What happens to all of our rubbish? - Teacher's notes

The educational unit aims to raise awareness among pupils about the significant issue of waste generation and its implications. The objective is to help students grasp the magnitude of rubbish produced annually and recognise the problems it is causing. To kick-start the learning process, teachers are instructed to show their class an informative video from CBeebies, titled "Ask Anything - What Happens To Rubbish?", which is available on Bing video. After viewing the video perhaps more than once, students are encouraged to work in pairs to identify and list 10 facts that illustrate why rubbish is problematic.

Furthering their practical understanding of waste management, children are provided with a map of the school and asked to mark the locations of bins with crosses. To differentiate between various types of waste, they use coloured crosses for different bin categories, such as food waste. This activity sets the foundation for the next part of the unit. The lesson also prompts pupils to contemplate the issues related to landfill sites, encouraging them to think critically about the drawbacks of current waste disposal methods. Through these activities, the unit poses the important question of why recycling is necessary and delves into the journey of our rubbish once it leaves our hands.