School sessions with Cardiff Council Waste Management

We are excited to be visiting schools across the city!

We deliver:

  • in-class support sessions for separate recycling collections, and
  • springboard sessions about sustainable lifestyles. These are Welsh Government curriculum-integrated sessions designed by Wrap Cymru.

View the descriptions of each session before choosing one best suited to your pupils.

Once you have chosen which session you would like to book for your class, use the booking form on this page to request your workshop.

Please note that we can deliver a maximum of 2 back-to-back sessions per school visit. Each session is 30 pupils maximum.

Separate recycling support session:
Progression stage 1 to 2

Many homes, schools and businesses in Cardiff are changing the way they recycle. They will now need to separate materials. This will help improve material quality, contributing towards a circular economy in Wales.

To support your school through this change, we will present and discuss the reason behind the changes. We will encourage pupils and teachers to share their thoughts and ideas, and we will make time for questions.

Pupils will also take part in a waste-sorting activity. This will test their knowledge of what can and cannot be recycled at home and in their communities.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays.

you have a large electronic display screen we can use. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful.

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. A hall or classroom carpet area would be suitable for this.

Book a separate recycling support session on Eventbrite.

One Planet Cardiff – Welsh Curriculum Sessions

We are proud to work as part of One Planet Cardiff, supporting the Welsh Government curriculum.

Our springboard sessions introduce pupils to the concept of sustainable lifestyles. These are Welsh Government curriculum-integrated sessions.

We split waste management into 2 areas.

Organics

Organics refers to naturally growing waste materials. These include:

  • food, and
  • garden waste.

View all organics springboard sessions.

Mechanics

Mechanics refers to manufactured goods. For example:

  • packaging,
  • clothing, or
  • any man-made product that we come across as consumers.

View all mechanics springboard sessions.

Organics

Organics springboard sessions will introduce pupils to the issue of food waste. Through a presentation, pupils will learn the importance of getting as much value as possible out of food. Championing work delivered by WRAP Cymru and funded by Welsh Government, these sessions aim to achieve Wales’ ambitious waste reduction and recycling goals.

Organics - Progression stage 1

Pupils will learn how to recycle food waste and the benefits of this. For example, how using a food caddy shows consideration for the environment, while avoiding litter and bad smells.

We will discuss:

  • how food waste is turned into green energy or electricity to light our rooms, and
  • how we can turn leftover food waste into compost.

The session will end with an activity where pupils can create their own posters or stickers to take home and put on their kitchen caddies.

This springboard session will last around 1 hour.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays

you have a large display screen we can use, such as an electronic classroom display. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful

there is internet access. We need this to display the presentation

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will need to be sat at their tables for the art activity. A classroom would be suitable for this

Organics - Progression Stage 2

Pupils will work in groups to mix fruit peels and yeast in jars. This simple experiment will show how food waste can produce green energy. This will convey the process of anaerobic digestion, which creates biogas from organic matter. We will then talk about how this is done on a larger scale to learn how it’s turned to electricity.

We will also discuss:

  • the positive impact of turning food waste into green energy in Wales,
  • other positive and harmful impacts on our planet, and
  • the difference between edible and inedible food waste.

This springboard session will last around 1 hour.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays

you have a large display screen we can use, such as an electronic classroom display. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful

there is internet access. We need this to display the presentation

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will need to be sat at tables, split into no more than 5 groups for the experiment. A classroom would be suitable for this.

Organics - Progression Stage 3

As we carry on discussing different positive and harmful impacts on our planet, pupils will learn about other children across the planet making a difference.

Pupils will also learn:

  • the difference between edible and inedible food waste,
  • how food waste is being turned into green energy, and
  • the positive impact that this has in Wales.

This springboard session will last around 1 hour.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays

you have a large display screen we can use, such as an electronic classroom display. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful

there is internet access. We need this to display the presentation

pupils will split into 4 or 5 teams to investigate how children are making a difference to the world. Each team will need a laptop or computer to access the internet for this.

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will need to be sat at their tables. A classroom would be suitable for this.

Mechanics

Mechanics springboard sessions will introduce pupils to the importance of how they can reduce, reuse, and recycle their day to day discarded products.

Mechanics – Progression Stage 1

Through a storyboard, pupils will explore 2 different journeys that a piece of everyday packaging can take. We will discuss and reflect on how our choices affect the environment.

The first journey will show how waste can be a resource, with potential to be recycled into something new. The second journey will show how waste escapes into the environment as litter.

Pupils will search for hidden materials around the room in a litter scavenger hunt. Once they find every item, we will discuss the recycling symbols on each one. Pupils can use this to sort materials into different bins as we encourage a positive approach to recycling.

This springboard session will last around 40 minutes.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays.

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will be moving around for the litter scavenger hunt and waste sort activity. A bigger space like a hall would be suitable for this.

you have a large electronic display screen we can use. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful.

Mechanics – Progression Stage 2

The Springboard Session

We will discuss with pupils how products we use daily can be made of natural materials. We will encourage them to explore the waste hierarchy. They will learn how “waste” materials can be useful resources, and how preserving resources helps the natural environment.

Pupils will put these ideas into practice, by taking part in a fun and easy upcycle workshop. They will make a wallet using Tetra Pak cartons. This material is difficult to recycle.

This springboard session will last around 1 hour.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

at least 2 teaching staff are present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays.

you have a large electronic display screen we can use. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful.

there is internet access. We need this to complete the presentation and complete the session.

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will need to be sat at their tables for the upcycle workshop. A classroom would be suitable for this.

you kindly ask the class to bring in rinsed out, clean Tetra Pak juice or milk cartons. Cartons that fold fully flat would be ideal. They could collect these in the run up to our visit.

you provide basic crafting equipment for the children to use, like:

  • safety scissors
  • rulers
  • sticky tape or electrical tape (electrical tape works best), and
  • lots of elastic bands.

We are usually able to bring spares, in case there is not enough equipment.

Mechanics – Progression Stage 3

The Springboard Session

We will discuss preserving natural resources, and the effects of manufacturing on the environment. Pupils can explore their own consumer power and opportunities to waste less, highlighting personal choices and environmental impacts.

We will explore lifestyle choices and carbon footprints using an online calculator. This can be done as a group or individual activity. To help empower pupils, we will then ask them to consider an actionable pledge for change.

This springboard session will last around 1 hour.

Schools – what we need from you

Please make sure:

a teacher is present to take part in the session.

reception is expecting us, to avoid delays.

you have a large electronic display screen we can use. We will email a presentation to you before we visit. If you could set the presentation up in advance, this would be helpful.

there is internet access. We need this to complete the presentation and complete the session.

you reserve and prepare a space for our visit. Pupils will need to be sat at their tables. A classroom would be suitable for this.

We will email you full guidance documents for your session to confirm your booking.

Guidance will include any individual assessment activities and class learning plan.

    Booking details

    Your details

    Class details

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