Plastic Fishing KS2 education kit - activity sheets I Hubbub

PF2 Plastic waste- what’s the problem?

Our Plastic Fishing catch All plastic waste

Plastic bottles

Other recyclable plastic

Non-recyclable plastic

Other recyclable food & drink packaging

Weight (kg)

Minus Weight of bin bag or sack (kg)

T O TA L C AT C H

Highlight the plastic types can be recycled locally

Tell us what you have done - #Plasticfishing

Non-recyclable Unknown food & drink packaging

PF3 Plastic waste- why does it matter?

Sea life- waste is food Seaweed

Plankton

Fish

Human

Seagull

Octopus

Shellfish

Whale

Seal

PF3 Plastic waste- why does it matter?

How can we get rid of plastic?

Ways to get rid of plastic

What do we predict will happen?

Experiment to test the idea

PF4.1 Plastic waste- what can be done about it?

Mark Edwards MBE, Poly-Mer boatbuilder

“We’re now producing plastic so that it degrades. But for the plastic that doesn’t degrade, if we can recycle that, it’s as good as it degrading, better probably in that we can reuse it and reuse it.

It’s the obvious thing to do.”

PF4.1 Plastic waste- what can be done about it?

Degrade or recycle? - Role cards

Sailor

Marine Biologist

I make my living from going out onto the water, so I need any boat that I go out in to be tough, waterproof and long-lasting. That’s what I like about recycled plastic: it doesn’t even rot like wood, it’s solid as a rock and it floats like a dream. What’s more, a plastic boat that weighs a tonne can carry the same weight in people and goods. That’s great. For me, there’s really no point in having something that starts falling apart within months. I really don’t want an unsafe boat.

Whatever you do, there are advantages and disadvantages. I am a bit worried that degraded plastics could still find their way into the food chain and I’m not convinced that they won’t be poisonous to plants and animals.

On the other hand, the factories that recycle plastic also add to air pollution. Either way, we aren’t taking the plastic out of the system, so we are letting people off the hook. What we really need to do is cut down on the amount of plastic we use.

Council waste management officer

Climate Scientist

This council is doing its best to cut down on the amount of waste that people create. If we go over certain limits, we can get fined. I’d like us to be cutting down on all that unnecessary packaging, so charging people for plastic bags has been a good start. But we still have to do something with what is left. Sending plastic for recycling is expensive, but it does help us meet our targets. On the other hand, sending tonnes of plastic to landfill could get us into trouble, but at least if it’s biodegradable it won’t be around forever.

We really do need to be reducing energy use if we want to cut down on the greenhouse gases that are leading to climate change. It is the world’s biggest environmental problem, after all. The trouble is, recycling plastic uses about twice as much energy as sending it to landfill, so that’s a real difficulty. What’s more, it uses even more energy to move all that plastic around the place. There again, plastics can produce methane gas when they degrade in landfill, and that also adds to our climate change problems. There are no easy answers.

PF4.2 Plastic waste- what can be done about it?

Circle

Line

Waste plastic is processed into Plaswood Plastic Fishing trips collect plastic waste from the docks Poly-Mer is used for Plastic Fishing Trips to the docks Plastic waste is sorted and sent for recycling

Plaswood is used to make boats like Poly-Mer

After a long time, the boat can no longer be used

PF4.2 Plastic waste- what can be done about it?

The Five Rs 1 Refuse Refuse things we don’t need (like a plastic bag in a supermarket).

5 Recycle Recycle what we can.

But we should try the other four things first!

Think circular...

Rethink and Redesign

4 Reuse Reuse what we can (for example, by going shopping with a resuable cloth bag, or by using old objects for new purposes, like a nice bottle used as a vase).

2 Reduce Reduce the amount of things we buy (for example, a huge amount of food gets bought but never eaten).

3 Repair Repair what we have, rather than throw it away as soon as it gets dirty or damaged.

PF4.3 Plastic waste- what can be done about it?

Fantastic Plastic Action Plan Our action priority

Who will be responsible for making this happen?

• • •

When it will need to be completed by?

• • •

What will need to be done in order to make it happen, by whom and when?

What?

Who? When?

What?

Who?

When?

What?

Who? When?

What?

Who? When?

What?

Who? When?

Who else might need to be told about this idea or convinced that it is a good idea?

• • •

How will we know if it has worked?

• • •

Tell us what you have done - #Plasticfishing