What is waste?
Waste is anything we no longer need and throw away, such as food scraps, paper, plastic bottles and old toys. Every home and school makes waste every day. If we do not manage it well, waste piles up and can pollute our land, air and water.
Key idea
Some waste can rot away naturally, like fruit peels, but other waste such as plastic stays for a very long time.
The 3R way to manage waste
- Reduce — use fewer things, so we make less waste.
- Reuse — use something again, like turning a bottle into a pencil holder.
- Recycle — make new items from old materials, like new paper from old paper.
We can also compost food waste to make natural fertiliser for plants. Sorting our rubbish into paper, plastic, glass and metal helps more of it get recycled instead of ending up in a landfill.
When we throw away less and reuse more, we save materials and energy, and we keep our streets, rivers and beaches cleaner for everyone to enjoy.
Remember
- Throwing waste into rivers pollutes the water.
- Managing waste keeps our environment clean and healthy.
- Sort your rubbish so more can be recycled.