Sustainability

Oh What a Waste!

This term, the Year 3 students are learning about the effects of waste on our environment in our Inquiry unit called 'Oh What a Waste!'. The unit has been inspired by Planet Advocate and prankster Craig Reucassel and his series "War on Waste' that has aired on ABC TV and iView. He tracks down everyday solutions to help all of us do our part in the war on waste.

The Year 3 unit began with a look at the effect plastic has on wildlife and the environment, and students explored ways to reduce the level of plastic in our oceans. Over the next two weeks, students will look at the type of rubbish that ends up in landfill, culminating in an audit of some of our landfill bins at school. The unit will conclude by looking at how we can reduce food waste and e-waste, two rapidly growing problem areas for our environment.

Last week in this unit, students discovered that Australians throw away six tonnes of textile waste (clothing items) every 10 minutes! 

Apart from this impact on landfill, the fast fashion industry has caused the depletion of non-renewable resources, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water. 

One of the Inquiry lessons last week involved repurposing an old T-shirt into a Tote bag. The students were amazed at how quickly and simply an old tee could be given new life as something different.

We have found a company that repairs to reuse, repurposes and recycles textiles and Year 3 families have been provided with an opportunity to have their textile waste collected and re-purposed or recycled.

For further information, refer to the collection company’s website here -