Recycling Unit - 4 Projects

Project 1. Design a recycling system for your school

BRIEF: You are to design a recycling station for your school. Your system must be inexpensive, practical and able to be managed within the school environment.

Your project must cover the following stages:

1. Research
a) What happens to the schools rubbish now?
b) What costs (in $, time etc) are associated with the current system?
c) What recycling if any occurs already and what has been tried in the past?

2. Analysis
a) What is the make up of the colleges’ rubbish? - how much paper, glass, plastic, biodegradeable’s, steel, aluminium, etc (i.e. carry out a waste audit)
b) What recycling occurs in your local community?
c) Are there any local bylaws or acts of parliament that will have any impact on this project?
d) How much will the new recycling system cost in comparison to the existing waste collection?

3. Physical Issues
a) How will you make provision for different materials?
b) How will you sort out the different plastics?
c) What containers will you use?
d) How will the material be stored?
e) Who will collect the material and when?
f) How will you ensure that health and safety issues are addressed?

4. Communication
a) How will your plans be communicated to the

  • local Council
  • recycling or waste contractor for the school
  • staff
  • other students
  • parents
  • rest of the community?

b) How will students be motivated to use the system?
c) How will you ensure that students don’t lose enthusiasm?

5. Testing & Review
a) What are the benefits of your proposal in comparison to other options?
b) How will you test and monitor the success of the recycling system?
c) How will you ensure that any future problems are able to be resolved?

6. Report
You are to produce a report that explains your design. In that report you should state how your scheme will be implemented including a timeline. You should include draft copies of newsletters and pamphlets that you will use to communicate and promote your scheme. Your report is to be presented to the rest of the class.

Assessment: You will be assessed on Acheivement Objective 6a level 4 "identify the nature and details of the issue and explore feasibility strategies; select an appropriate solution through testing, adaptation, refinement, and modification".



Project 2. Design, make and use a simple hydroponic growing kit using readily available recycled plastic materials

BRIEF: You are to design, make and use a simple hydroponics growing structure using readily available plastics materials. Your structure should have at least one recycled plastic item in it. You are to work in groups of 3 or 4 students.

Stages: You must carry out your project in the following order;

a) Your design diagrams
b) Your materials and equipment list
c) Your final structure
d) Your review and evaluation of your structure

  1. Research Hydroponics and Hydroponics Kit designs.
  2. Decide on your own structure - either by design or by selection.
  3. Show your designs on paper.
  4. Write out a materials list and a tool list for your assembly.
  5. Assemble your materials, tools and equipment together in one location prior to building.
  6. Construct your kit and plant a crop.
  7. Review and evalute you kit and your method of assembly. Write down your findings
  8. Present a report of your endeavours to your colleagues in your class.
  9. Included in your report should be:

You will be assessed on Achievement Objective 6d, level 4. “Students will explain their choices, review strategies and appraise outcomes taking responses of others into account”.

 

Project 3.Design and make an artefact that is useful and that is based on an item of recycled plastic

BRIEF: You are to design and make an artefact that is useful and that includes at least one recycled plastic object. You may include items of non plastics in your artefact. The object may be a toy for children - or perhaps a device to assist old people, but it can be anything at all. Your artefact should be an object that could be made in a conventional assembly line operation.

Your object can also include virgin plastic material. The focus of this project is to encourage recycling - and higher marks will be given to the incorporation of commonly
used plastic materials. The object does not have to be a new invention. It could be a less expensive version of something already in existence. It could also be an object that is normally made from non-plastic material. You are to work in groups of 3 or 4 students.

Stages

  1. Study simple artefacts by visiting hardware stores, plastics shops, etc as homework. 2. Record the names of some possible artefacts
  2. Have a brainstorming session in your groups to come up with ideas.
  3. Record the main ideas to come out of your brainstorming session.
  4. Research the availability of common plastic post consumer waste materials.
  5. Settle on a possible object and produce a design diagram for it.
  6. Produce a materials list and a plan of action.
  7. Make your object.
  8. Present an oral report to the rest of your class including an evaluation of your selection, plans, final manufacture and a statement on how you would refine it if you were making another one.

Assessment: You will be assessed on achievement objective 6d level 4. “Students will explain their choices, review strategies and appraise outcomes, taking the responses of others into account”
 

Project 4: Work of Art using Post-Consumer Plastics

BRIEF: You are to design and make a work of art using at least some post consumer plastics in your structure. You may use non plastic material and virgin plastic materials as well if you wish. This project is to be worked on individually - but some of the initial exploratory work can be done in groups.

Stages

  1. As a class you will be carrying out some exploratory work to discover the properties of plastics.
  2. You are to carry out a personal brainstorming and record on paper the result of your brainstorming.
  3. You should provide a set of sketch plans showing how you have developed your ideas.
  4. You should then develop your artwork.
  5. You will have to present your artwork and the associated brainstorming and development sketches to the rest of the class.
  6. You will have to write a self review of the piece of work and state how you would modify the exercise if you did it again

Assessment: You will be assessed on Achievement Object 6d level 4. “Students will explain their choices, review strategies and appraise outcomes - taking the responses of others into account”.