Primary School Projects

• Tailor science projects toward this age group by keeping things relatively simple, with less of an emphasis placed on students competing against one another. One example of a project poses the question: does recycled paper break down faster than new paper? Put your students into small groups of, say, four, and have them decide whether they think recycled or new paper breaks down faster. Bury two alike dimensions of recycled and new paper in soil, and leave a marker where the paper is. After one month, have your students dig up the pieces of paper and note the results.
  
  

Elementary School Projects

• For elementary school projects, start to introduce more complexity and advanced levels, rather than simply getting students interested and engaging with science. One project involves getting students to contribute to a compost heap and track its progress over time. Designate a green area of the school grounds as the compost heap and have students throw old food items on it. The next day, students can return and see the progress of decomposition of the waste items. To further demonstrate the impact of non-biodegradable products, take the class and bury an aluminum can outside, leaving a marker where you buried it. Wait a week and dig the can up before explaining why, unlike food waste, aluminum does not biodegrade.
  
  

Middle School Projects

• A sample experiment appropriate for the more intelligent members of this age range involves assessing the effect of using used coffee grinds as a fertilizer for growing organic gardens. A project assessing the effects of advertising on recycling can be particularly useful for middle school students. Ask your students to place two identical recycling bins next to each other and leave a recycling sign above them. One bin, however, should be decorated with extra artwork and a set of instructions demonstrating the environmental advantages while the other bin should just have the recycling sign. After a set amount of time, have students collect and count the contents of each bin and consider the impact of the advertising. Have students prepare presentations about their project and read it to their classmates.
  
  

High School Projects

• One advanced project involving recycled materials is the experiment to assess the environmentally friendly and economic ways of recycling Styrofoam, for example, testing the impact of limonene, a chemical contained in the peel of several common fruits, such as oranges, lemons and limes.
  
  You can also get your students to look at recycling in a different way, while having a positive impact on the local community. Split your class up into teams that will compete to collect as many recycled products as possible, such as aluminum cans, before recycling them. Run the contest over a set number of days or week before having students present to the class focusing on the difficulties encountered, best ways of collecting and the final number of recycled products they collected.