A1 Level – Elementary
1. Do you recycle things at home?
2. What color is your recycling bin?
3. What is the difference between paper and plastic?
4. Do you buy things that can be recycled?
5. What happens to things that are not recycled?
6. What makes a product biodegradable?
7. Do you try to use less plastic?
8. What is a common thing made from recycled materials?
9. Do you think recycling is important?
10. What makes recycling difficult?
11. Do children learn about recycling in school?
12. What is a common type of litter?
13. What is the opposite of reusing?
14. What are some different types of waste?
15. Do you see public recycling bins often?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between recycling, reusing, and reducing waste?
2. Describe one thing you do at home to make your recycling process more efficient.
3. What are the pros and cons of using glass containers versus plastic containers?
4. What role does government policy play in motivating citizens to recycle more?
5. Have you ever been confused about whether a specific item can be recycled?
6. What specific items (e.g., batteries, electronics) require special, separate recycling efforts?
7. What is the difference between an open-loop recycling system and a closed-loop system?
8. What are common challenges when trying to recycle correctly in a public space?
9. How does technology (e.g., advanced sorting machines) improve the large-scale recycling process?
10. What are the biggest challenges of recycling complex items made of multiple materials?
11. What is the importance of cleaning containers before putting them in the recycling bin?
12. Do you think manufacturers should be legally responsible for the recycling of their products?
13. What are the challenges of setting up consistent, national recycling standards?
14. What are the best ways to educate people who are resistant to the idea of recycling?
15. What is the difference between compostable materials and truly recyclable materials?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the difficulty of ensuring that materials put into the recycling bin are actually processed and not just sent to a landfill.
2. How can local governments provide stronger incentives (e.g., deposit schemes) for citizens to recycle properly?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the historical practice of wealthy countries exporting their plastic waste to poorer nations?
4. Do you agree that the environmental focus should shift from recycling to drastically reducing overall consumption?
5. Describe a time when a lack of clear labeling made it impossible for you to recycle a product correctly.
6. To what extent should individuals prioritize buying products made from recycled materials over virgin ones?
7. What role does infrastructure (e.g., sorting centers, collection vehicles) play in the feasibility of a city’s recycling program?
8. How do cultural norms about cleanliness and disposal affect the quality of recycled materials collected?
9. Discuss the psychological phenomenon of “wishcycling”—throwing non-recyclables into the bin hoping they will be recycled.
10. What are the challenges of making recycled materials cost-competitive with new, cheap virgin materials?
11. How does the concept of “extended producer responsibility” (EPR) shift the burden of recycling?
12. Should public funding prioritize research into new, easily recyclable materials or improving existing waste infrastructure?
13. What is the difference between mechanical recycling (melting) and chemical recycling (molecular breakdown)?
14. Discuss the concept of a “circular economy” and its reliance on effective recycling.
15. What is the long-term impact of consistently low recycling rates on ocean and terrestrial pollution?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the reliance on complex, multi-layered plastic packaging complicate the entire recycling value chain?
2. What are the ethical arguments about the immense amount of energy and water consumed during the recycling process?
3. Should governments legally mandate that all new products contain a minimum percentage of post-consumer recycled material?
4. What are the psychological reasons why people feel a sense of moral accomplishment from recycling, even if their impact is small?
5. How has the dominance of single-use, disposable culture undermined decades of public education about recycling?
6. Discuss the idea that mass recycling is a distraction from the more urgent need to drastically reduce manufacturing output.
7. What is the role of legal frameworks in preventing companies from using vague or deceptive “greenwashing” claims?
8. How do our cultural perceptions of cleanliness and disposal affect the stigma associated with buying and using recycled goods?
9. What are the challenges of recycling hazardous or highly toxic waste materials safely and effectively?
10. Discuss the concept of “planned obsolescence” and how it actively works against the goals of a circular economy.
11. What is the difference between a product that is “recyclable” (technically possible) and one that is “recycled” (actually processed)?
12. Should there be stricter rules about the quality of recycled content used in high-safety items (e.g., medical devices)?
13. What is the impact of low global oil prices on the economic incentive to use expensive recycled plastic over cheap new plastic?
14. How does the history of waste management reflect the evolving public understanding of environmental consequences?
15. Discuss the idea that personal commitment to recycling is the easiest, but least impactful, action an individual can take.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that correlate with low participation in recycling programs (e.g., lack of space, education, or time).
2. To what degree should the legal system restrict the production of materials (e.g., non-recyclable multi-layer films) that pollute the environment?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “stewardship” and humanity’s moral obligation to manage planetary waste resources.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of current global frameworks (e.g., Basel Convention) in regulating the international trade of recyclable waste.
5. How does the strategic use of visual design and clear instructions influence the compliance rates of public recycling systems?
6. Examine the legal challenges of holding corporations accountable for plastic pollution created by products manufactured decades ago.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of waste-tracking technology (e.g., GPS tags) to monitor individual or corporate disposal habits?
8. Discuss the concept of “downcycling”—recycling into a lower-quality product—and whether it should still be counted as a success.
9. How do different national policies on waste incineration and landfill taxes affect the economic viability of recycling infrastructure?
10. Analyze the interplay between the increasing global demand for raw materials and the finite capacity of recycling technology to meet it.
11. What ethical challenges arise when new recycling technologies are developed that only benefit wealthy nations with sophisticated infrastructure?
12. Debate whether a system of total product standardization (e.g., using only one type of plastic globally) would solve the recycling crisis.
13. How does the architecture of waste processing plants reflect the technological limitations of current recycling methods?
14. Discuss the concept of “producer responsibility” and the shift in focus from consumer sorting to industrial design.
15. To what extent does the emotional commitment to personal recycling blind citizens to the much larger problem of industrial waste?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that recycling is fundamentally a palliative measure that postpones, but does not solve, the problem of finite resources?
2. Formulate a critique of the global waste management system’s failure to incorporate social equity and environmental justice into its core operations.
3. Analyze the intersection of complexity theory, material science, and the challenge of designing closed-loop systems for all consumer goods.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “waste” (unwanted output) and “resource” (potential input) in the circular economy model.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of global environmental agreements in enforcing mandatory, standardized recycling targets across diverse nations.
6. Propose a system for product design that uses a mandatory “passport” detailing all material components and their required end-of-life processing.
7. Examine the psychological function of ritualized, domestic recycling in providing a sense of personal moral cleanliness regarding the environment.
8. How does the semiotics of recycling symbols (the chasing arrows) communicate a global message of sustainability that may not be factually accurate?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of chemists and material scientists in refusing to invent new, non-recyclable composite materials.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between cycles of economic growth and the corresponding increase in both disposable culture and waste volume.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the consumer’s demand for low-cost products and the high financial cost of comprehensive, ethical recycling.
12. Debate whether a system of mandatory “take-back” requirements for all manufacturers would fundamentally eliminate consumer waste sorting.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory public recycling education on environmental literacy and civic compliance.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘sustainability’ and whether current recycling practices genuinely meet this threshold.
15. How might the principles of material flow analysis be used to model processes of organizational resource efficiency and supply chain management?
