Popular Recycling Activities for Kids, Educators and Schools
Teachers and parents, are you struggling to find fun, engaging and evidence-based resources to help you teach the importance of recycling and waste management? Look no further. On this page, you’ll find our most popular recycling resources for educators to use at home or in the classroom, across early learning, primary and secondary school levels.
We have lessons for all year levels that can be used to support learning.
Enjoy!
National Recycling Week
Schools Recycle Right Challenge – It’s Competition Time!
Our friends at Planet Ark are giving you the chance to win a buddy bench made from recycled plastics worth $1,100 for your school AND individual prizes for teachers!
To enter, simply:
- download and complete one of our National Recycling Week lesson plans
- take a photo of your students’ completed work or the class taking part in one of our activities
- jump on to the Schools Recycle Right Challenge website and let the team at Planet Ark know how your students got involved in 50-100 words
Competition will be re-opening in November. Entry form is here
For more information and full terms and conditions check out the competition page
Recycling and Waste Resources
Early Learning Curriculum:
National Recycling Week
– Early Learning
Lessons use the Early Learning Framework to introduce these topics to younger children through play-based activities. Kids get to learn about packaging, paper recycling, as well as sorting and categorising waste and have great fun in the process.
Visy Education
– Early Learning
Demonstrate how the materials we place in the recycling bin can be remade into new products, which, once no longer needed, can again be recycled and re-manufactured.
Primary Curriculum:
National Recycling Week
– Primary
The lessons in this unit are a great way for you and your students to take positive steps in reducing the amount of waste we create.
Seal the Loop: Marine Action
– Primary
Following this lesson plan is an ideal way for your school to introduce Zoos Victoria’s Seal the Loop program. You’ll be joining other amazing teachers in making a difference and creating positive environmental change.
War on Waste
– Foundation to Year 3
This unit has been designed to lead students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia, and support them to take action in their schools and communities to reduce environmental waste impact.
Visy Education – Literacy Skills
– Years 3 to 9
This unit is designed to provide valuable practice for NAPLAN, the national literacy and numeracy test held in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9*.
Visy Education – Primary Mathematics
Demonstrate how the materials we place in the recycling bin can be remade into new products, which, once no longer needed, can again be recycled and re-manufactured.
War on Waste
– Years 4 to 6
This unit has been designed to lead students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia, and support them to take action in their schools and communities to reduce environmental waste impact.
Take 3 for the Sea
– Years 4 to 6
Take 3 believes in simple actions to address complex problems. This unit is designed to guide students using a Project-based Learning (PBL) approach. This unit work across subject areas allowing for an integrated experience.
Australasian Recycling Label
– Years 5 & 6
These lessons have been developed as part of Planet Ark’s campaign around the Australasian Recycling Label and sustainable packaging.
Visy Education – Using Design Thinking to Solve Problems – Years 5 & 6
Demonstrate how the materials we place in the recycling bin can be remade into new products, which, once no longer needed, can again be recycled and re-manufactured.
Roots & Shoots – Focus On Consumption – Upper Primary
Explore the interconnectedness of animals, people and environment through the investigation of waste and consumer choices. Think about how your needs and wants, behaviours and consumer choices impact on the future of all living things.
Schools Clean Up Day
– Primary
Clean Up Australia and Cool Australia have teamed up to create high-quality educational resources, which engage students in sustainability education.
Secondary Curriculum:
Visy Education – Literacy Skills
– Years 3 to 9
This unit is designed to provide valuable practice for NAPLAN, the national literacy and numeracy test held in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9*.
National Recycling Week
– Years 9 & 10
The lessons in this unit are a great way for you and your students to take positive steps in reducing the amount of waste we create.
Take 3 For The Sea – Project-based Learning – Years 7 to 10
Take 3 believes in simple actions to address complex problems. This unit is designed to guide students using a Project-based Learning (PBL) approach. This unit work across subject areas allowing for an integrated experience.
War On Waste
– Years 7 to 10
This unit has been designed to lead students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia, and support them to take action in their schools and communities to reduce environmental waste impact.
Seal the Loop: Marine Action – Secondary
Following this lesson plan is an ideal way for your school to introduce Zoos Victoria’s Seal the Loop program. You’ll be joining other amazing teachers in making a difference and creating positive environmental change.
Visy Education
– Secondary Mathematics
In this unit, you and your students can look at sustainable design, exploring the role of packaging labelling in recycling,
Visy Education
– Secondary Science
In this unit, you and your students can look at sustainable design, exploring the role of packaging labelling in recycling,
Schools Clean Up Day
– Secondary
Clean Up Australia and Cool Australia have teamed up to create high quality educational resources, which engage students in sustainability education.
Online Accredited Professional Development Courses
Analyse the Impact of Everyday Objects
– Secondary
Life Cycle Assessments are used by industries across the world to assess the environmental impact of a product, from extraction to end of life.
War on Waste
Use Primary Maths to Measure Waste
Take your teaching of Maths to the next level through student-led school waste audits. You will learn how to teach meaningful and real-life Maths lessons that measure, collect and represent your school’s landfill, recycling and litter data.
War on Waste
Use Secondary Maths to Measure Waste
Take your teaching of Maths to the next level through student-led school waste audits. You will learn how to teach meaningful and real-life Maths lessons that measure, collect and represent your school’s landfill, recycling and litter data.
VISY – Introduce Primary Students to Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a process for creative problem solving, which uses a designer’s toolkit to find innovative solutions to big challenges. This course will walk you through the five stages of the Design Thinking process and help you find avenues to use it in the primary curriculum.