Students Years 10-12
Welcome to the GO Game Changers resource hub.
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As you prepare for life beyond secondary school, understanding Australia's transition to a sustainable, circular economy becomes about more than just the environment. This transition is also a core driver of future industry, innovation, and local career opportunities right here in the City of Ipswich.​
The BIG IDEAS behind GO Game Changers include:
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What is the problem with Waste?
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Why Recycling systems matter.
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Understanding GO Waste.
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How to be a GO Game Changer.
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This toolkit is your go-to place to learn about waste and find out the opportunities that exist right in your backyard!
Got a question or idea? Send it to the Go Game Changers team at ipswich@project-go.com.au​
What is the problem with waste?
Every day, we throw things away: food scraps, packaging, and broken stuff. But much of what we call “waste” is actually a resource in the wrong place.
If we manage it properly, those resources can be turned into something useful again.​
When rubbish goes into our red-lid general waste bins, it’s sent to landfill.
If recyclable or reusable items end up there by mistake, valuable natural resources can’t be reused or recovered. More waste in landfill also means more methane gas is released, which is a powerful greenhouse gas with a global warming effect around 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚).
A landfill site filled with waste.
Landfill doesn’t have to be the end of the story. When we recycle, compost, or reuse, waste becomes a resource. That means less pollution, fewer greenhouse gases, and more materials that can go back into making new things.​​
How much waste do you think Queensland generates each year?
Queensland generates over 10 million tonnes of waste each year, and the amount is still growing.
HOVER to find out!
This process of using waste as a resource is part of Australia's transition to a circular economy, a system where resources are kept in circulation through processes like recycling, composting, reusing, repurposing and remanufacturing. In 2024, only 4.3% of Australia's economy was 'circular', representing a significant opportunity to increase waste recovery and close the loop!
Want to learn more?
Visit the following websites to learn more about the circular economy and how you can contribute to it:​
What Goes Where?
In Ipswich, every household has three main kerbside bins. Knowing what goes in each bin is one of the simplest ways to contribute to a circular economy.
RED LID
General Waste:
Non-recyclable items like disposable/takeaway coffee cups, plastic bags, broken ceramics, and food scraps (if not composted at home) should go in the general waste bin.
YELLOW LID
Recycling:
Recyclable items like paper, cardboard, firm plastics, glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans should go in the recycling bin. Items must be put into the recycling bin clean and loose, never bagged.
GREEN LID
GO (Garden Organics):
Natural materials from your garden like grass clippings, leaves, weeds, shrubs, prunings, loose bark and twigs should go into the Garden Organics (GO) bin.
Words to Know
Knowing the key terms featured in GO Game Changers will help you learn more about recycling and sustainability. Review these vocabulary words and test your friends!
GO GAME CHANGERS - Digital Experience takes you through three interactive levels that make you lean in, click, and get curious. Each stage blends dynamic sketch comedy and digital challenges to keep you engaged from start to finish. As you progress, you’ll uncover the concepts behind the problem with waste, why recycling systems matter, understanding GO waste, and how YOU can be a GO Game Changer.
Ready to change the game? Work your way through the 3 interactive levels below!
Level 1 - What is the Problem with Waste? & Why Recycling Systems Matter.
Lights, camera... landfill! Join chaotic news anchors Ben and Sandra for Level 1 as you uncover the truth about waste, landfill, and recycling.
Level 2 - Understanding GO Waste &
How to be a GO Game Changer.
Ready to level up? Dive into Level 2 with detective Cole Lector and lab tech Pam as they crack the case of a plastic bag in the GO waste bin, and uncover how sorting waste correctly can help us all become GO Game Changers.
Level 3 - The Final Test.
Your time to shine! Test your skills and step up as a GO Game Changer in the final level.
Careers in Recycling and Sustainability
The recycling and sustainability sector is one of Australia’s fastest-growing industries, driven by the national transition to a circular economy. This sector offers diverse career pathways across several high-impact disciplines:
Engineering & Technology: Designing advanced material recovery facilities (MRFs), automated composting systems, and innovative waste-to-energy plants. These roles are critical in shaping Australia's circular economy!
Environmental Science: Conducting research into new ways to reuse materials and protect ecosystems. Scientists in this field analyse the science behind resource recovery.
Logistics & Supply Chain Operations: Managing complex collection networks, optimising bin systems, and overseeing the operations of recycling plants. These roles ensure that materials like glass, paper, and garden organics are efficiently recovered rather than lost to landfill.
Policy & Community Engagement: Local councils, working alongside state and federal governments, offer a diverse range of high-impact roles that make a real difference to communities and the environment. From waste truck drivers to strategy advisors designing long-term resource recovery and sustainability strategies, these roles help turn policy into real world action. Community Engagement and Education teams play a vital part in activating, informing and uniting communities behind Council-led recycling and sustainability initiatives.
Trades & Sustainable Construction: Developing sustainable infrastructure and integrating recycled materials into modern building projects. Opportunities exist for specialised electricians and technicians within the growing renewable energy and resource recovery industry.
Careers in this sector go far beyond waste: they’re about designing, improving, and managing the systems that will shape our future. So whether you’re passionate about science, problem-solving, community work, or technology, there’s a place for you in Australia's circular economy.
Student Resources
Below you can find additional student resources to download.
