Term 4 Newsletter 2025

The team at WasteSorted Schools are here to support you and your school in your efforts to reduce waste to landfill. We can offer advice and support across a range of areas including applying for accreditation, grant applications, setting up waste stations, school visits and waste audits. Please feel free to get in touch, we are always here to help. 

Contact the WasteSorted Schools team on (08) 6364 6829 or  wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au.

Lynwood Senior High School (SHS) proudly hosted this year’s WasteSorted Schools Student Meet, welcoming 223 students and 28 staff from 21 schools across Perth. The event was a vibrant celebration of student-led sustainability, showcasing innovation, collaboration, and practical action. 

The event was coordinated by Lynwood’s Year 9 Environmental and Life Sciences (EaLS) students, under the guidance of teacher Natalie Paterson. These students took full ownership of the day—organising school tours, facilitating interactive activities between speaker sessions, and delivering a dynamic presentation highlighting Lynwood SHS’s current sustainability initiatives. 

In addition to Lynwood’s presentation, staff and students heard from Mazenod College, Belmont City College, and St Norbert College, who generously shared their experiences in establishing and managing sustainability projects. We were also joined by Sharka Hornakova from Donut Waste, who spoke about her journey into waste reduction and recycling, and how she built a career that aligns with her values and strengths. 

The WasteSorted Schools Student Meet coincided with the Lynwood SHS Sustainability Expo, adding another layer of engagement. Special thanks to the Year 8 EaLS students for developing and running their own stalls, and to the external organisations who contributed their time and expertise. Their involvement enriched the experience for both visiting students and the Lynwood SHS community.  

The day concluded with an overflowing Student Meet Pledge Board, filled with commitments from students to take action on waste avoidance and resource recovery in their schools. It was a powerful visual representation of a quote shared during Belmont City College’s presentation:  

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” 

If your school is interested in participating in future events or learning more about the WasteSorted Schools Student Meet, please contact wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au or watch the 2024 Student Meet video here.

Congratulations to the following schools for achieving 15 years of accreditation as a WasteSorted School so far this year!

• Beeliar Primary School
• Boyanup Primary School
• Creaney Primary School
• Dunsborough Primary School
• Forest Crescent Primary School
• Frankland River Primary School
• Girrawheen Senior High School
• Joondalup Primary School
• South Coogee Primary School
• Vasse Primary School

Congratulations to the following schools for achieving 10 years of accreditation as a WasteSorted School so far this year!

• Alkimos Primary School
• Belmont City College
• Ellenbrook Secondary College
• Falcon Primary School
• Guildford Primary School
• Hammond Park Catholic Primary School
• Kinross Primary School
• Leaning Tree Steiner School
• Malvern Springs Primary School
• Mother Teresa Catholic College - Primary Campus
• St Mary's School - Merredin
• The Silver Tree Steiner School
• West Greenwood Primary School
• Woodbridge Primary School

Congratulations to the following schools for achieving 5 years of accreditation as a WasteSorted School so far this year!

• Anne Hamersley Primary School
• Aveley North Primary School
• Bencubbin Primary School
• Cloverdale Primary School
• Kardinya Primary School
• Kerry Street Community School
• Mazenod College
• Mosman Park Primary School
• North Harrisdale Primary School
• Oakwood Primary School
• Ranford Primary School
• Riverton Primary School
• Salvado Catholic College
• Yakamia Primary School
• Yanchep Beach Primary School

WasteSorted Schools workshop for high schools

Date: Tuesday 28 October

Time: 9am–3pm

Venue: John Curtin College of the Arts, Fremantle

This workshop is for high school staff, wanting to discuss waste avoidance and resource recovery initiatives in a school setting. There will also be representatives from other sustainability organisations who work directly with high school staff and students. A tour of John Curtin College of the Arts will be included in the workshop program to see waste projects in action. 

Find more information and register here: WasteSorted Schools high schools workshop

WasteSorted Schools planning for 2026 workshop

Date: Tuesday, 2 December

Time:  9am–3pm

Venue: City of Melville Eco Hub, Winthrop

Join the WasteSorted Schools team to discuss planning waste avoidance and resource recovery projects at your school in 2026!

