2020 Virtual Program

This spring marks the 5^th anniversary of the Plastic Bag Grab Challenge, and although it will be delivered differently this year, we hope your classroom will consider participating. Please find below an update on how the Plastic Bag Grab Challenge will be work this year including new resources for teachers and students to participate virtually.

We know these are exceptional circumstances as teachers and students navigate distance learning and we hope that we can provide resources for teachers and engagement opportunities for students. If you would like to discuss how your students can participate or would like to share your virtual campaign ideas, please reach out to the Plastic Bag Grab Team at pgb@rco.on.ca or give us a call at (416-657-2797 ext. 22) we look forward to hearing from you.

What's New?

Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, the single-use plastic bag collection component of the challenge will not run this April as scheduled.

We are working with our program partner Walmart Canada, and hope to have the single-use plastic bag collection component of the program take place in the fall of 2020. We know this is an engaging and exciting component of the program and we look forward to updating teachers and students early in the new school year.

While we are disappointed that there will be no single-use plastic bags collected for recycling this Earth Week as planned, we are excited to announce that the Plastic Bag Grab Challenge will continue to engage students across Canada by providing virtual resources to educators and encouraging students to participate on social media using #PlasticBagGrab.

We will be offering resources and activities for students to learn and engage on plastic waste virtually while at home this spring. These resources will be available for the remainder of 2020 and we will be adding new resources for teachers throughout the remainder of this school year as well as next school year, so please check this page often.

1.Interactive Plastics Activities

Looking for activities for your virtual classroom? Here's some ideas!

Organize a poster contest on plastics and the 3Rs.
Our newest resource, the Plastic Action Centre features Canadian plastics experts. Have your students come up with questions on plastics and submit them to our panel of experts:
- Chelsea Rochman, Assistant Professor in Ecology at the University of Toronto
- Rhiannon Moore, Researcher at the Ocean Wise Plastics Lab
- Calvin Lakhan, Ph.D, Co-Investigator of the “Waste Wiki” project at York University
- Shannon Lavalley, Program Manager at Recycling Council of Ontario
DIY projects for upcycling plastic bags. Check out the Waste Reduction Week in Canada Pinterest page for activity links that we’ve curated.
Plastic Home Scavenger Hunt: can you spot the plastic items and alternatives around your house?
What’s in your Waste at Home? Conduct an at Home Waste Audit!
Plastic Bag Grab Student Quiz
Plastic Bag Grab Student Word Search
Plastic Bag Grab Crossword
Make a Commitment to Change through 10,000 Changes
Challenge your classroom, school, or community to avoid single-use plastics for a whole week while at home, then write a blog on their experience.

2. Educational Resources

Lifecycle of a Plastic Bag Video and other plastic education videos
Plastic by the Numbers
How Plastics Breakdown into Microplastics
Canada Plastic Facts
How Long Does Plastic Last?
10,000 Changes learning modules
Understanding Bioplastics (coming soon!)
Plastic Lifecycle (coming soon!)
Common Plastic Misconceptions (coming soon!)

3. Social media / Community Engagement

We also encourage students to share their activities on social media using #PlasticBagGrab. We understand that participating at home will be different than at school with fellow teachers and students but we know the creativity of our Plastic Bag Grab Challenge participants have shown in the past, and we look forward to seeing what students can come up with while learning from home.

Encourage students and their families to share their plastic reduction efforts at home, show off their plastic DIY/upcycle projects, and share what they’ve learned through the online resources.
Participated in Plastic Bag Grab Challenge in previous years? Share the impact of your efforts and how your school made a difference.
Download our sample social media posts and images to continue raising awareness.
- Downloadable social media cards

Reuse plastic bags