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Lesson 7 of 8
  • Year 9

Repair, maintenance and recycling

I can explore how the repair, maintenance and recycling of products can be encouraged.

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View unit
Lesson 7 of 8
New
New
  • Year 9

Repair, maintenance and recycling

I can explore how the repair, maintenance and recycling of products can be encouraged.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Design decisions can influence the environmental impact at the repair, maintenance and recycling stages.
  2. Methods of recycling can be creative.

Keywords

  • Design decisions - a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

  • Upcycling - creating something new from something obsolete

  • Modular design - a design approach where a product is made up of separate, interchangeable parts or modules

  • Maintenance - regular care and small fixes to keep a product working properly and lasting longer

  • Obsolete - a product that is no longer used or useful

Common misconception

Repair, maintenance and recycling is the sole responibility of the user.

Design decisions made at the design/redesign stage can determine the ease and ability of a product to be repaired, maintained and recycled.


To help you plan your year 9 design and technology lesson on: Repair, maintenance and recycling, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Have a look around homes/schools for products that can be repaired or maintained and then products that have been manufactured from recycled materials or upcycled. We bet your D&T department is full of great examples!
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, what percentage of a product's environmental impact is influenced by decisions made at the design stage?

60
70
Correct answer: 80
90

Q2.
Which of these products helps reduce waste during the product in use stage?

disposable plastic water bottles
Correct answer: reusable beeswax wraps
non-rechargeable batteries
single-use coffee cups

Q3.
A design approach where a product is made up of separate, interchangeable parts is know as what?

iterative design
Correct answer: modular design
life cycle design
innovative design

Q4.
A product’s life cycle when following a linear economy can be defined as ...

Correct answer: cradle to grave.
cradle to cradle.
grave to cradle.
linear to circular.

Q5.
Which are examples of products that follow a linear economy?

clothing made from recycled polymer bottles
re-rechargeable batteries
Correct answer: disposable nappy
Correct answer: single use straws

Q6.
Regular care and small fixes to keep a product working properly and lasting longer is know as .

Correct Answer: maintenance

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What are standard components or fixings?

Correct answer: ready-made parts like screws, zips, or knock down fittings
bespoke parts like screws, zips, or knock down fittings
specialist parts like screws, zips, or knock down fittings

Q2.
Which of the following is a design decision that helps prevent a product from becoming obsolete?

using specialist parts
designing products with sealed, non repairable parts
Correct answer: creating modular designs with replaceable parts
gluing all components permanently together

Q3.
When a product can no longer be maintained or repaired, a decision must be made as to whether it should become waste or be .

Correct Answer: recycled

Q4.
Put the process of recycling polymers of order.

1 - Bottles are recycled by the user.
2 - Bottles are sorted into polymer categories.
3 - Bottles are shredded.
4 - Shredded polymers are washed.
5 - Polymer manufacturing processes create products.
6 - New polymer products manufactured and sold.