Recycling, waste & caring for Earth

1. Which of these items belongs in a garden compost bin rather than the plastics bin: banana peels and dry leaves, or a glass bottle?

2. What happens to old glass bottles when they are sent to a glass recycling plant: they are crushed, melted in a furnace and moulded into new glass bottles and jars, or they are turned into wood?

3. Which of these materials can be recycled over and over again without losing its strength: an aluminium drink can or a greasy paper napkin?

4. Why is plastic litter especially harmful when it blows or washes into the ocean: plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and marine animals can mistake it for food or get tangled in it, or plastic dissolves into fresh water?

5. Instead of throwing out clothes or storybooks you have outgrown that are still in good condition, what is a sustainable choice: donate or pass them on to younger learners, or burn them?

6. Why is writing or drawing on both sides of a sheet of paper a good environmental habit: it halves the amount of new paper needed from trees, or it makes the paper heavier?

7. Which of the Three Rs means using less of something in the first place (such as turning off a tap while brushing your teeth): Reduce or Recycle?

8. Which of the Three Rs means using an item again instead of throwing it away (such as bringing a cloth tote bag to the shop): Reuse or Litter?

9. What simple habit saves electricity when you are the last person to leave a room: switching off the lights and fan, or opening the refrigerator door?

10. What should you do before putting an empty glass jar or plastic milk bottle into the recycling bin: rinse it out so food residue does not spoil the paper and cardboard recycling, or smash it on the floor?

11. Why do swimmers and snorkellers avoid standing on or touching live coral when visiting a reef: coral polyps are fragile living animals that are easily crushed or damaged, or coral is made of rubber?

12. Why is buying a refillable water bottle better for the planet than buying a new disposable plastic bottle every day: one reusable bottle replaces hundreds of single-use plastic bottles each year, or disposable bottles are heavier?