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Junior Cycle Engineering: Sustainability & upcycling

How often Sustainability & upcycling comes up on the Engineering papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

CL Asked on 5 of the last 5 Common Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker

Sustainability & upcycling, Common Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Sustainability & upcycling.

(a)What is upcycling?
  1. Breaking waste down into raw material again
  2. Reusing waste to make a better, new product
  3. Burying waste safely in a landfill site
(b)Which of these is an example of upcycling?
  1. Sending old plastic to a landfill site
  2. Melting cans down into new sheet metal
  3. Making a desk lamp from old gear wheels
(c)What is a carbon footprint?
  1. Total greenhouse gas caused by an activity
  2. The coal a power station burns in a day
  3. The mark a tyre leaves on the road
Show the answers

(a) Reusing waste to make a better, new product

(b) Making a desk lamp from old gear wheels

(c) Total greenhouse gas caused by an activity

Your turn: Common Level questions on Sustainability & upcycling.

Common Level

Asked on 5 of the last 5 Common Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2026Q1b, Q4c
2025Q3b
2024Q3a, Q4d
2023Q1b, Q2f, Q3a, Q3b
2022Q2b, Q4e

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Sustainability & upcycling questions

Sustainability & upcycling, 3 marks

Which choice would lower the carbon footprint of a new product?

  1. Flying in parts from the far side of the world
  2. Making it heavier than it needs to be
  3. Using local, recycled materials
Show the answer

Using local, recycled materials

Extracting raw materials, transport and extra material all add emissions. Local, recycled and less material means less energy used, so a smaller carbon footprint.

Other Engineering topics

All of Junior Cycle Engineering