Sustainable schools

For Prep through to Grade 6

We offer Council-funded incursions to local primary schools right throughout the year. These curriculum-aligned incursions are designed to be easy for teachers and schools to accommodate. It is a free service, so all local schools can participate. Most importantly, it’s a really fun, feel-good way to engage kids and families in recycling and building connections to our local environment.

• Linked to the Victorian curriculum (technology and society, science, geography)
• No extra work for teachers
• Tailored to suit year level
• Fun, interactive and educational
• Encourage family conversations about waste, recycling and the environment 
• Promotion for local schools

"We had just started a conservation unit in inquiry learning and this was a fabulous introduction for our students. The mixture of learning, activities and movement were perfectly targeted to this age group. The presenters were kind and informative, encouraging students to think and take control of resources used in school. The lovely bonus for the students was being able to take a magnet home to continue using the information learnt beyond the incursion and into their everyday lives."
Teacher, Altona College – 2023

To register your interest please click HERE. 

For secondary school students 

Across one week in Term 2, Council offers waste and recycling education sessions to local secondary schools, aligning with World Environment Day. 

In these 45-minute sessions, students learn what goes in each bin, and the journey our waste takes beyond the bin. The structure includes a presentation complemented by a variety of engaging, age-appropriate activities.

• Linked to the Victorian curriculum (science, design and technologies)
• No extra work for teachers
• Tailored to suit year level
• Fun, interactive and educational
• Encourage family conversations about waste, recycling and the environment

What teachers have said about the program: 

• “It was amazing. Engaging. Lovely presenter.”

• “Lots of engagement from students and inspired critical thinking and questioning. A very informative session that taught the students (and teachers) some great ways to deal with waste.”

• “My students enjoyed the mix and match organising activity. Good balance for this age group of screen, pen and paper, sorting and discussion.”
  
  

Stay tuned for 2026 dates.

Students explore electricity production impacts on climate change, and consider alternative ways people can contribute to a sustainable future. They learn about systemic change concepts and ways to advocate for a just and healthy planet.

NO ADDITIONAL WORK FOR TEACHERS

Sessions are delivered by experienced facilitators. We provide all materials and required resources – teachers have the option to participate or simply supervise.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Explain what climate change is and the effects it has on our environment
• Identify the major global systems that are contributing to climate change
• Discuss actions they can take on an individual level to create positive futures and how this ties into collective action
• Students can generate unique solutions to questions related to current energy practices in Australia
  
  

PLEASE NOTE: Schools can book a minimum of two sessions and maximum of four sessions, to be delivered on the one day.

Limited places available so please book in early to avoid missing out.

HOW TO BOOK:

Please visit Ceres School of Nature and Climate and follow the prompts to register your interest. We will contact you to confirm your booking.

CSIRO’s Creativity in Research, Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) program helps school students build science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills through a non-competitive awards program.

Leading students and teachers through the inquiry continuum, the CREST program includes an exciting range of hands-on STEM activities and suggestions for classroom use.

Designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding, these interactive activities are perfect for classroom learning, spanning the structured, guided and open-inquiry levels.

Each introductory level activity comes complete with detailed instructions, including risk assessment, student recording sheets, and a list of items needed for a seamless setup.

All students who complete the inquiry will receive CSIRO award recogniiton.

Hobsons Bay City Council in partnership with the CSIRO are offering all schools in the Hobsons Bay region free access to the program for 2025.

To learn more and register to CREST, visit the CREST website. Give the CREST team a call on 1800 626 646 (free of charge) if you prefer to have a chat or would like some assistance with registering your school.

Expressions of interest for 2025 Love Your Locals have closed. Stay tuned for 2026 events.

Your school is invited to learn about our incredible local species and their unique habitat at a free, fun-filled and educational day at Werribee Open Range Zoo. The excursion is designed to broaden student knowledge about local species and environmental issues. 

Session Outline

Friday, 5 September 2025
10:00am-2:30pm
Werribee Open Range Zoo 

Includes free bus transportation. On the day students will be engaged to:

• foster a greater understanding and appreciation of Hobsons Bay’s endangered species

• gain knowledge on local environment, Indigenous and sustainability issues

• look at positive actions we can take as individuals and as a community to lessen our environmental impact and reduce threats to endangered species and habitats.

