Background
This lesson is part of the Plastic Pollution and You curriculum developed by the educators from New York Sea Grant.
In this lesson, students will apply their acquired knowledge of different types of plastic and learn about which items are recyclable in their community. NOTE: This may be in their city, county, town, village, etc. depending on what municipal level manages the community’s recycling program.
Students will take this new knowledge and creatively think of alternative items that could be used or invent new items to serve the same purpose to reduce the amount of plastic items that enter the waste stream.
Objectives
Students will:
- determine the recyclability of items.
- select alternative items to reduce plastic pollution.
Lesson Alignment
This lesson is part of the Plastic Pollution and You curriculum and is aligned to the following standards document:
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards & Next
Generation Science Standards | LINK
SCI: MS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-1
Materials
Access printed copies or electronic versions of lesson materials below.
- Various recyclable and non-recyclable items
- Craft supplies – tape, scissors, paper, etc.
My Communitys Recycling Chart
One per student
Recycling in My Community Response Questions
One per student
PBS News Hour Video: Why it will take more than basic recycling to cut back on plastic1
Video Resource
Plastic Pollution and You
Full Curricula
1 Disclaimer: The linked YouTube video below may contain advertisements that can interrupt viewing. These ads are typically placed by content creators or YouTube and may vary in length and frequency.
Time Required
This lesson may require 60-90 minutes to complete.
Activity Set-Up
Watch PBS News Hour Video: Why it will take more than basic recycling to cut back on plastic
Discuss takeaways, questions, and surprises from the video as a class, encouraging students to think about how the recycling process impacts populations around the world in different ways.
Lesson
- Complete the first three columns in the My Community’s Recycling Chart.
- Have students look up their local recycling guidelines to learn if the items on their list are recyclable in their community and complete the fourth column in the My Community’s Recycling Chart.
- Note: Check Recycle Right New York for your local guidelines | LINK
- Tip: If you can”t find your local recycling guidelines, try searching for “waste management in (fill in the name of your community)” or “recycling in (fill in the name of your community).”
- Use the Recycling in My Community Response Questions to guide students’ research.
- Optional activity: Go through your class or home recycling bin and make sure everything is sorted correctly. Seperate the not recyclable items.
- For the items that are not recyclable in the My Community’s Recycling Chart:
- Discuss with students what alternatives exist that would allow people to Refuse (not accept or use an alternative to a plastic item),Reduce (decrease the frequency or amount of a plastic item(s)’ use) or Reuse (use a plastic item multiple times) this item, so it wouldn’t end up in a landfill or as plastic pollution.
- Ask students what potential barriers may exist that would keep people from recycling or being able to use more sustainable options?
- Have students place their ideas in the fifth column of the My Community’s Recycling Chart.
- Discuss with students what alternatives exist that would allow people to Refuse (not accept or use an alternative to a plastic item),Reduce (decrease the frequency or amount of a plastic item(s)’ use) or Reuse (use a plastic item multiple times) this item, so it wouldn’t end up in a landfill or as plastic pollution.
- For one item that is not recyclable in My Community’s Recycling Chart, have students invent a new product or adapt an existing product that could replace this nonrecyclable item using the invention process:
- Concept phase: Identify a problem, conduct research and brainstorm solutions. Identify the criteria (requirements) and constraints (limitations) for the design.
- Design phase: Create a plan, calculate costs, select the best solution and determine necessary resources.
- Build phase: Sketch, model or build a prototype. (A sketch of the invention is sufficient.)
- Review and redesign phase: Review the design, assessing how well it met the design criteria and constraints. Identify its strengths and weaknesses. Redesign to improve weaknesses.
This lesson is part of a larger curriculum, Plastic Pollution and You.
