Process and Resources

Your first step into learning how to change your food packaging consumption is to know a bit more about the environmental impact of food packaging. By watching these short videos, you will learn more about how food packaging and plastic waste impacts the environment:

• Packaging Waste – Don’t Waste Waste Campaign [Video]: https://youtu.be/62O868-bYOk
• Plastic Packaging - Behind the News [Video]: https://youtu.be/e4z7GKGBVYk
• How To Recycle & Take Care of the Environment *FUN* Science for Kids [Video]: https://youtu.be/V0lQ3ljjl40

Next, we will ask you to keep a log of all the different packaging waste that you generate for one full week from the food you eat. In this log, note down the following information:  

• What type of packaging is it?
• Is it recyclable?
• Does it come from recycled or reclaimed materials?  

To help you to identify the different types of food packaging, and how to find out the type of packaging used (single-use, recycled, reclaimed, etc.), you might find these links useful:

• The Environmental Impact of Food Packaging [Webpage]: https://foodprint.org/issues/the-environmental-impact-of-food-packaging/
• Know Your Symbols – KWD Kids [Webpage]: http://www.kwdkids.com/symbols/
• A Guide to everyday recycling symbols – REPAK {webpage]: https://repak.ie/recycling/recycling-symbols/#:~:text=Mobius%20Loop,of%20the%20packaging%20is%20recycled.

Great, now you are more aware of how much food packaging waste you produce, and what type of packaging your food comes in. The next step is for you to try for one week to reduce this packaging, and to keep a journal or diary of how what packaging you have used, and what changes you have consciously made to your behaviour.

For tips on how to reduce the amount of food packaging waste you use, the following links will be useful:

• How Can Schools and Educators Reduce Plastic Waste? – Twinkl [Webpage]: https://www.twinkl.ie/blog/how-can-schools-and-educators-reduce-plastic-waste

How to reduce packaging waste – Howdini [Video]: https://youtu.be/sLvkYYSVjow

Well done, you have tried to change your habits for one full week, and you have tracked and measured your progress! The final step is to present your findings to your classmates. You may wish to design an infographic or graphs to present this information. Here you will find the following links useful:

• Canva for Kids – CoderKids [Blog]: https://www.coderkids.com/blog/canva-for-kids
• Canva for Students – Canva [Website]: https://www.canva.com/education/students/