Number of Hours: 6 – 7

Objective(s): To understand the meaning and the importance of the 5 R’s in the context of a circular economy.        

Course Outline:

The 5 R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle

• REFUSE: refuse to buy wasteful and non-recyclable products;
• REDUCE: reduce the use of harmful, wasteful, and non-recyclable products;
• REUSE: reuse items throughout the workplace instead of buying new ones;
• REPURPOSE: for every item that can’t be refused, reduced or reused, try repurposing it;
• RECYCLE: recycling is the most environmentally friendly waste disposal method.

General introduction: Definition of each word followed by examples (1 hour).

Module 1 – The waste hierarchy: The strategies aimed at achieving environmental sustainability take the form of correct waste management and compliance with some principles established by the EU: reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal (1 hour).

Laboratory activities (2 – 3 hours).

Laboratory activity 1: Calculation of the “ecological rucksack” (or “Material Footprint”) which expresses the weight of all natural raw materials used for consumption.

Laboratory activity 2: Separate waste collection.

Laboratory activity 3: Calculation of the ecological footprint of food.

Module 2 – Materials: Sustainability and recycle (1 hour).

Module 3 – Recycling of CO₂ for the production of energy: Conversion of CO₂ into CH₄ and production of energy at zero CO₂ impact in a circular economy scheme (1 hour).

Module 2 and, particularly, module 3 are optional and can be presented on the basis of the school preparation of the class and the time avaiable. In particular, module 3 requires secondary school chemistry knowledge.

Learning Outcomes: Students will be aware of the main concepts of circular economy, in particular in the contexts of materials production costs and sustainability, waste treatment and production of energy in forms environmentally neutral.

Practical Activities (description and scheduling):

STEAM activities, Laboratory Session(s):

Module 1 implies laboratory activities which can be easily implemented. Module 3 implies a prototype plant to convert CO₂ into CH₄, which can be shown to the students. For the partners a video can be provided.

Learning Tools and Resources:

Material needed: Information sheets provided by the local waste treatment agency or urban sanitation service. Packaging of common food, soaps, objects used to analyze the symbols on the packaging in order to determine the material the item is made of and arrive to a correct waste separation.

Teaching and Learning Methods:     Frontal lessons – Laboratory presentations

Individual/Group Work: Both