyday lives.

New Ideas and ApproachesIt is easy for a topic such as waste or litter to become ‘stale’ for both teachers and students, if the same activities are used repeatedly or the same approach isused.

Look for opportunities for using newideas and information in your units. Forexample:• media coverage of issues, e.g. kerbside

recycling (provided it is balanced)• new products made from recycled

materials• new ways to compost garden waste• research results on key problems, e.g.

types of litterers.If one year you use an integrated

approach, try a different approach the next,e.g. run a recycling competition or a‘Recycling Olympics’.

Professional DevelopmentContinue to look for opportunities forprofessional development for staff.

If a teacher from your school has takenpart in a professional development programwith the Waste Wise Schools Program, thenthat teacher could inservice the rest of thestaff. Take advantage of the free follow-upservice provided by the program.

A recycling

competition can

help maintain

interest in

recycling.

65Keeping it Going

Invite interesting facilitators to conductworkshops for staff about waste and litter,either on a curriculum day or after school.Contact Waste Wise WA or local councils.

Many teacher conferences includesessions on the topics of waste and litter.This is a great chance to hear from expertsin the field and to pick up new ideas. Someof these conferences are:• conferences held by MESA

(Marine Educators Society of Australia)• conferences held by AAEE

(Australian Association of EnvironmentalEducation).

• Greenteach, AAEE and EnvironmentalEducators Network advertise upcomingevents.

PublicityPromote the work of your students in thesetopics at every opportunity. This will notonly give value to the topic and thestudents’ work, but will help to educateother students and visitors to the school.Some suggestions here include:• displays of student work – posters, art

and craft, technology• students work placed on the school’s

Internet site or some other relevant site(such as the Waste Wise SchoolsProgram), e.g. video clips, survey results,research etc.

• articles in local papers or studentmagazines

• performances of music, drama etc.

Sustainable DevelopmentUse your experiences in developing andteaching units of work on waste and litterto be a catalyst for related units of work,e.g. energy conservation, waterconservation, revegetation.

NetworkingShare units of work with other teachers inother schools. Ask for fresh ideas atLearning Area Networks meetings. Write articles about your programs andunits in teachers magazines. Post your units on the web page of your school.

Field trips create interest and

help maintain enthusiasm.

3


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