Rubbish Responsibility
Image courtesy of Felton
By Heather Barker Vermeer Industry Reporter
Boards have a responsibility to ensure schools eliminate their waste with as little negative impact on the environment as possible. Separating waste is the first practical step in managing your school’s rubbish. This is obviously made much easier if the varieties of waste are separated from the moment of disposal. Having a colourful collection of clearly labelled bins is a must, with rubbish receptacles for glass, paper, plastic, cans and organic waste or food waste provided to cater for the size of your school. Placing these in strategic locations of high food use and at main entrances will provide a strong start in making life easier for all involved in your school’s reduce-reuse-recycle mission. Food waste is a relative newcomer to the green table, compared with cans and paper, and can offer many learning opportunities in theory and practice, especially for younger students.
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How responsible is your school when it comes to waste and recycling?
Installing a worm farm is a fun path embraced by many schools for multiple learning, with the practical benefits of being able to dispose of food waste as well as feed your school’s garden with homegrown nutrients after the worms have done their thing. You can also save on the costs of fertilisers and remove chemicals from your gardens as a result. Or, increasingly popular in the mission to minimise waste are other creatures - hens. You could consider introducing a flock to your school to feed on the organic waste and pay you back with fresh eggs! The compost bin market has ballooned in recent years and there are options for sizes, shapes, colours, and materials to match your space. Running sessions on how to use them could not only prove popular with pupils but with parents too.
Schools can also approach specialist providers for educational resources and marketing materials to promote recycling awareness around your school. For example, posters to remind students which bin is for which materials can go a long way towards streamlining your school’s waste management. How to carry out a waste audit is also something your local council can likely advise on, or there are many organisations out there offering to lead the way, for ease and expertise at your fingertips. One key target area for schools is waste reduction. Many schools now encourage students to bring less packaging into school, with an onus on reducing the amount of non-recyclable wrapping that makes it through the gates. Reward schemes can be effective in keeping real rubbish out. Written reports
PROPERTY
on school waste audit findings and subsequent action plans can be shared with the school community to encourage buy-in and maximise impact at minimising waste. Time your initiative to maximise community impact: National Recycling Week launched in 1996 and takes place November 7-11, 2022.
Initiative Guidance For Schools From Recycling Scheme Pros Felton National Sales Manager Gus White recommended colourful bin enclosures and effective branding for schools looking to improve waste management. “Having bin enclosures in different colours or with different coloured decals aids the success of recycling schemes and offers a simple yet effective way to improve waste collection in schools. Using colours to highlight where items go is beneficial as kids quickly learn to associate colours with rubbish and recycling options, helping them to place recycling or rubbish in the correct bin enclosures. “The common colour for waste is red, yellow for cans and bottle recycling, green for organic matter, and blue for paper and cardboard. Term 2, 2022 | school-news.com.au
