Unit 9: Waste Not, Want
Not
Waste and recycling
overview
activity guide and
worksheet
Developed by
This project was funded by the Department of
Sustainability and Environment.
Unit 9: Waste Not, Want Not
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. A copy of this licence is available at
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Unit 9: Waste Not, Want Not
Waste and recycling overview activity guide and
worksheet
Estimated duration: 10 minutes
Aim


To understand how energy and resources are used to create packaging
materials
To understand the importance of recycling to conserve resources
Outcome
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
 Describe factual information about current waste practices
Resources



Slideshow: Waste and Recycling Overview
Student worksheet: Waste and Recycling Overview
Computer and data projector
Activity Description
1. Ask the students to list the kinds of things they recycle.
2. Distribute the worksheets and have the students answer the quiz questions.
Correct the quiz as a class.
3. Given the findings, ask students to describe in their own words why they think
recycling is important.
4. Present the slideshow “Waste and Recycling Overview” to summarise current
trends and statistics.
Answers to Recycling Quiz
1. True. Steel cans are recyclable.
2. True. Aluminium is one of Australia’s major exports.
3. True. Aluminium production requires enormous quantities of electricity.
4. True. Australia is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide per person in
the world. This is largely because of our dependence on coal. The brown coal
in Victoria is extremely inefficient because of the high moisture content.
5. True. The energy needed to make one new can is equivalent to the energy
needed to recycle five cans.
6. True. Cullet is the name given to the glass collected for recycling.
7. True. All new plastic is made from oil.
8. False. Newspapers are made of softwoods like pine trees. Photocopy paper is
made from hardwoods such as eucalyptus fibre.
9. True. Recycling one tonne of paper can save 1300 litres of water.
10. True. It takes three tall Eucalyptus trees to make one tonne of paper.
11. True. Photocopy paper is being recycled into toilet paper products.
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12. True. Dioxins that cause cancer are used to bleach photocopy paper.
13. True. Newspapers are manufactured from softwoods like pine trees.
14. True. PET bottles can be made into clothing such as polar fleece tops.
15. True. Wheelie bins are made from recycled plastic.
16. False. Sand is the source of glass.
17. False. Aluminium cans are made from bauxite.
18. True. The electricity needed to make a new aluminium can would run your TV
for three hours.
19. True. Melbourne’s waste would fill the MCG every 3.5 months.
Student Roles and Responsibilities
Participate in agreed tasks
Contribute to class discussions
Complete activities and worksheets
Work cooperatively with others
Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support
Facilitate discussion
Organise materials and equipment
Provide encouragement
Introduce tasks and activities
Provide assistance when requested
Assessment
As this learning activity is an introductory activity, it is not suitable as an assessment
task.
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Unit 9: Waste Not, Want Not
Waste and Recycling Overview Worksheet
Recycling Quiz
Answer the following questions as True (T) or False (F).
1. Steel cans are recyclable.
2. Aluminium is one of Australia’s major exports.
3. Aluminium production requires enormous quantities of electricity.
4. Australia is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide per person in the
world.
5. The energy needed to make one new aluminium can is equivalent to the
energy needed to recycle five cans.
6. Cullet is the name given to the glass collected for recycling.
7. All new plastic is made from oil.
8. Newspapers can be recycled into photocopy paper.
9. Recycling one tonne of paper can save 1300 litres of water.
10. It takes three tall Eucalyptus trees to make one tonne of paper.
11. Photocopy paper can be recycled into toilet paper.
12. Dioxins that cause cancer are used to bleach photocopy paper.
13. Newspapers are manufactured from softwoods like pine trees.
14. PET bottles (like soft drink bottles) can be made into clothing.
15. Wheelie bins are made from recycled plastic.
16. Sand is the source of aluminium.
17. Steel cans are made from bauxite.
18. The electricity needed to make a new aluminium can would run your TV for
three hours.
19. Melbourne’s waste would fill the MCG every 3.5 months.
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