This workshop will include information about becoming an accredited WasteSorted School, examples of best practice waste infrastructure in schools, an introduction to WasteSorted Schools resources, as well as some hands-on activities.

Find more information and register here: WasteSorted Schools planning for 2026

WasteSorted Schools Regional Teach Meet – Albany

Date:  Thursday 13 November

Time: 3.15pm–6.15pm  

Venue: City of Albany Civic Rooms

Hear from regional primary and secondary WasteSorted Schools about successful waste management practices implemented in their settings.

Presentations will be delivered both online and faceto-face and regional attendance is encouraged from across WA.

Find more information and register here: Regional Teach Meet 

Congratulations to Joondalup Education Support Centre and Perth Waldorf School who were announced as the winners of the WasteSorted Awards 2025 – Schools Award.

Joondalup Education Support Centre embeds sustainability into everyday learning. With a dedicated Environment and Sustainability teacher, the school has expanded its waste-wise initiatives to include a chicken coop alongside worm farms and compost bins, aiming to divert all organic food waste from landfill. The impact of this project extends beyond reducing organic food waste going to landfill; it has also fostered a significant behavioural shift among students, staff, and the school community. 'Chicken bins' placed in the staffroom and wet areas have increased visibility and encouraged proper waste disposal. Hands-on student involvement fosters responsibility, environmental awareness, and community engagement, inspiring sustainable practices both at school and beyond. 

Perth Waldorf School integrates sustainability into its curriculum, operations, and community life. Guided by student-led audits, the school standardised bin colour coding according to national guidelines, expanded composting systems to include organic collection caddies in all classrooms, and launched initiatives such as a second-hand clothing market and community Repair Hub. Kindergarten classrooms have set up a closed loop bokashi compost system to manage dairy and grain rich scraps from their lunch program. Through these programs, Perth Waldorf School cultivates a culture of environmental stewardship, hands-on learning, and community engagement that reflects its values of creativity, connection to nature, and responsible resource reuse and recycling. 

Well done to Attadale Primary School and Ocean Road Primary School, who were also both finalists.

Read the stories of all the winners here.

New WasteSorted Schools signage

The WasteSorted Schools bin signage webpage has recently been reimagined to better support schools in promoting effective waste sorting. The site now includes updated bin signage and posters to help school communities easily choose the correct bin.

A new 'Create your own' signage section allows schools to tailor their signage to their specific needs using provided icons and templates. The layout has also been improved to make navigation more intuitive and user-friendly. 

Access these new resources here.

Waste in the curriculum at Bannister Creek Primary

The teachers at Bannister Creek Primary School found a great way to integrate waste into their curriculum by using a Year 3 unit, taken from Australians Together curriculum resources.

The unit combines Design and Technology, Science, and the cross-curriculum priorities of Sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture.

Students explore the use of scientific knowledge for the development of effective and sustainable techniques and products in First Nations communities over thousands of years. Students learn how knowledge of the change in state between solid and liquid through heating is used to adapt materials when creating a range of products.

One of the activities suggested in this unit of work is making beeswax wraps as a sustainable design solution.

The WasteSorted Schools beeswax lunchwrap fact sheet makes this easy. And the bonus is students will then be able to avoid single-use plastics in their lunchboxes by using their very own beeswax wrap.

Students bring their A Game to help others play sport

Earlier this year, students from Palmyra Primary School and Caversham Valley Primary School came to school dressed as their Sporting Heroes to support WA charity Fair Game and put unwanted sports equipment to good use.

Both schools became aware of the work Fair Game are doing after attending the WasteSorted Schools Teach Meet event held in March this year.

"I felt that the Fair Game initiative fitted perfectly with our school's sustainability ethos," Palmyra Primary Deputy Principal, Catherine Bastiani said. “We’ve been a WasteSorted school for around 10 years and run many different recycling and collection programs. Making donations of sports equipment to Fair Game is another way for students to be waste wise and also to understand that not everyone has the same access to sports equipment that they do.”

