Recycle: Part 1

By SANDY McKAY, Illustrator JENNA PACKER

"Every year, in the developed world, an average person throws away - 45 kilograms of plastic, two trees worth of paper and cardboard, 160 cans and 107 bottles."

When our teacher Mr Read came back after the Christmas holidays we thought he'd flipped his lid. We'd seen it happen before - to Miss Frizell.

It was the end of the year and she started throwing these wobblies for no reason.

We'd be sitting there minding our own business and Rodney Stevenson would get bored and flick a paper clip at Lizzie Bennett and she'd yelp like a cat whose tail's just been stood on and suddenly, out of the blue, Miss Frizell would explode.

First, her face would go red as a beetroot, then she'd jam her lips together, squint her eyes up tight and hurl her duster at Rodney's back (which was all of Rodney she ever saw from the front of the classroom).

Publisher: Longacre Press, $14.95
Age group: 9-14 years