|
Ministerial Acknowledgement
Acknowledged by the NSW Minister for EducationIn January 2024, the Hon Prue Car MP, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Education and Early Learning, personally acknowledged Learn Recycle in writing. “Congratulations to Kiaan on taking the initiative and developing this application. It is interesting to see Kiaan’s use of gamification to drive user interest in an important topic such as this.” — The Hon Prue Car MP, Deputy Premier of NSW The Minister also referred Learn Recycle to the Leader of Digital Education Solutions at the NSW Department of Education for further discussion. For a free, child-led Australian app built to support early sustainability education, this acknowledgement is an important milestone. |
|
Why Schools Need It
Making Sustainability Learning Simple for Young ChildrenRecycling can be confusing for young children. Different items. Different bins. Different rules. Schools and early learning centres are already teaching sustainability, but young children need something visual, hands-on and easy to repeat. Learn Recycle makes this easier. It turns everyday items into interactive sorting activities. Children scan a bottle, a food scrap or a cereal box, drag it into the right bin and get instant friendly feedback. They learn by doing, not by being told. The result is recycling education that feels like play but builds real, lasting understanding. |
How Schools Can Use Learn Recycle
Learn Recycle is flexible enough to work in many different classroom settings and learning moments.
|
📱
Group LearningTeacher uses the app on a shared tablet or classroom screen. Children watch, discuss and respond together. Works for whole-class or small group sessions. |
🔍
Hands-On SortingChildren take turns scanning real items or selecting items inside the app. They drag each item into Compost, Recycling or Rubbish and receive instant feedback. |
🌱
Sustainability LessonsSupports topics already being taught — recycling, composting, waste reduction and caring for the environment. Gives lessons a practical, interactive dimension. |
🏠
Home ConnectionChildren can continue learning at home with their families. The same app, the same three bins, the same friendly feedback. Learning continues beyond the school day. |
Suitable for Every Early Learning Environment
|
👶
Day Care CentresGuided visual learning for very young children. An educator leads the session and children respond together. No reading required. Even children aged 3 can participate and enjoy it. |
🎒
PreschoolsGroup activities, item recognition and early sustainability habits. Supports the Early Years Learning Framework through play-based environmental learning. |
🏫
Primary SchoolsInteractive recycling lessons, classroom discussions and practical waste sorting for Kindergarten through Year 2. Children can use both modes independently at this stage. |
🤝
Community ProgramsUseful for council programs, library sessions, school holiday activities and environmental education events. Any setting where young children are learning about sustainability. |
|
Learning Outcomes
What Children LearnThrough scanning, sorting and receiving friendly feedback, children build real recycling knowledge. By the end of a session with Learn Recycle, children are able to: Recognise common everyday items from home and school Understand the difference between Compost, Recycling and Rubbish Sort items into the correct bin with confidence Learn from friendly feedback when they choose the wrong bin Understand that some items like batteries need adult help Build recycling habits that carry into daily life at home and school |
|
Educator Benefits
Why Educators Choose Learn RecycleEasy to introduceNo complicated setup. Download the app, open it and begin. A teacher can have it running in a classroom within minutes. Visual and age-appropriateDesigned for children aged 3 to 8. Every element is visual, simple and child-friendly. No reading required for younger learners. Supports group discussionTeachers can pause the app and ask: which bin does this belong in? Why? A simple sorting activity becomes a rich classroom conversation about sustainability. Encourages participationChildren take turns scanning, choosing and sorting. Every child gets a moment to contribute. The app makes participation feel rewarding rather than pressured. Free with no ongoing costsNo subscriptions. No licences. No budget required. Learn Recycle is free to download and free to use in any school or early learning setting. |
Curriculum Connections
Connecting to the Australian CurriculumSustainability cross-curriculum priorityDirectly addresses sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority by helping children understand waste, recycling and environmental responsibility from an early age. Science — Earth and Space SciencesChildren explore how materials can be reused, recycled or composted, connecting classroom science with practical real-world action. Personal and Social CapabilityChildren make decisions, receive feedback and develop confidence in their ability to contribute positively to the environment around them. Early Years Learning FrameworkSupports play-based learning, identity, wellbeing and connection to the world — all key outcomes of the EYLF used in Australian early childhood settings. |
Classroom Activities Using Learn Recycle
These activities can be run with minimal preparation in any classroom or early learning setting.
|
🍱
Lunchbox Sorting ActivityAfter lunch, children look at their packaging — wrappers, containers, fruit peels — and use the app to find out which bin each item belongs in. Connects recycling directly to a child’s daily routine. |
🏆
Scan and Sort ChallengeThe teacher scans items from around the classroom one at a time. Children vote on which bin they think it belongs in before the app reveals the answer. Works brilliantly on a shared screen. |
🌿
Compost versus RubbishUse real food scraps and packaging examples to explore the difference between organic waste and general rubbish. Children are often surprised by what can and cannot be composted. |
|
♻️
Recycling Week ActivityUse Learn Recycle during National Recycling Week, Clean Up Australia Day or your school sustainability week. Children can track scores, compete in friendly challenges and take the app home to continue learning. |
🚶
Bin Audit WalkTake children on a walk around the school to look at the bins. Before and after, use Learn Recycle to reinforce which items belong where. Connecting the app to the physical environment deepens understanding. |
🏡
Take Home ChallengeAsk children to play Learn Recycle at home with a parent or carer and bring back one thing they learned. A simple way to extend sustainability learning beyond the classroom and into family life. |
|
About Learn Recycle
A Child-Led Initiative with a Real PurposeLearn Recycle was created by Kiaan, a young Australian student who began building the app at age 8 and published it at age 12. He wanted to help younger children understand recycling in a way that felt simple, visual and genuinely fun. What makes Learn Recycle different from other education tools is that it was built by someone who was recently a child himself. Kiaan understood what young learners needed because he was one. That perspective shaped every decision in the app. Kiaan is now in Year 10 and continues to develop and improve Learn Recycle. His goal is to see it used in schools and early learning environments across Australia. |
Learn Recycle in the Classroom
Watch how Learn Recycle works with real children in a real classroom setting.