Help students rethink waste and keep resources in use for longer.
Recycling and waste reduction at school
Support your school to explore waste, recycling and the circular economy with curriculum aligned resources, practical tools, and free lesson plans, activities and videos for all year levels.
Schools with Council waste services can also access bins, signage and education materials, with support to connect to programs like the Victorian Government’s Container Deposit Scheme and ResourceSmart Schools.
Council resources for schools
If your school is interested in receiving Council bins, signage or caddies or you would like more information on the resources below, please contact the Sustainability Team at sustainability@gleneira.vic.gov.au.
- Home Composting Program — Schools and childcares in Glen Eira can receive discounts on compost bins and products through the council's partnership with Compost Community.
- Wheelie bin stickers — helpful waste sorting stickers for landfill (red), recycling (yellow) and food and organic waste (green) bins.
- Recycling bins and green waste bins — Schools in Glen Eira can access four yellow recycling bins and four green food and garden waste bins for free. General waste collection will incur a charge. Reach out to us to discuss what will work best for your school.
- Kitchen caddies — We can provide kitchen caddies for staffrooms and classrooms to help recycle food scraps in your school's compost bin or green waste bin. Use your kitchen caddies to collect food scraps separately and carry them to the compost or green bin. Just make sure not to use compostable liners — keep your scraps loose instead.
- Reusable cup and container signs — Want to encourage staff to avoid single-use packaging? Contact us for some countertop signs to put in your staffroom, canteen or to take to the local cafe.
Useful websites
- Plastic Free Schools Challenge — inspire your school to make a difference with solutions to single-use plastic. It's free and school staff, students, and parents can all be involved.
- Victorian Container Deposit Scheme (Cash for Cans) — recycling program supporting schools to collect eligible drink containers, with resources and tools to help promote recycling and fundraise in your community.
- Circular Classroom videos and modules — engaging videos with an Australian educator and ideas for lessons (please note: it is designed for the Finnish curriculum.
- Teaching resources, lesson plans and activities by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation — a world leader and trusted source for all things circular economy.
- Australian Circular Economy Hub learning tools for teachers.
ResourceSmart School Audits
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Waste Audit Tool — identify the types of waste generated at your school, where the waste comes from, and how much waste gets recycled, composted or sent to landfill. You can then analyse your data to find ways to improve waste management and resource recovery.
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Litter Audit Tool — identify types and quantities of litter in your school grounds, litter hotspots and where litter comes from. You can then analyse your data to find ways to reduce litter at your school.
Classroom lesson plans and activities
We've collated free resources and lesson plans that will help students explore the principles of a circular economy, including how to reduce waste and keep resources in use for longer.
Early learning
- Swap party lesson and activity (lesson plan)
- Reducing lunchbox waste (lesson plan)
- The art of waste (lesson plan)
- What is recycling? (lesson plan)
- What is it made from? (lesson plan)
- Food waste recycling (colouring in sheet)
Early primary
- Sharing and reuse to avoid waste (lesson plan)
- Reducing lunchbox waste (lesson plan)
- War on waste: solving school waste problems activity (lesson plan)
- Keep waste and litter out of nature (lesson plan)
- What is recycling? (lesson plan)
- Recycling labels memory game (lesson plan)
- Food waste recycling (colouring in sheet)
Upper primary
- Sharing and reuse to avoid waste (lesson plan)
- Reduce and reuse: packaging and recycling labels (lesson plan)
- Upcycling cardboard and furniture design (lesson plan)
- Waste Audit Tool by ResourceSmart Schools
- Litter Audit Tool by ResourceSmart Schools
Lower secondary
- A circular economy for waste (lesson plan)
- Are you sure it’s a waste? The circular economy (lesson plan)
- Repair and e-waste (lesson plan)
- The true cost of consumption (self-directed activity)
- Waste Audit Tool by ResourceSmart Schools
- Litter Audit Tool by ResourceSmart Schools
- Take action against plastic waste (lesson plan)
Upper secondary
- Circular Classroom videos and modules (engaging videos with an Australian educator and ideas for lessons - although please note it is designed for the Finnish curriculum).
- A circular economy for waste (lesson plan)
- Take action against plastic waste (lesson plan)
- Waste Audit Tool by ResourceSmart Schools
- Litter Audit Tool by ResourceSmart School
Videos
- What is the circular economy? A resource for teachers
- Food waste recycling in green bins: where does our food waste go?
- What is a circular economy? Explainer video
- The circular economy: a new way to design, make and use things
- The products that design out waste
- Teaching circular economy (secondary schools examples)
FAQs
Can someone from Council come and speak to my class about waste and recycling?
Thanks for your interest in recycling and sustainability education. Currently, we are not able to provide class visits or waste facility tours. We hope that the lesson plans and activities on this webpage are a helpful resource for integrating circular thinking in your school or centre.
If you haven't already, we encourage your school to join ResourceSmart Schools. CERES delivers the ResourceSmart Schools program to schools in Glen Eira. As part of the program your school will be helped to minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and take action on climate change to benefit your school and community. Not ready to sign up but want more information? Check out CERES ResourceSmart Schools webpage.
What is Council doing to reduce waste and transition to a circular economy?
In Glen Eira, our community has achieved record levels of recycling – with 60 per cent of waste being composted or recycled.
Since introducing the weekly green bin more of us have been recycling leftover food than ever before. Thanks to our community’s efforts, the majority of our waste is now saved from landfill.
Council is leading our community’s transition to a circular economy, where resources are kept in use for longer. Last year we adopted the Glen Eira Circular Economy Plan 2022-2026 — one of the first of its kind in Australia. To read more about what we’re doing to help our community, visit our circular economy webpage.
