Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: The environmental impacts of litter

20 minutes

Find Out: How are litter and climate connected?

25 minutes

Take Action: Litter prevention for the climate

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand how litter impacts the Earth’s systems and contributes to climate change across its life cycle
explore the interconnections between human actions, the carbon cycle, and climate change through the lens of waste and pollution
identify solutions that prevent litter and reduce environmental impact and/or the effects of climate change.

Success criteria

Students can:

describe how each stage of the plastic life cycle contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change
outline why preventing litter is a necessary, sustainable and climate-friendly action
develop a practical campaign idea that encourages litter prevention and demonstrates how everyday actions can help tackle climate change.

Tune In: The environmental impacts of litter

Step 1

Begin by reviewing the concepts of Earth's systems and the carbon cycle with your students.

Ask students to volunteer the names of the four systems, provide an example, and describe the four key processes. Alternatively, you might like students to work in groups to create a mind map to brainstorm their understanding of the two topics before sharing as a class.

Suggested responses/prompts:

Earth's systems	Key processes of the carbon cycle
Geosphere: land, soil, rocks and what’s beneath our feet Hydrosphere: rivers, oceans, rain, ice, and even clouds Biosphere: all living things, plants, animals, people, ecosystems Atmosphere: the air around us, gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide and weather systems.	Photosynthesis: carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere into plants (biosphere) Respiration: carbon is released back into the atmosphere from living things (biosphere to atmosphere) Decomposition: carbon moves from dead organisms to soil and atmosphere (biosphere to geosphere and atmosphere) Combustion: carbon stored in fuels is released into the atmosphere (geosphere to atmosphere)

It is recommended that your students be familiar with Earth’s spheres and the carbon cycle from Year 9 Science before beginning this lesson. If they aren’t familiar with these topics, you might like to briefly introduce the four Earth spheres and the key processes of the carbon cycle by watching the following videos as a class.

Earth's Spheres | Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere - MAD GARDEN Science - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdiiLhlPsn8)
The carbon cycle | Middle school Earth and space science | Khan Academy - Khan Academy - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XynPVsE1fd4)

Step 2

Watch the following clip about the journey of three different plastic bottles when disposed of in different ways.

What Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away – TED-Ed - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8)

While watching, ask students to look for clues about which Earth systems are affected when plastic is thrown away, especially the biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Encourage students to use their Student Worksheet to take notes as they watch.

Step 3

Conduct the ‘Imagine if’ thinking experiment with your students by asking them to envisage a world where:

All waste is treated like bottles 1 and 2
All waste is treated like bottle 3

Encourage students to use the space on their worksheet to draw or write their response. Encourage your students to think about the Earth's spheres, the carbon cycle, climate change and the interconnections between these concepts.

Suggested response:

Imagine if:

all waste was treated like bottles 1 and 2

all waste was treated like bottle 3

If all waste were treated like bottles 1 and 2, the world would face an environmental crisis.

• Landfills would overflow with non-biodegradable waste, leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and water systems, polluting ecosystems and posing serious risks to human and animal health.

• Countless amounts of waste would end up in the ocean, contributing to massive garbage patches and turning marine habitats into hazardous zones.

• Wildlife would suffer from entanglement and ingestion of plastic, with toxins moving up the food chain and ultimately ending up in the food we eat.

• Over time, the planet would become increasingly contaminated with microplastics, threatening biodiversity, public health, and the natural balance of life.

If all waste were treated like Bottle 3, the world would look cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable.

• Waste would be collected, processed, and transformed into new materials instead of ending up in landfills or the ocean.

• This circular approach would reduce pollution, protect ecosystems, and prevent microplastics from contaminating the environment and food sources.

• Wildlife would thrive without the threat of plastic debris, and human health would benefit from lower exposure to harmful chemicals.

• Additionally, recycling would reduce the need for extracting new fossil fuels, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve natural resources, helping build a more environmentally responsible and resilient future.

Find Out: How are climate and litter connected?

Step 1

Explain to students that just like there are connections between litter's impact on the Earth's spheres and the carbon cycle, there are also connections between litter and climate change. Remind students of the UN’s description of climate change.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
Source: United Nations

Ask students to brainstorm some ways that litter/waste/pollution is connected to climate change. Write these ideas on the board.

Step 2

Next, show students this video highlighting the connections between climate change and plastic pollution. Direct students to their Student Worksheet and ask them to note down the climate connections for every stage of the plastics lifecycle: raw material extraction, manufacture, transport, consumption, and disposal.

How Plastic Affects Climate Change - 4ocean - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJLJGeTEhJs)

Step 3

Direct students to the brainstormed list of ways litter is connected to climate change that you created before watching the video.

Discuss these connections in the context of the learnings from the video. Use the following prompts to help aid your discussion, and use the list as the beginning of a mind map to add to as you discuss. Ensure students understand that most waste is carbon-intensive at every stage: resource extraction, manufacture, transport, usage, and end-of-life. If waste is sent to a landfill or burned, it releases CO₂ and methane, potent greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and drive warming trends.

What initial links/connections between waste and climate change were correct?
What new links/connections between waste and climate change were made?
What information most surprised students?
How do other types of waste fit into this, other than plastic?
How do these processes disrupt the carbon cycle?
What else do students want to know?

