The Context and Reality: Understanding Plastic Pollution
Seeing the bigger picture: Where do things come from and where do they go?
This page has resources that talk about the lifecycle of plastic-from production to disposal in oceans or landfills. The goal is to engage the students in conversation about the resources and to allow them to express and reflect. This is heavy material, so take it slow. It is also important to note that as the educator, you know your students the best, and it is up to you to adapt these resources to each context. Change them and make them your own!
Below, with the example of the spoon, I outline a reflective activity. This can be used as a starting point to conversations, discussions, and debate.
Good questions to ask after any videos are:
- What did you notice?
- What intrigued you?
- What surprised you?
- What are your questions?
- How do you feel?
Students should be encouraged to keep reflective journals. Making one is always fun!
Give space to students to drive the conversation. If that is happening, let the conversation flow naturally. The questions that I have outlined above are simply to guide the discussion.
Lets Begin!
Bring a plastic spoon to class. The plastic spoon is an everyday object that students can relate to using in their school lunch or at any social gathering. Have a conversation about where this spoon came from. Let the students guide the conversation and try to get them to think about the broader picture. Let them be imaginative about where it came from, right now there is not right or wrong answer. Keep the student at the center, ask them about where the object was before the store and what happens to it after it is discarded.
Provide markers (or better thick colored pencils/crayons), big sheets of paper, collage material, colors, etc. Let the students (individually or in groups) get creative and make maps of the life cycle of the spoon from production to disposal. The poster should address:
- How are these objects made?
- Where do objects in the store come from?
- How do they get to where you are?
- What happens to them once you throw them in the trash?
Ask these questions if needed, but let students be creative. This exercise is to help them think deeper and imagine.
Next, discuss the maps in small groups.
Watch "The Story of a Spoon" together and ask for student reflections. Good questions are:
- What did you notice?
- What intrigued you?
- What were some similarities to your maps? What are some differences?
- What surprised you?
- What are your questions?
Let the students lead the discussion. Encourage them to ask questions and let other students try to answer. This activity is to help them think deeper about these issues.
Talk about the life cycle of other materials. Students can bring up other objects and materials and think through their life cycle together (look at some of the links at the end for inspiration).
Toward the end of the conversation, bring up (if it hasn't already come up) the life cycle of our food. The discussion should include cycles and systems in nature. This is a great time for the students to see how food composts and becomes soil. It is an important distinction to make because students will then realize the permanency of plastic and they will understand that ALL the plastic EVER made is still on this planet.
Show this video and talk to the students about their reflections. Ask them to share their ideas and thoughts on the matter. Some may have previous knowledge on the matter and this is a good time to share.
This video is great because it illustrates and talks about how plastic bottles are made. With this video transition into talking about what actually happens in the production. Talk about the numbers in particular to help students gage the magnitude of materials used.
This is a link to a TED video explaining where the trash goes, it also illustrates very well how plastic is everywhere and is harmful. Have conversations and listen to reflections of the students. Ask them to write their reflections or illustrate them. It is very important to always talk about how students are feeling; thus, reflections and observations are great. As a teacher, you should be a sounding board. This is a very heavy topic, and when students talk about their reflections, it is an important emotional release. The theoretical understanding and gravity of the situation stays, but the emotional intensity dissipates and makes space for more engagement.
Where does the plastic go? This video can start an interesting conversation and introduce students to the fact that the US was transporting waste to China to 'recycle'. Where will it all go now?
This topic can also lead to a discussion about globalization and pollution. The conversations will become one about power and the how and why behind the fact that the West is sending its waste to the East.
China’s plastic waste ban will leave 111 million tons of trash with nowhere to go- is great article to read together about where the trash will go now.
What does 111 million tons of trash look like? What does ALL the plastic pollution look like? Start raising these questions. The maps and videos below will help talk about it. Ask them to make maps that illustrate what 111 million tons looks like, and what all the plastic on the surface of the earth looks like.
How much plastic exists on the planet: A Visual Representation
- Sailing seas of plastic- Data visualization tool to see how much plastic is in the ocean. A great method for students to engage with other peoples maps and understand mapping as a tool to communicate.
- Plastic Adrift- Maps the currents and movement of the plastic and talks about how its always moving but never degrading.
This video gives a better idea about ALL the plastic in the world.
Next, share that a lot of the plastics end up in the ocean. Ask the students why they think that happens?
This video illustrates how plastic ends up in the ocean. It is visual and easy to understand.
This video offers many facts and excellent explanations all with energetic music. Students will be encouraged to think about how–after usage and disposal–plastic ends up in the ocean.
Ask them if they have ever seen plastic floating around. What are their thoughts? How are they feeling? Ask them to imagine, illustrate, or write about how much plastic they think is in the ocean. They can try to find facts and calculate, or try to draw or write a poem about it. They can then compare this new visualization with their first map.
This film gives a good overview of the problem and some solutions.
Next, lets think about what happens to plastic once its in the ocean. An introduction to micro plastics!
Microplastics!
Other topics and resources
Here are some additional educational videos that broaden thinking and bring into question the current level of consumerism.
This Greenpeace advert talks about palm oil in our products and how it is destroying rainforests. It is easy to access for young people. It was banned in Iceland, but in a classroom setting this is great to watch since it provides material for interesting discussion.
"The Story of Stuff" is a great video that illustrates the process of consumption. This is meant for older students-6th grade and up. This will help students not only think about where things come from, but also to understand the current models of consumerism and systems of exploitation. It is a very influential video that will bring out a lot of questions in the students.
After this video students can have a conversation about globalization, commercialization and transnational transportation.