Plastic Reuse Project – A Learning Activity for Grades 9-12

Overview

In this activity, students will divert plastic from the landfill or a recycling bin and turn it into a sellable product.  Students will explore issues with plastic recycling and contemplate how to help solve environmental issues.

NB Curricular Connections

Intro Environmental Science (Not yet updated to New Curriculum)

Unit 3: Investigating Environmental Issues: In this unit, the class will explore specific environmental issues in depth, interspersing student presentations as appropriate. The choice of which issues and how many issues to study is at the teacher’s discretion, with the caveat that each topic be studied in sufficient depth to ensure students achieve a thorough understanding of the issue from economic, social, cultural and environmental perspectives.

What You’ll Need

• Plastic materials – Students could bring in items from their home or the teacher could collect items on their behalf. This could include plastic bottles (shampoo, dish soap, etc.), bags (shopping bags, bread bags, etc.), packaging, etc.  There should be more items than the number of students so that there is choice when creating their product.
• Other supplies for construction might include:
• tape
• glue
• scissors
• string
• paper
• markers
• paint/paint brushes

Instructions

1. Day One:
   1. Have students brainstorm a list of all the plastic items that go into recycling boxes or the garbage. After brainstorming, can they estimate and share how many plastic items their families dispose of in one week?
   2. As a think-pair-share activity, have students discuss what happens to those plastic items.
   3. Watch the video, “Tracking your plastic: exposing recycling myths” by CBC Marketplace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8aVYb-a7Uw

2. Day Two and Three:
   1. Explain to students that for the next two days, they will be creating new items out of plastic. The goal would be to create a something that could be sold for a profit, which would also divert the plastic away from landfills or recycling boxes.
   2. This project could culminate in a show and tell or an official presentation.

Extension Ideas:

• Showcase the created products so that others in the school can see the ideas, and students can have a chance to explain their them.
• Use this project as an example of marketing and have students develop marketing strategies and promotional materials to help reduce plastic use.
• Have students determine where their product could be sold, a selling price, cost of any materials and an estimate of projected sales.

Reflection Activity

Coming soon

This learning resource was created by Janet Seeley, teacher at Harbourview High School.