Gamification teaches children to reduce waste

An educational program that uses gamification to teach children about reducing food waste has launched in NSW primary schools.

Designed by Genus, the Make Wasty Tasty program has been produced in partnership with the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) Love Food Hate Waste program — which provides practical advice, tips and recipes to support households and businesses to reduce food waste.

Aimed at primary school students in Years 3 to 6, the program gamifies sustainability, so kids can earn points on each mission completed on Genus, whilst making a positive difference to the environment, both at home and at school. The initiative also incorporates teaching resources and engaging lesson plans for teachers, plus five practical ‘missions’ for students to complete that will help curb lunchbox and household food waste.

“With the average Australian household throwing out around a whopping 219 kg of uneaten food each year — equivalent to almost $1000-worth per person — the aim is to inspire the next generation to take action in a fun and fulfilling way,” said Jon Owen, Genus Co-Founder.

“We know from our research that children enjoy being involved in what goes in their lunchbox, often choosing dinner leftovers instead of sandwiches,” Amanda Kane, Organics Manager NSW EPA said.

“We also know that when they learn about food waste, whether at school or in the home, they spread the word to others. Genus has put together a range of engaging activities under the Make Wasty Tasty banner and we can’t wait to see their positive impact in the fight to reduce food waste.”

Missions like Leftover Detective, which gets kids turning food left in the fridge into tasty lunchbox meals, to Funny Food Friday, which celebrates — and encourages the consumption of — oddly shaped fruit and vegetables, are expected to help reduce the amount of food thrown out at school and at home.

“One study estimated that the average lunch box generates around 3 kg of waste — the approximate weight of 5 basketballs — each school year. In an average primary school of 350 students, that’s over 10,000 kg of waste per year, just from lunches. For the sake of our planet, this can’t continue and so we applaud the NSW EPA for supporting the development of the Make Wasty Tasty program to help address the problem,” Owen said.

More than 40 primary schools across Sydney and New South Wales have been using Genus to educate children about sustainability since Term 2.

Image credit: iStock.com/Jatuporn Tansirimas