Look at these two clean empty items: a plastic bottle and a crisp packet. Which one do you think can usually go in the recycling bin, and which one cannot? Hands up your guess, and be ready to say why.

Those two items both look like plastic, but they do not belong in the same bin. Today we use clear questions so we can sort fairly, not by guesswork.

We will sort waste items on the interactive activity together. For each item, hands up yes or no for every question. Then check which bin it lands in: recycling, compost, or general waste. Call out if the bin makes sense.

In groups, put on gloves and sort the clean sample waste on your table into three trays: recycling, compost, and general waste. Use the same three questions we used on the board. Keep a simple tally as you go: how many items land in each tray. Talk about any item your group is unsure about before you place it.

Second job (when the audit notes are done): think about making less rubbish in the first place. Reduce means use less so less waste is made. Reuse means use something again before binning it. Write one practical reduce or reuse idea our class or school could try.