Recycled rubbish turned into plastic rulers for students

Students in the Willoughby local government area have had their recycled rubbish turned into plastic rulers, as they learn about the circular economy.

Seeking to boost children’s understanding of the scourge of plastic waste and introduce circular economy principles, the council developed a series of lessons for Our Lady of Dolours and Castle Cove primary schools. The trial program culminated in a school visit from recycling plastic specialists Defy Design, who presented each child with a ruler made from the pupils’ own plastic waste and stamped with the school’s logo.

The circular economy model promotes the reusing and repairing of materials that are already in circulation, and in keeping with this theme the original concept and mould for the rulers was created by Ku-ring-gai Council, who had used it in a similar scheme. Following the successful trial, Willoughby City Council is hoping to partner with other local schools to deliver plastic waste and recycling education for the benefit of all children.

“Teaching recycling to primary-age children can be challenging, so our program uses a simple example to make the concept easier to understand. As well as valuable life lessons on reducing waste, the kids are being introduced to the basics of the circular economy in a fun and engaging way, with a real outcome they can hold in their hands. The scheme is one of many initiatives underpinning Willoughby’s aspiration to be a green city, and we’re only too happy to share the lesson plans with other local authorities who might be interested in running a similar scheme,” said Tanya Taylor, Willoughby City Mayor.

“Students at Our Lady of Dolours enjoyed a great presentation from Defy and having the opportunity to see how the recycling process can produce something meaningful and for real life need. What a great initiative from Willoughby City Council with the support of the teachers at OLD. The lessons provided an opportunity to learn and then see this in action,” said Marco Ianni, Principal of Our Lady of Dolours Chatswood.

Image caption: Primary school students were presented with a ruler made from recycled plastic bottles they had collected.