Welcome back to Term 3!
Edgewater Primary School
Looking for ideas on what to do to improve your waste avoidance and recovery practices at school? Edgewater Primary School have got you covered. With so many different projects on the go, one is sure to inspire change at your school.
Compost and gardening
At Edgewater PS, scraps are collected from the staff room and canteen to be earth-cycled through the compost tumbler and worm farm. The compost and leachate are then reintegrated into their vegetable garden where they grow fruits, vegetable and herbs which are used in the canteen. By doing this they can reduce the amount of store-bought products they use, minimising both food waste and plastic packaging.
Edgewater PS also have a bush tucker garden, where they grow native flora which is commonly used within Indigenous communities. They use these ingredients for cooking and to learn how they are used by Aboriginal people. By doing this they aim to increase their student's knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Recycling
This year Edgewater PS have established 'recycling hubs'. Each cluster of the school has a four-drawer hub, where students and their families can recycle aluminium ring pulls, lids, plastic bread tags and used writing instruments. For Term Two, they participated in the Wonder Bread recycling program. This community-wide program encouraged students and families to recycle their old plastic bread bags in return for points which can be spent on new sports equipment for the school.
On top of all this, they also have paper and cardboard recycling, coffee cup recycling through 7-Eleven, aluminium can recycling through Scouts WA and battery recycling!
Staff and student engagement
To engage students with sustainable practices, Edgewater PS conduct 'Waste Free Lunch Days'. On these days the Sustainability Leadership Team weighs the amount of waste from each classroom and the classroom with the least amount of waste wins the 'Golden Lunchbox'.
In Term 2 this year they also held a school-wide competition known as Sustainability Bingo, with the aim of increasing the number of sustainability-themed activities being taught in each classroom. Each class was given a bingo board, with different activities to complete. The classes that completed the most activities could earn prizes at the end. The teachers were provided with a bank of resources to make planning the activities as easy as possible.
We would like to thank Adam Smith for sharing this information with us. We love hearing about the amazing projects that are happening out there in our WasteSorted Schools!
If you would like more information on becoming an accredited WasteSorted School or have success stories of your own to share, get in touch at wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au
Upcoming Metro Workshops
Student Meet: waste and sustainability in secondary schools
Date: Tuesday 1st August
Time: 4pm – 7pm
Venue: St Norbert College, Queens Park
Hear from fellow secondary students about the successful waste management and sustainability practices they have implemented at their schools. Students will share their experiences and ideas about what they have set up, how they run it, and how they engage the rest of the school.
WasteSorted Schools and Clean Schools Workshop
Date: Wednesday 9th August
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: Resource Recovery Group's Canning Vale Education Centre
Join the team from WasteSorted Schools and Keep Australia Beautiful Council to learn how to avoid and recover waste, and protect our environment, through litter prevention and waste reduction. This workshop will also include a tour of the Resource Recovery Group's Canning Vale Centre.
Register: WasteSorted Schools and Clean Schools workshop Tickets, Wed, Aug 9, 2023 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite
WasteSorted Schools: Worms, Compost and Bush Tucker Gardens Workshop
Date: Tuesday 19th September
Time: 9.30am - 3pm
Venue: Canning River Environmental Education Centre
Join WasteSorted Schools for a day of garden talks and getting your hands dirty! Discussions will include composting, worm farming, growing food at school and closing the loop on organic recycling. Guest presenters include Robyn Brown from Waste is my Resource and Mark Tucek from Tuckerbush.
Upcoming Regional Workshops
WasteSorted Schools Food Waste and Organics Workshop - Geraldton
Date: Tuesday 5th September
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: St. Lawrence’s Primary School, Bluff Point
Join the team from WasteSorted Schools to learn how to avoid food waste and explore practical earth-cycling strategies such as composting, worm farming and edible food gardens.
