Recycling, waste & caring for Earth

1. 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?

2. Why should used household batteries and old electronics be taken to a special collection point rather than thrown in ordinary rubbish: they contain metals and chemicals that can leak into soil and water, or they float away?

3. 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?

4. What do we call a protected area of land or sea set aside by law so wild plants and animals can live safely without being hunted or destroyed: a nature reserve (marine park) or a factory?

5. 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?

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

7. Why is it important to keep beaches and park picnic areas free of litter: litter harms wildlife and washes into waterways and the sea, or litter helps grass grow?

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

9. What type of light bulb uses much less electricity and lasts much longer than an old filament bulb: an LED bulb or a wax candle?

10. How does planting trees in a community or along a shoreline help the environment: tree roots hold soil in place and leaves absorb carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen, or trees block the rain?

11. 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?

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?