Clean Up - Are You Sure It's A Waste? Circular Economy - Years 7 to 9

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students explore the circular economy in relation to waste. They survey their community to find out how to support people to reduce their waste. Students can use their survey results to create a waste campaign.

Following this activity is an ideal way for your school to take part in Schools Clean Up Day or a Clean Up on any day of the year. You’ll be joining thousands of amazing teachers and educators in making a difference and creating positive environmental change.

Learning intentions:

Students will know what the circular economy is and how it applies to waste
Students will recognise how a community survey can be used to understand and change waste reduction behaviours.

21st century skills:

Australian curriculum mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 7 Economics and Business:

The ways consumers and producers interact and respond to each other in the market (ACHEK017).
Develop questions about an economic or business issue or event, and plan and conduct an investigation or project (ACHES021).
Gather relevant data and information from a range of digital, online and print sources (ACHES022).

Year 8 Economics and Business:

The ways markets in Australia operate to enable the distribution of resources, and why they may be influenced by government (ACHEK027).
Develop questions about an economic or business issue or event, and plan and conduct an investigation or project (ACHES032).
Gather relevant data and information from a range of digital, online and print sources (ACHES033).

Year 9 Economics and Business:

The changing roles and responsibilities of participants in the Australian or global workplace (ACHEK042).
Develop questions and hypotheses about an economic or business issue or event, and plan and conduct an investigation (ACHES043).
Gather relevant and reliable data and information from a range of digital, online and print sources (ACHES044).

Syllabus outcomes: C4.2, C4.3, C4.4, C4.7, C4.9, C5.2, C5.3, C5.4, C5.7, C5.9.

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9.

Relevant parts of Year 7 Economics and Business achievement standards: Students describe the interdependence of consumers and producers in the market. When researching, students develop questions and gather data and information from different sources to investigate an economic or business issue.

Relevant parts of Year 8 Economics and Business achievement standards: Students explain how markets operate and recognise why governments may influence the market’s operation. When researching, students develop questions and gather relevant data and information from different sources to investigate an economic or business issue.

Relevant parts of Year 9 Economics and Business achievement standards: Students explain the role of the Australian economy in allocating and distributing resources. When researching, students develop questions and simple hypotheses to frame an investigation of an economic or business issue. They gather and analyse relevant data and information from different sources to answer questions.

Topic: Clean Up, Waste, Recycling.

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work Clean Up Australia – Secondary Curriculum.

Time required: 60+ mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – lead students in class discussions, oversee survey design and conducting, support students in survey analysis.

Resources required:

Device capable of presenting a website to the class
Survey Design Tips
Student Worksheet – one copy per student.

Keywords: Clean Up, waste, circular economy, linear economy, survey.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions: Students will…

… know what the circular economy is and how it applies to waste
… recognise how a community survey can be used to understand and change waste reduction behaviours.

Success criteria: Students can…

… explain key elements of the circular economy theory as it applies to waste
… design and conduct a survey
… analyse survey results to draw conclusions and make recommendations for action.

Content information:For a long time now we've thought of waste as something that should go in the bin. But it wasn't always this way. For many years and in many cultures, things people no longer wanted or needed were turned into something else, given to someone else to use, or repaired and used again. As the waste we currently create continues to harm our environment, it's time to shift our thinking around waste again—what if we thought of waste as a resource for creating new products? Can we rethink our relationship to waste?

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: Waste not, want not.

Part A: Understanding the circular economy

1. Take a look at the following image and work with a classmate to discuss and record your answers to the questions below:

What do you think the ‘linear economy’ represents? How does this model deal with waste?

What do you think the ‘circular economy’ represents? How does this model deal with waste?

Part B: Joining the circular economy

1. You will now design and conduct a survey to find out how you can get more people in the community to participate in waste reduction activities:

Half the class will design and conduct a survey to find out: how could the community be supported to rethink waste as a resource? (e.g. 'What do you need to help you change the way you think about waste?')
Half the class will design and conduct a survey to find out: who does the community believe is responsible for waste? (e.g. 'Should it be up to consumers, producers, or governments to manage waste?')

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Activity: Clean Up – Are You Sure It’s A Waste? Circular Economy – Years 7 to 9