Activity Introduction
Quick summary: Students engage in a school waste audit to determine the quantities and makeup of the waste generated at their school. This baseline data is collected to calculate the total waste output of the school. Students investigate landfill, co-mingled recycling, paper and organic waste. Based on this data schools can explore how to reduce their waste.
This lesson can be used when working on the Waste Module of ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Certification. By completing this lesson you will have completed the following actions:
Waste Checklist Compulsory Actions:
- A1 – Have you undertaken waste audits at your school?
- A1 – Has this data been entered as your baseline, and any anomalies explained?
Checklist data goals:
- To find out how full the landfill and recycling bins/skips are when collected to measure actual waste output (in m3).
- To find out how much organic waste is processed by school (in m3) per year.
Australian Curriculum Links:
Cross curriculum priorities |
Sustainability – OI.5 – World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability. OI.9 – Sustainable futures result from actions designed to preserve and/or restore the quality and uniqueness of environments. |
General capabilities |
Numeracy, Critical and creative thinking |
Explicit content description |
Mathematics Year 5
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Science Year 5
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Mathematics Year 6
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Science Year 6
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Syllabus Outcomes: ST3-6PW, ST3-4WS, MA3-10MG, MA3-18SP, MA3-9MG, MA3‑1WM, MA3‑2WM, MA3‑3WM.
Connecting lessons: Litter audit – must be completed as a compulsory action.
Resources required: Writing materials, rubber gloves, camera or mobile phone with a camera or tablet device with a camera, access to a computer with a graphing program, map or plan of the school grounds, student worksheets, clip board (if using printed copies of worksheet).
Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities.
Keywords: Litter, school, waste, rubbish, organic waste, recyclable waste.
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