Schools are a great place to increase the awareness of waste minimisation.

WasteWise schools 
 

The Regional WasteWise Schools programme engages students in waste reduction practices that they can transfer into their home and everyday life. This programme encourages schools to cultivate sustainable practices and see waste as a resource. The aim of this programme is to:
• reduce waste
• conserve natural resources
• reduce the need for landfill (tips)
• foster sustainable behaviour.
Schools involved in the programme are assisted by a facilitator over a period of two years. This is a stepping stone to the Enviroschools programme. Click the link below to find out about the regional WasteWise Schools programme.

Information on joining WasteWise Schools 

 

Enviroschools

 

This programme encourages schools to think and act sustainably. Students develop skills, knowledge and understanding through planning, designing and creating a sustainable school. There are around twenty Enviroschools in the Franklin District, however funding for this programme was reduced in 2009. Follow the link below for further information about the Enviroschools programme.

Enviroschools
 

Do a School waste audit
 

Schools can find out the amount and types of waste they are creating by doing a waste audit. A weeks worth of waste from the school can be stored, then sorted and weighed by students. Audit results provide useful information for making changes and measuring progress. Visit the following link for guidance and resources for conducting a school waste audit, including data collection templates.

Measuring Change
 

Kerbside recycling for schools

As an extension of the household kerbside recycling collection schools in the Pukekohe, Waiuku, Tuakau and Clarks Beach townships can participate in recycling. Schools can get up to three bins per property unit. See the Recycling Franklin page for information about what can and cannot be recycled. Contact Customer Services on 09 237 1300 or visit the contact us section to request recycling bins.
 

Tips for minimising waste at school
 

• Consider the packaging that is bought into the school via the school tuck shop or cafeteria. if you have a wide variety of packaging to recycle, simplify the process by only buying in items with one type packaging eg plastic drink bottles (which are easily recycled) instead of having to deal with plastic and aluminium and tetra packs and glass.
• Purchase products that are made from recycled materials (especially paper).
• Reuse scrap paper and envelopes. Students could develop reuse labels for school envelopes.
• Encourage staff and students to use reusable products such as cups, drink bottles, lunch boxes and plates.
• Start a compost system at school. Make or buy traditional compost bins, worm farms or bokashi units. Food scraps from students’ lunches and the staff room can be used to feed a whole school or single classroom bin. Anywhere that there is food preparation carried out, such as the school cafeteria or tuck shop, it is likely that there will be an excellent source of material for the worm farm or compost bin.
• Join in the Council kerbside recycling service (where available) to recycle glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans, and plastic containers (numbered 1 - 7) in the blue bins.
• Get a cardboard cage and paper recycling bins for the school office and put paper recycling boxes in each classroom.
• Adopt ‘Litterless lunches’. This focuses on the contents of students’ lunch boxes, promoting reusable lunch boxes and drink bottles, encouraging parents to avoid using pre-packaged foods, and plastic wrap. Some schools also get students to take their rubbish home, which reduces litter at school.
• Recycle old school computer equipment. Now companies take old computer and electronic equipment and either refurbish them for use for by charities or in poorer countries or dismantle them to retrieve the reusable metals and components.
 

Create your own Eden school resource
 

Composting at School Guide
 

This guide provides practical information on how to set up a composting system at your school. Learn why we should compost and who to involve in your school system. The guide includes specific sections on how to set up and maintain traditional composting, worm farming and bokashi systems. It also provides case studies of successful composting systems at primary and secondary schools and a kindergarten operating in both rural and urban situations. Follow the link below to download the guide:
• Create your own Eden Composting at School Guide (pdf, 9.21MB)

 

Teacher Resources
 

The Create your own Eden school resource has been designed to provide assistance to teachers at all levels to integrate school composting systems into the curriculum. It includes:
• Curriculum integration, including an inquiry approach to learning about composting.
• Composting information, facts, glossary and learning activity ideas for teachers.
• A data collection sheet for monitoring school composting systems.
• Useful websites, school journals and books.
• A set of learning activities and worksheets
Also download posters for use around the school, in classrooms, administration areas and staffrooms, or use them as a basis for students to make their own posters.
• What should go in the Compost Bin?
• What should go in the Worm farm?
• What should go in the Bokashi?
Visit the Create your own Eden website to download all these free resources:
www.createyourowneden.org.nz
 

Project ideas for teachers and students

• Have the students research and develop a zero-waste policy or a ‘green’ procurement policy for your school operations.
• Educate students and share waste minimisation and recycling messages with displays in your school library, hall or reception area.
• Run a poster competition to encourage everyone at school to think about waste minimisation and recycling. Ask a local business to provide prizes.
• Use the school newsletter to tell parents what they can do to reduce their waste eg. give tips about how to make a 'Litterless Lunch'.
• If your school has morning notices use the opportunity to broadcast recycling messages such as 'Remember to put your recycling in the right bin'; or give updates on how the school is progressing towards recycling targets.
• Start a compost system at your school – or a mini composter or worm farm in your class room.
• Bottle liquid from your worm farm, make labels and sell it back to parents as a fantastic fertilizer for their gardens!
• Hold a school wearable art ‘trash to fashion’ show.
 

Sort It! online recycling game
 

Sort It! is the recycling game that gauges how much you know about where your rubbish should go. This online, interactive educational resource for children, teachers and parents was developed by North Shore City Council (and is based on the North Shore City Council’s rubbish and recycling collections). Click the link below to check out the game.
Sort it!
 

Useful resource links

Auckland Regional Council: for information about how to reduce your waste by what you buy.
www.arc.govt.nz
Zero Waste New Zealand Trust: for information about working towards 'zero waste and sustainable New Zealand'.
www.zerowaste.co.nz
Recycling Operators of New Zealand Inc (RONZ): for information about recycling symbols for bins.
www.ronz.org.nz
Plastics New Zealand: for information about plastics in New Zealand.
www.plastics.org.nz
CANZBAC: for information about recycling steel cans in New Zealand.
www.canzbac.co.nz
O-I NZ: for facts and information about glass recycling in New Zealand and the NZ Glass Environmental Fund available to schools.
www.recycleglass.co.nz
HazMobile – for information on hazardous wastes and how to dispose of them correctly.
www.hazmobile.govt.nz
Be a Tidy Kiwi: for facts on litter, information on how to encourage others not to litter and local anti-litter promotions in your area.
www.beatidykiwi.org.nz
Ollie’s World – An online interactive site where students can join Ollie and his friends as they save the planet by reducing, reusing and recycling.
www.olliesworld.com