Plastic snack box

In the UK most milk bottles, which are commonly made from HDPE (Resin Identification Code 2) can be recycled. To be a plastic hero, we need to reduce the amount of plastic that we use and stop it from ever becoming waste. This activity involves re-using a plastic milk bottle to make a snack box that turns waste into something useful.

Ages 7+

(adult supervision)

40 minutes

Part of:

Common Seas Ocean Plastics Academy

How to do it How to do it
What you'll need What you'll need
Find out more Find out more

Overview

We live in a world full of plastic. As we learn to redefine our relationship with this material, we can find inspiration in the 6 Rs: recycle, reuse, reduce, repair, refuse, and redesign.

Many people are great recyclers but find it challenging to implement the other Rs, which have a greater impact on reducing plastic pollution.

This activity shows you step by step how to rethink how a plastic milk bottle can be used to make your own snack box. Win-win for you and the environment.

Activity steps

Prepare your area by clearing your desk, laying newspaper down and laying out all the materials. Don't forget to wash out the bottle before use.
Take the pen and draw a horizontal line around the bottle, approximately 10cm from the bottom. Then draw out a semi-circle above this line on each side and the front of the milk carton. These will be the flaps on your box.
On the back, i.e. opposite the handle, measure up a further 10cm and draw a semi-circle above this line. In the picture above, you can see how the back section will fold over to be your lid.
Squeeze the milk carton together at the top and cut into it. Then cut around the edges of each semi-circle.
Fold the flaps and the lid along the ridge in the milk bottle.
Stick a velcro pad to the front of the bottle, just below the folded semi-circle.
Attach the velcro pads together, removing the backing from the second pad and close the lid. This will stick the second pad in the right place.
Check and make sure your pads are on securely.
Put in your snacks!
Now the most important bit… what are you going to put in your snack box? We’d love to see what a sea champion eats! Please share a snap of your snackbox - don’t forget to tag @commonseas and use the #SeaChampions so we know where to look. Thank you!

Reflection

Time to consider the advantages and disadvantages of plastic as a material. Reflect by discussing the following questions with a parent or friend.

Who might want to use a snack box like this?
Why is plastic a good material for a snack box?
What is good about your product?
What could you do to make your product better?
Why is it important to rethink plastic waste?

Further ideas

You can explore a full unit looking at design and plastics with the Ocean Plastics Design and Technology lessons for ages 11 to 14. For younger students have a look at the lesson for ages 5 to 7, What can I do? and for ages 7 to 11, try the design-focused lessons Design Technology – The plastics problem and Design Technology – The plastics solution.

Safety guidance

This activity involves cutting through plastic and can, therefore, be quite tricky so adult supervision and the use of child-appropriate tools such as safety scissors is advised.
If you are posting work on social media, this should be done via a parent, guardian or school account for children under the age of 13. Children over the age of 13 should still be supervised by an adult. Check out the Thinkuknow website for more guidance on online safety.

Over 300 million tonnes of plastics are produced worldwide annually. This is nearly the weight of the entire human population!

From all the discarded plastic, around 8 million tonnes end up in our oceans, making plastic the greatest component of marine litter. Wind and light help degrade this plastic debris over time, transforming it into microplastics. These fragments smaller than 5mm are everywhere in the global ocean. Plastic debris affects wildlife as it causes entanglement, ingestion, and habitat alteration. Fish, crustaceans, and other animals ingest microplastics, which reduces their energy intake and body mass while having adverse health outcomes. This has also major implications for humans, from healthcare to economic activity.

Plastic 6 Rs diagram — Diagram showing the 6Rs of the waste hierarchy

Waste hierarchy definitions

Recycle: take an existing product that has become waste and reprocess the material to use in a new product. For example, putting a plastic milk bottle into your recycling bin, so that it can be turned into a new milk bottle.

Reuse: take an existing product that could become waste and use the item or parts of it for the same or another purpose, without processing it. For example, reusing a plastic shopping bag for multiple shopping trips.

Reduce: minimise the amount of energy and materials used to make a product. For example, reducing the amount of plastic packaging for a food item.

Refuse: not using or buying a product if you do not need it or you do not think it is sustainable. For example, refusing single-use coffee cups and using your own cup, or asking not to have a straw for your drink.

Repair: when a product breaks or stops working properly, choosing to try to fix it, rather than throwing it away. For example, many electronics items can be repaired reducing waste and saving money.

Redesign: often called rethink, this involves redesigning a product to make it more environmentally friendly or finding a new and different use for an item that might be thrown away. For example, turning a plastic bottle into a bird feeder.

So, in the long term we need to change how we relate to plastic through the 6 Rs: recycle, reuse, reduce, repair, refuse, and redesign.

This activity is just one idea of how you can contribute to rethinking plastic and reducing the impact it has on the environment.

Brought to you by

Science / Geography | Ages 7-11

Our Ocean Planet

Our Ocean Planet Science Geography ages 7-11 unit is a KS2 teacher resource. Students discover marine topics across both the UK and globally, developing ocean literacy.