Register: Food Waste & Organics workshop in Geraldton Registration, Tue, Sep 5, 2023 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite
WasteSorted Schools Food Waste and Organics workshop – Esperance
Date: Tuesday 17th October
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School, Esperance
Join the team from WasteSorted Schools to learn how to avoid food waste and explore practical earth-cycling strategies such as composting, worm farming and edible food gardens.
Register: Food Waste & Organics workshop in Esperance Registration, Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite
WasteSorted Schools Curriculum workshop – Albany
Date: Thursday 19th October
Time: 9am - 3pm
Venue: Albany Senior High School
Join WasteSorted Schools for a hands-on look at sorting your school waste. You will learn about how to get set up, assessing your school waste, engaging students, and integrating curriculum.
Register: WasteSorted Schools curriculum workshop in Albany Tickets, Thu, Oct 19, 2023 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite
WasteSorted Schools Grants 2023
Grants Closing 1st August.
WasteSorted Schools grants provide funding for schools to set up infrastructure and initiatives that avoid and recover school waste. Grants of up to $5,500 are available. All accredited WasteSorted Schools are eligible to apply.
Please see the website and grants webinar recording for information on how to apply .
Waste Audits
A waste audit is a fun learning activity and research tool, which is used to find out the types and amounts of waste produced by your school. Students audit waste from the general waste bins and sort it into different categories to see what waste is going to landfill.
To book your school’s 2023 waste audit contact us at wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au.
Low Waste Events
As we head into Semester Two, the number of school events seems to keep on growing. Often, an increase in events means an increase in waste. How can we plan ahead to avoid this happening?
- If you will be having a coffee van at your event, encourage community members to bring their own reusable cup. Some vendors are happy to offer a discount for customers providing their own cups.
- Contact your local Containers for Change depot and see if they can provide you with bins to collect eligible containers and raise money for your school at your next school event. Where To Return Your 10¢ Containers | Containers for Change WA
- Consider buying a set of reusable plates and cups that can be used for class parties. Many schools find this small investment reduces the need for single-use items that will spend a lifetime in landfill.
- Find out who can help. Contact your local or regional council to see what waste management services they might be able to provide for you.
Waste Wise Events (wmrc.wa.gov.au)
Loan_boxes_flyer_New_Feb_2023.pdf (emrcsustainability.com.au)
Plastic Free July
This Plastic Free July inspire your school to make a difference with solutions to single-use plastic. School staff, students, and parents can all be involved in the global Plastic Free Schools challenge in a fun and engaging way. This free initiative is aimed at supporting schools with useful resources, activities, stories and ideas.
Follow the link below for more information and to sign up for the challenge.
Plastic Free Schools challenge | Plastic Free July
You can also check out our WasteSorted Schools Plastic Free July curriculum guide and Waste-fFree Lunch Toolkit for ideas on how to avoid single-use plastics at school.
Keep Australia Beautiful Week
Keep Australia Beautiful Week runs from 7th-13th August. This year we are being encouraged to DO THE RIGHT THING & #ReduceWhatsInYourBin by choosing one of KAB’s 6R’s of Waste:
- Refuse
- Rot
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Restore.
For more information on how to get your school involved, follow the link below.
National Science Week
National Science Week runs from 12th to 20th August. This year’s theme is Innovation: Powering Future Industries.
The National Science Week Resource Book aims to equip teachers with the tools and resources necessary to inspire their students to think critically, creatively, and develop problem-solving skills. The Responsible Innovation project-based learning activity introduces the idea of responsible innovation and invites students to explore sustainability and waste in their school.
Follow the link to download this free resource.
Free Fundraising Toolkit
Register now for your FREE Containers for Change fundraising toolkit.
Each toolkit includes:
1 resource box filled with flyers, posters, bin stickers and guides to help get you started on your fundraising journey
1 green and white 240L Containers for Change bin
200 Containers for Change green mesh bags.
Hand these out to your volunteers, staff or students to get them involved in collecting 10¢ containers at home, school or out and about!
To register for a kit please follow the link: CommunityToolkit
What has four wheels and flies? - A rubbish truck.