 To be involved in the Love Your Locals excursion, we require some class preparation including:

• Class attendance to an online webinar in Term 3

• Class response to the below prompt. The response could be a model, poetry, artwork, song, play, poster, digital presentation or any other creative format to highlight how green and wildlife friendly the western region could look in the future.

2025 PROMPT: 

"We need smarter, greener towns for people and wildlife. How can we create a Victorian western region that is sustainable for people, and creates safe habitats for animals such as the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Orange-bellied Parrot, Swift Parrot, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Golden-rayed Blue Butterfly, Grassland Earless Dragon, Growling Grass frog, Plains-wanderer or any others that live in the west?"

Conditions

• Spaces are limited to 10 students per school. Please select students who are inclined towards leadership and have an interest in environment or sustainability, eg: students from your Green Team. If spaces open up, we will invite you to bring more students 

• Teachers are responsible for management of student behaviour

• Participating schools are expected to share their learnings with the rest of their school after Love Your Locals day 

• Student work may be kept and showcased for a period of time to raise awareness about our precious western wildlife species

• This program is designed for grade 5/6 students. Grade 4 students are welcome to join if they are a member of your school's Green Team or equivalent

Learn more by downloading the Werribee Open Range Zoo's Love Your Local flyer(PDF, 4MB). 

Register your interest 

Expressions of interest for 2025 have closed. Stay tuned for 2026 events. 

For more information, please email ranger@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au.

As of September 2025, we are no longer offering waste and recycling incursions for local kindergartens.

You can still incorporate waste and recycling education in your centre using the resources below.

Activities 

• Print our Waste and recycling sorting cards(PDF, 12MB)
• Sustainability Victoria colouring sheets:
  • Mixed recycling bin(PDF, 144KB)  
  • Food and garden bin(PDF, 118KB)
  • Glass bin(PDF, 260KB)

• Sustainability Victoria cut + paste sheets (You can use these as bin signage when they're finished!):

• Mixed recycling bin(PDF, 6MB)  
• Food and garden bin(PDF, 661KB)  
• Glass bin(PDF, 631KB)  

 Lesson plans 

Access free lesson plans, created by our recycling partner VISY, Clean Up Australia and Cool.org. These lesson plans are created for early years education settings and align with EYLF Learning Outcomes.

• VISY - Activity one: What is Recycling?
• VISY - Activity two: What Is It Made From?
• VISY - Activity three: What Goes in That Bin?
• Clean Up Australia: Connecting Children to Nature - Exploring Waste and Taking Action

• Visit Cool.org for more early years recycling teaching resources

Educational signage

If you use Council's waste and recycling service, we can provide your centre with A2 illustrated signs to display by your bins. These can be collected from the Altona Civic Centre upon request - email us at enviro@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au. 

Kinder clean-ups 

Kinders can take part in clean up events, either as part of the annual Clean Up Australia Day or by hosting their own event anytime throughout the year. Visit our community clean ups page for more information. 

Free food scraps caddy 

Does your centre have a compost, worm farm, or food and garden bin? Visit the Altona Civic Centre or any Hobsons Bay Library to collect a free food scrap caddy and paper liners.

The children can use this to collect their food scraps after meals, then transport it to the main bin when it's full. 

Use these resources to continue your school's sustainability education beyond our sessions.

• Print our waste and recycling cards(PDF, 22MB) to use with your class
• Access Clean Up Australia's curriculum-aligned lesson plans around waste and the environmental impacts of litter 
• Watch this video about the Environmental Sustainability in Schools Policy
• Recycle your batteries: Did you know that Australia has a battery stewardship scheme to stop batteries from going to landfill? Follow the links to find out more about B-cycle battery stewardship and battery recycling in schools
• Take a virtual tour of the VISY materials recovery facility - where all our recycling and glass goes!
• Use the Which Bin? tool to check your classroom's knowledge 
• Find environmental teaching resources at Cool.org

School clean-ups 

Schools can take part in clean up events, either as part of the annual Clean Up Australia Day or by hosting their own event anytime throughout the year. Visit our community clean ups page for more information.