Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Most high school students across the United States can recite those three words and know they help the environment. However, when it comes to recycling, many students could use a review on how to sort materials to prepare for recycling. If you are looking to include content about recyclable items in your lesson plans, you may be interested in creative and fun sorting activities. These cross-curricular activities are perfect for high school students to learn about recycling.
1. Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is the perfect hands-on activity to engage high school students. You can prepare for the scavenger hunt by preparing clues to hidden recyclable materials throughout the yard or common area within your school. Students can sort their findings into the appropriate recycling bins.
Learn more: Plant Renewed
2. Recycling Sorting Game
Put your teen to the test with this printable recycling sorting game. To play, you will use one bin for garbage and one bin for recycling. You will pick up a picture card and place a token in the correct bin. The person to get the most correct wins.
Learn more: Adventure in a Box
3. Recycling Bingo Game
Recycling Bingo is a great way to raise awareness within your school community about what items can be recycled. The teacher will call out certain items and students will mark them on their bingo cards as they appear. Students that have “Bingo” first will receive a prize or bonus points.
Learn more: Adventure in a Box
4. Recycling Web Quest
This activity will provide students the opportunity to explore The U.S. Recycling System website. You will have students write down the answers to several questions guiding their online research. You can have them respond to these questions in a notebook.
Learn more: Web Quest
5. Recycling Center Tour
Take your high schoolers on a field trip that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Seeing the recycling process first-hand is an amazing learning experience. The hands-on sorting process they can participate in will be very rewarding for all.
Learn more: Recycling Centers
6. Let’s Recycle Sorting Game
Students will work in small groups for this activity. They will take turns sorting game cards with pictures or names of items into the correct categories. Each team will earn points as they sort items correctly.
Learn more: Lakeshore Learning
7. Recycle Relay
You will split the class into teams for this recycle relay race. Each team will have recyclable and non-recyclable items to sort. They will take turns sprinting to bins to sort their items. The goal is to be the first team to correctly sort their items.
Learn more: Gwynn Wasson Designs
8. Super Sorter Online Game
This online game is so much fun to play! Gamers will sort items such as cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper materials, and other recycled materials. You will be surprised how everyday items can be recycled while playing this game.
9. Recycling Olympics
You can recreate the Recycling Olympics in your community by setting up challenges and obstacle courses while recycling. This would also be an excellent theme for field days or an earth-themed Summer camp. Children will earn medals for completing recycling challenges.
Learn more: Grow NYC
10. The Recycling Game
Students will form a circle as the teacher passes out pieces of trash and recyclables. The students will sort the recycled material and see the non-recyclable trash left over. Students will be surprised to see how much trash enters landfills.
Learn more: Grow NYC
11. Recycling-themed Writing Prompts
The design process for writing prompts is to spark curiosity and critical thinking. Recycling is a topic that can be discussed in any content area, any class period, and any time of the year. Students will select a writing prompt and reflect on how sorting recyclables helps the world.
Learn more: Teachers Notepad
12. Recycling Guide Quiz
I love this resource because it includes several steps that we can take to improve the environment by recycling. It shares how to properly dispose of batteries, cell phones, eyeglasses, and more. Students will read and quiz one another about what they read.
Learn more: The Simple Life
13. Recyclable Art Design Challenge
Did you know recyclables make great craft materials? You can have students work together on design teams to put together their own art projects using recycled materials. It would be amazing to put together an art show and have students and family members vote on their favorite pieces.
Learn more: Project Learning
14. Recycle Rally
Who can collect the most recyclable items in the class? Hold a recycling rally in your classroom to find out! Students can gather recyclable items from their homes and neighborhood, bring them into school, and have bins set up for students to sort.
Learn more: We are Teachers
15. Virtual Tour
Have you ever wondered how items are sorted at a recycling facility? Thanks to the internet, you now have the opportunity to check out a virtual tour. As students observe the process, have them fill out a graphic organizer or answer questions in a notebook.
Learn more: Recycle Nation
16. Recycle Sorting Coding Activity
Recycle sorting by coding! This STEM activity with recycling pictures teaches students how logical reasoning can be used to learn more about recycling. They will learn how to sort home appliances and more using “If-then” coding statements.
Learn more: Our Family Code
17. Sorting Lunch Waste
Take a field trip down to your school cafeteria or mall food court! Enjoy lunch and then place paper wrappings, pieces of cardboard, plastic container lids, plastic bottle caps, and other materials in the center. Make this a fun sorting activity by recycling together.
Learn more: The Owl Teacher
18. Graphing Recyclable Items
Track how well your class is using effective recycling techniques by creating a classroom graph. You can complete this as a math recycling activity at the end of every day. You can see how much paper your class is recycling and add it to the graph.
Learn more: The Owl Teacher
19. Recycling Exploration Activity
Using this resource, you can learn exactly how manual sorting works. You can also explore the recycling process of metal, paper, cardboard, and different types of plastics. Students will write down 5 facts on index cards. Then, students will check each other’s knowledge by quizzing friends.
Learn more: Recycling Simplified
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