Caversham Valley Primary School teacher Kelley Watson was immediately drawn to the idea of running a Be a Sporting Hero free dress day in support of the WA charity. “This is such a sporty school. The kids all love their sports lessons, particularly footy and cricket, and I knew this would capture their interest. “We’ve been a WasteSorted School since 2020 and this is another way we can practice sustainability. The children learn that they can pass on their sports equipment to be re-used by other children so they can enjoy sport too.”

Fair Game is a DGR registered charity based in Bassendean. Since 2011, they have distributed over 100,000 items of second-hand sports equipment increasing access to sport for tens of thousands of children from the Kimberley to the Great Southern.

For further information on how to get involved visit their website www.fairgame.org.au.

Give Write

Give Write invites your school to run a Donation Drive that makes a real impact—both socially and environmentally. By collecting new and gently used school supplies, your community can help disadvantaged students start the year with confidence while keeping valuable items out of landfill.

Edney Primary School recently held a fantastic drive, rallying their school community to donate with enthusiasm and heart. It is fun, meaningful, and a great way to promote sustainability. Why not make it part of your end-of-year activities?

Give Write – Providing school supplies to give kids in need the tools to succeed.

The Biosecurity Blitz - a great way to share your discoveries!

Gardens are more than just beautiful spaces; they’re living ecosystems full of stories waiting to be discovered. From bees pollinating fruit trees to caterpillars munching on vegetables, every organism plays a role. But not all garden grubs are welcome. Some pests can harm plants, spread disease and threaten our environment.

Join the 2025 Biosecurity Blitz from 16 October to 16 November and help protect Western Australia’s gardens, forests, farms and waterways. This 32-day community event is your chance to explore your backyard, sharpen your observation skills, and contribute to real biosecurity outcomes. Blitz activities will guide you to observe, record and share what you see, or don’t see, using the MyPestGuide® Reporter app.

Every report you submit is verified by experts from the Department and Primary Industries and Regional Development. They’ll identify the pest, map its location and provide feedback and advice to help you manage it!

Every time you’re in the garden your observations and actions can help prevent the spread of damaging pests into neighbouring gardens, natural bushland, agricultural areas and aquatic environments.

Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out your observations matter! Sign up today and plan your month of garden discoveries. Visit dpird.wa.gov.au/biosecurityblitz to learn more.

Recycle Right Challenge 

Planet Ark established National Recycling Week in 1996. It is held every year during the second week of November (10–16 November 2025). Reducing our waste not only keeps valuable materials out of landfill, but also benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Schools Recycle Right Challenge runs from 6 October to 16 November 2025 and offers a wide range of recycling themed activities, lesson plans and events ideas that have been developed specifically for Australian schools.

Planet Ark has also partnered with Cool.org to provide teachers across Australia a range of free curriculum aligned lesson plans for all ages.

Lesson Plans - Planet Ark Recycling Near You

Outdoor Classroom Day

Outdoor Classroom Day is happening on 6 November. This global movement aims to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning, at home and at school. For more information and inspiration see the Outdoor Classroom Day website.

Why not use an activity from one of our WasteSorted Schools curriculum guides to engage your students with some fun, hands-on, outdoor activities on the day?

Waste Audit

Conducting a waste audit is a necessary step to becoming an accredited WasteSorted School. This fun and informative incursion helps you find out the types and amount of waste your school produces. The data collected can be used to prioritise and improve existing waste projects.

WasteSorted Race

Are your students struggling with the correct waste sorting behaviours? Or have you introduced a new bin system at your school like paper recycling or food organics? Book our WasteSorted Race incursion to help students learn the importance of source separation.

Paper Making Kit

If you are looking for a hands-on way to educate your students about the recycling process, why not borrow our paper making kit? This kit contains all the equipment needed for you and your students to turn old, scrap paper into new, usable paper.

To organise a booking in the metro area, please contact us at wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au

Waste tours and incursions

Many local councils offer waste facility tours and incursions for schools. Check the WasteSorted Schools website to see what is available from your council or contact them directly to see how they can support your school with waste education.

I used to work in a recycling plant crushing cans, but I had to stop …it was soda pressing.