Conducting a Waste Audit

Syllabus outcomes

Human Society and its Environment K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Stage 2

People have responsibility to care for Australia's environments

• Identify strategies that minimise waste and make the most of resources to sustain environments

People participate in Australian society through active citizenship

• Design a response to a need in the school or local community

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Stage 3

A fixed amount of usable matter makes up all the material on Earth

• Explain how recyclable, reusable, renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials enhance sustainability

• Investigate ways to collect and process waste to reduce pollution or increase the sustainable use of materials

• Create and communicate a plan to implement a sustainable practice in a community that addresses an identified environmental concern

• What types of waste do we produce at school?

• Where does our waste go once it is thrown away?

• Why is it important to sort out waste correctly?

• How can we reduce the amount of waste to landfill?

• Why is it important to minimise waste for the environment?

Landfill, recycling, compostable, contamination, sustainable, environment, impact, reduce, data, investigate, methane, carbon dioxide, leachate, anaerobic

What is waste?

Students are introduced to the topic and asked the questions: What is waste? Who is responsible for this waste? What happens to our waste? Why is waste minimisation important?  Students examine what the options are for sorting our waste and find out what happens to our waste after we put it in the bin. Students compare the options of landfill and composting and explore why one option is more sustainable than the other.

Waste sorting game

In teams of 3 – 5, students sort a bag of waste (clean items previously collected) into as many piles as possible. Options for sorting pile could include: landfill, recycling, FOGO, Compost / Worm Farm, re-use and Return and Earn.

By sorting our waste we can see how many items could actually be re-used or turned into something else. Sorting our waste allows us to reduce what we need to send to landfill.

Conduct a waste audit

Students will conducting a mini waste audit of the playground bins. Working in small groups, they will collect and sort waste into categories such as landfill, recycling, food organics (FOGO), compost, reuse, and Return and Earn containers. They will record the amount and types of waste found in each category. This helps students understand what kinds of waste are most common at their school and identify areas where waste can be reduced. Through this process, students develop skills in teamwork, observation, and data collection, while gaining a clear picture of the school’s waste challenges.

Looking at our results and planning actions for change

Students are guided in observing the waste piles, the contamination levels and the type of waste being produced at school. The observations and data are used to identify the schools’ main problems with waste. A class brainstorming session is facilitated to come up with a list of creative solutions to the school’s waste problems.

Cost

There is no cost for this program

Location and time

At your school. Time allocation – 90- 120 minutes

Maximum one class  - available for Stage 2 and Stage 3