Step 4

Explain to students that organisations like Clean Up Australia have been organising events like Schools Clean Up Day to get communities cleaning up their local environments for over thirty years. But now they have changed their focus to also inspire communities to prevent rubbish from entering the environment, rather than just cleaning it up.

Ask your students to think, pair and then share as a class to discuss why Clean Up Australia might be diversifying their focus to preventing litter, rather than just cleaning litter, based on what they have learnt in the lesson so far.

Suggested responses:

Helps fight climate change - Preventing litter reduces emissions from production and disposal, tackling climate change at the source.
Prevention is more effective - It’s easier to stop litter from entering the environment than to clean it up afterwards.
Prevention protects more places - Litter travels, so preventing it stops pollution from reaching waterways, oceans, and remote areas.
Clean ups tackle the symptom, not the cause - There’s simply too much litter, especially plastic, for clean ups alone to solve the problem.
Reduces long-term harm—When burned, buried, or left to break down, plastics last decades and cause lasting damage to wildlife, people, and the climate.

Step 5

Introduce students to the Clean Up Australia Litter Prevention Plan. Highlight the key actions for change (Avoid, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Recover) and the Waste Sectors of Focus (Circular Economy, Product Stewardship Schemes, Recycling and Container Deposit Schemes, Plastics and Packaging, Right to Repair and Reuse Policy).

Divide the class into groups of 6. Each student in a group will investigate one of the key waste sectors of focus using the Litter Prevention Plan and their own personal research. They will research the strategy and what it entails before coming back to their group to share so that everyone has an understanding of each sector. Assign students to a waste sector of focus by numbering students 1-6 and directing them to their Student Worksheet. Once students have completed their research and shared it with their group, discuss each sector as a class and consider the climate change connections for each one.

Suggested responses:

Waste Sector	What it means	Climate connection
Circular Economy	Designing systems where waste is eliminated and resources are reused continuously.	Avoids emissions from extracting raw materials and manufacturing new goods.
Product Stewardship schemes	Making manufacturers and businesses responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products.	Ensures recycling, less waste-to-landfill, fewer new emissions-heavy products.
Recycling and Container Deposit Schemes	Improving recycling systems and aligning container deposit schemes nationwide for efficiency.	Reduces landfill emissions and fossil fuel use in new plastic production.
Plastics and Packaging	Reducing or eliminating harmful plastics and unnecessary packaging materials.	Cuts emissions from virgin plastic production and waste burning.
Right to Repair	Empowering people to fix and maintain products instead of replacing them.	Extends product life, avoiding emissions from manufacturing new items.
Reuse Policy	Encouraging the repeated use of products and materials before recycling or disposal across multiple sectors.	Saves energy, reduces landfill volume, and avoids emissions from extracting raw materials and manufacturing new goods.

Take Action: Litter prevention for the climate

Step 1

After the stations, discuss as a class:

Which strategy would have the biggest impact on mitigating climate change?
Which one could easily be implemented in your life, or in our school?
How could these strategies be part of an ongoing ‘everyday clean-up’ effort?

Step 2

Now that we’ve explored how litter and waste disrupt Earth’s natural energy and carbon cycles, students will design a campaign or initiative that shows how small actions, when done often and together, can make a big impact on the planet and on mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Students should choose one of the Waste Sectors of Focus mentioned in Clean Up Australia’s Litter Prevention Plan and develop a campaign idea for their school or community that advocates using this strategy to prevent litter and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Their main goal is to:

inspire their school or community to take part in the action
educate their school community about the positive consequences of the action (in terms of litter and climate change).

The campaign could involve encouraging the community to take part in existing initiatives or creating a new action for others to join. For example, students might promote their local container deposit scheme by educating others about its benefits, or they could set up a school-wide collection program where containers are gathered at school and the refund money is used to support a school project or cause.

Step 3

As a class, briefly brainstorm potential projects under the banner: “Every Day is Clean Up Day”

Some campaign ideas to spark student interest include:

Creating a Student-Led “Repair Directory” - Designing a website, or noticeboard that lists local places to fix clothes, tech, and tools, or includes DIY repair guides.
Host a “Fix It Friday” Repair Day - Students bring broken items from home (e.g. bags, clothes, headphones). In teams, they try to repair them safely, look up product manuals or try online ‘How to’ guides or community support.
Start a School Reuse Co-op - Create a system for donating, swapping, and reusing items like uniforms, containers, books, or sports gear.
Hosting a Clean Up Day - Planning an ‘every day’ school Clean Up.

Step 4

Students will use the planning template in the Student Worksheet to map out their key ideas. They should work in small groups or pairs and use the planning template to consider:

The waste sector of focus
The campaign idea
How the importance of the campaign can be communicated in the wider context of climate change and environmental health
What information needs to inform the campaign message
How to spread the word of the initiative

Step 5

Invite each group to share one highlight of their plan (e.g. their campaign idea, visual, or climate benefit).

Reflection

Wrap up with a final class reflection prompt: “How can small actions, done every day, help slow climate change and build hope?”

Bin to Balance: Repair for the Spheres

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