Secondary School – Education Activity 3

Objectives

• Understand the concept of “Recycle Works Reduce Works Better”
• Reflect on the meaning and importance of recycling
• Think about how to promote recycling more effectively
• Learn about the principles of “7Rs of A Zero Waste Lifestyle” and develop the correct practices of recycling

Reference and Resources

• Recycling means everything? education video (Available at “Videos”)
• Is recycling good or bad? The Critics’ Comments (Available at “Downloads”)
• Refer to Chapter 1.3 Recycling Snapshot of Hong Kong and Chapter 4.3 7Rs of A Zero Waste Lifestyle

Content / Steps

Part One：Role Play

1. Divide students into three groups representing EPD officers, green group council members and the chairman of the recyclers’ association respectively.
2. Use a projector to display comments in Is recycling good or bad? The Critics’ Comments  
3. Group members should respond in turn to critics’ comments according to their roles. Critics’ stereotypes should be addressed and emphasis on the meaning and importance of recycling be placed in order to lobby for their support for recycling.

Part Two：Replace means everything? education video

1. Play education video and discuss with students the consequences of abusing recycling：
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   When a product reaches its end-of-life cycle, we should recycle it to recover resources. However, if we keep buying freely and then recycle the brand new, perfect or unfinished purchases, it unintentionally encourages overconsumption. This leads to an increase in waste at the end, putting the cart before the horse in addressing the waste problem.

Part Three：Conclusion

1. Refer to Chapter 4.3 7Rs of A Zero Waste Lifestyle for conclusion and encourage students to take part in recycling and adopt 7Rs. It is the responsibility of a green citizen to upheld the life motto of “waste not, want not”

Teaching Tips

1. Assign additional roles to students, such as critics in the script of Is recycling good or bad? The Critics’ Comments so that they can counter the arguments of “EPD officers”, “green group council members” and the “chairman of the recyclers’ association”

Critic One：
Mrs. Tsang
(a resident)

I've read a lot in the news, and it turns out that the recyclables returned by the public are all being sent to landfills.  All our efforts had been in vain…Ah, I won’t recycle anymore. It’s pointless.

Critic Two：
Grandma Wong
(a scavenger)

I live from hand to mouth as a scavenger. It's becoming easier for the public to recycle with more recycling facilities popping up, and rewards are being handed out for recycling. The number of recyclables that I can scavenge have got less and less.... Ah, I don’t want the government to promote recycling further. It would only make my life more difficult.    

Critic Three:
Peter
(from the finance sector)

Land in Hong Kong is expensive and the cost of labour is high. Recycling makes such a little profit. It is so economically unviable that it doesn’t justify support.

Critic Four：
Mr. Chan
(works overnight and lives on the first floor of a Tong Lau)

There’s a recycling shop just downstairs where I live. They make such loud noises when they're dealing with metals recyclables that I can barely sleep. They also block the pavement and litter with recyclables…. Ah, I strongly oppose recycling.  

Critic Five：
Amy
(University Student)

Sure, recycling makes good use of resources. But it takes a lot of water and electricity to recover them. Why not put the efforts in developing technology and renewable energy? We live in the AI Age! Don’t bother with recycling anymore.