Schools being Waste Wise

Over 100 teachers in Canberra have attended Waste Wise Schools workshops and are implementing this exciting initiative in their school! In 2006, the Best Practice Guide:Your Action Plan booklet was developed to help schools become Waste Wise in a simple, easy-to-follow, and step-by-step format. It has received much positive praise since schools began to use the booklet in April. Teachers have also participated in two "Networking, Nibbles and Natter" events where they had the chance to share their journey with other schools and pick up tips and fresh ideas.

Not only that, in 2006, over 4000 students toured our recycling and waste facilities at Hume, which is a great way for students to learn about what happens to the waste that they produce. Examples include:

• Waste Wise Schools Program
• Resources
• Accreditation Process
• Tours of the MRF and Landfill

What is the Waste Wise Schools Program?

Waste Wise Schools was originally an initiative of EcoRecycle (now Sustainability Victoria) that assisted hundreds of Victorian schools to minimise waste and reduce litter. The goal of the ACT Waste Wise Schools Program is to foster the development of a Waste Wise ethic throughout the school community and by doing so, change cultural habits and attitudes to waste, so that waste is seen as potential resources to be reused or recycled.

The ACT's Waste Wise Schools Program has taken on a new look and feel in 2006 with the development of its Best Practice Guide:Your Action Plan. It is designed to be a living document to hold all of the information your school needs to become a Waste Wise School. The Best Practice Guide is broken down into 6 Best Practice Phases which are outlined in a step-by-step fashion.

Teacher Workshops

The Waste Wise Schools Program conducts teacher workshops ( PDF 152Kb) which cover:

• How to develop and introduce effective waste and litter reduction strategies in your school
• How to easily incorporate waste and litter education into your school's curriculum at all levels
• How to make full use of Waste Wise Schools services and resources.

No dates have been set for 2007 workshops, but if you are interested in participating, please fill in the registration form ( Word 2Mb) and either fax or post it to ACT NOWaste. We will then be in touch to arrange an appropriate time and place for participants.

Waste in Schools

Many schools in the ACT are beginning to adopt waste wise actions such as composting and worm farming. Other initiatives include paper and cardboard recycling, environment clubs, vegetable gardens, using shredded paper as mulch and animal bedding, parent surveys, 'Rubbish Free Lunch Days', school waste audits and community clean up days. These programs give students responsibility and skills in teamwork, leadership and planning.

Surveys have shown that paper and organic waste make up 50-70% of the waste stream. By simply recycling paper and cardboard and composting food scraps, a school can easily halve the garbage it sends to landfill. Waste hoppers can then be reduced in size, which should save the school money on collection costs.