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Recycling, waste & caring for Earth

Practise the Three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), composting, water conservation and marine habitat care. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 4-6

Recycling, waste & caring for Earth

Take your time. Show your thinking.

  1. 1. 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?

    What should you do before … · Recycling, waste & caring …
  2. 2. 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?

    Why is writing or drawing … · Recycling, waste & caring …
  3. 3. 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?

    Instead of throwing out cl… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  4. 4. 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?

    What happens to old glass … · Recycling, waste & caring …
  5. 5. Which of these materials can be recycled over and over again without losing its strength: an aluminium drink can or a greasy paper napkin?

    Which of these materials c… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  6. 6. 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?

    Why is buying a refillable… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  7. 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?

    Which of the Three Rs mean… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  8. 8. 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?

    Why do swimmers and snorke… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  9. 9. What does the word “biodegradable” mean: capable of being broken down naturally by bacteria, fungi and other living decomposers, or made of steel?

    “biodegradable” · Recycling, waste & caring …
  10. 10. What are the “Three Rs” that help us care for the environment and cut down on waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or Run, Rest, Repeat?

    “Three Rs” · Recycling, waste & caring …
  11. 11. What simple habit saves clean drinking water at home every morning and evening: turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, or leaving the hose running?

    What simple habit saves cl… · Recycling, waste & caring …
  12. 12. How does collecting rainwater from a roof into a covered water tank help a household: the stored rainwater can water gardens and flush toilets without using treated mains water, or it stops clouds forming?

    How does collecting rainwa… · Recycling, waste & caring …
12 questions · Seed 104732 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification
View the answer key
Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 4-6

Recycling, waste & caring for Earth

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

  1. 1. 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?

    Rinse it out so food residue does not spoil the paper and cardboard recycling

    Clean, dry recyclables prevent contamination of other materials in the sorting facility.

  2. 2. 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?

    It halves the amount of new paper needed from trees

    Using both sides of every sheet reduces paper consumption and saves forest resources.

  3. 3. 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?

    Donate or pass them on to younger learners

    Sharing or donating good-quality books and clothing keeps useful items in circulation.

  4. 4. 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?

    They are crushed, melted in a furnace and moulded into new glass bottles and jars

    Recycled crushed glass (cullet) melts at a lower temperature than raw sand, saving energy.

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

    Aluminium drink can

    Aluminium metal can be melted and recycled repeatedly using far less energy than mining new ore.

  6. 6. 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?

    One reusable bottle replaces hundreds of single-use plastic bottles each year

    Refilling a durable bottle prevents plastic waste and saves the energy used to manufacture single-use bottles.

  7. 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?

    Reduce

    Reducing consumption prevents waste before it is ever created.

  8. 8. 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?

    Coral polyps are fragile living animals that are easily crushed or damaged

    Protecting coral reefs means floating calmly and never stepping on or breaking living coral.

  9. 9. What does the word “biodegradable” mean: capable of being broken down naturally by bacteria, fungi and other living decomposers, or made of steel?

    Capable of being broken down naturally by bacteria, fungi and other living decomposers

    Biodegradable materials (such as paper, cotton and food scraps) decay safely back into nature.

  10. 10. What are the “Three Rs” that help us care for the environment and cut down on waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or Run, Rest, Repeat?

    Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

    Reducing what we use, reusing items and recycling materials conserve resources and reduce landfill waste.

  11. 11. What simple habit saves clean drinking water at home every morning and evening: turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, or leaving the hose running?

    Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth

    A running tap wastes several litres of treated water every minute.

  12. 12. How does collecting rainwater from a roof into a covered water tank help a household: the stored rainwater can water gardens and flush toilets without using treated mains water, or it stops clouds forming?

    The stored rainwater can water gardens and flush toilets without using treated mains water

    Rainwater harvesting conserves treated drinking water supplies, especially during dry spells.

12 questions · Seed 104732 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification