Pupil worksheet
How can plastic travel from a street to the sea?
Read, think and draw. Use paper or a document provided by your teacher. You do not need an account or to send personal details to KEO.
Read and wonder
A dropped wrapper does not always stay put. Wind or rain can move litter into drains or streams. Some reaches rivers and the sea. Animals can become tangled in plastic or mistake pieces for food.
Plastic can break into smaller pieces without disappearing. Very small pieces are called microplastics. Preventing unnecessary waste and reusing suitable items can help. Recycling is useful, but local schemes accept different materials. Adults, businesses and governments also decide how products are made and waste is collected. Children do not have to solve this problem alone.
Three things to know
- Litter can travel through waterways.
- Plastic can fragment without disappearing.
- Reducing waste and reusing items help prevent waste.
- Litter on a street
- Wind or rain moves it to a waterway
- Some reaches the sea
Words to explore
- Microplastics
- Plastic pieces smaller than five millimetres.
- Reuse
- Use an item again instead of throwing it away.
Think it through
1. How could a wrapper reach a river?
2. Has plastic disappeared when it breaks into tiny pieces?
3. How could waste be prevented before recycling is needed?
Try it
Draw a possible journey for a wrapper. Add two places where adults could prevent it reaching the sea, such as better collection or covered bins. Do not collect litter.
Sources and credits
Lesson summary and activity prepared for Kids.Earth.Org. Factual sources checked 5 November 2026.