Term 2 Newsletter 2022

This issue is popping with amazing new resources from the team, with shiny new toolkits, educational videos, top school inspo from 2021 and more!

2022 brings an exciting and fresh start for our program. Not only have we started the year with a new name and fresh new look, but round 1 of the new WasteSorted Schools grant program has commenced! This grant program aims to be easier and more accessible than ever before.

We want to acknowledge and give thanks to the countless teachers, school staff, parents and students who have kept our program alive and running over the past 20 years. This joyful journey could not have happened without you! The team from WasteSorted Schools wishes to thank each one of you for the countless hours you put in to making your school community that much more sustainable and waste wise!

Later in the year we will be hosting a 20th anniversary celebration, so keep your eyes posted for news, award entries, and competitions around this iconic event!

Our four new videos on worm farm education are great for both teachers and students wanting to learn more about worm farming! Our kid-friendly format will help your whole class learn more about worm farming, setting up a fridge worm farm, running and maintaining a worm farm, and troubleshooting.

If you teach Year 12 Geography ATAR and need a resource to teach depth study one in unit four, look no further! WasteSorted Schools has created a resource to help Geography teachers examine waste management in Perth.

Spanning eight activities, including a trip to a local waste facility, this resource includes source studies, pre-reading, incursion activity booklets and more.

The student booklet can be found on the Year 12 Geography ATAR section of our website

Please contact us directly for the accompanying teacher booklet which includes curriculum links, teaching points, and answers.

West Greenwood Primary School’s canteen, “Possums Pantry”, has made some great changes to reduce the use of single-use plastic! The canteen now serves lunches in reusable containers and snacks are served in reusable cups. Containers are returned to a tub outside the canteen to be washed and reused each day.

Somerly Primary School introduced Containers for Change WA bins at school in 2021, putting them next to the general waste bins in the school yard and staff room. Waste Warriors empty the bins several times a week to sort and count the containers, and one dedicated staff member drops them off to the local depot each Friday. The school is making $35–40 a week!

How does your school collect drink containers? When Mrs Nixon’s class from O’Connor ESC complete their compost rounds, they sort through the school bins with grabbers. Containers are collected in their grant-funded cart and dropped off at their local refund point for 10 cents each!

North Beach Primary School used a WasteSorted Schools grant to design and install this recycling hub in 2021. Run by green team members at lunchtime to help students sort their waste, the hub helps divert waste from landfill!

Little Green Steps is a not-for-profit program that supports Education for Sustainability in WA.

The program runs regular free Reducing Waste workshops, supported by the Waste Authority. They also offer educational resources, support, and advice for childcare centres, preschools, family day care, kindergartens, after-school care, and long day care services for children aged 0–8 years old.

Connect with Little Green Steps to make your early learning centre more sustainable today!

WA’s Plan for Plastics team has released factsheets and FAQ sheets to help those adjusting to the changes in the WA community.

Our website and resources have a new look too!

Visit WasteSorted Schools to see for yourself!

Hannans Primary School took part in the school composting scheme in 2021. This scheme, run by the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder (CKB) and Kalgoorlie Boulder Urban Landcare Group (KBULG), helps schools reduce their food waste and increase sustainability actions by educating the school community about composting food waste and providing the equipment needed to start composting at school. 

In May, the Year 3/4 class ran a waste audit with help from KBULG. The data showed that 37% of the waste was fruit and vegetable scraps and 5% was whole fruit waste.

In class, the students investigated how the rubbish put in their general bins goes to landfill and is converted to methane and carbon dioxide, thus producing gases that affect the climate. As the students reflected on this data, they were empowered to take action.

In September, CKB and KBULG presented the school with a composting kit, with two composting tumblers, compost bins for each class, a trolley, and tongs.

Students spent time exploring how compost works and what can and cannot be composted at home and at school. The Year 3/4 class that completed the waste audit became the school’s compost captains. At the end of each day, two compost captains collect the compost from each class and empty it into the compost tumbler. Some students bring their compost in from home to empty into the compost tumblers. They used their first batch of compost as fertiliser for native plants in the Year 1 and 2 playgrounds.

Overall, the school composting scheme has been an excellent opportunity for the students and has empowered them to think about where their waste goes and what sustainable options are available.  

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ Parks and Wildlife Service continued to support Kimberley schools, on behalf of Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, with the WasteSorted Schools program in Semester 2, 2021.

Kimberley-based staff visited several schools and helped with waste audits and support for existing WasteSorted Schools.

It’s super important for schools in the Kimberley to continue their waste journey and reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. We have a growing awareness of waste in the community, and we can make a difference through our actions.

Many schools in the Kimberley have great programs underway, including composting for vegetable gardens, food scraps for chickens, Containers for Change programs, paper making and many others.

If you want to get the WasteSorted program running in your school in the Kimberley in 2022, or are interested in some of our online WasteSorted incursions specific to Kimberley schools, please contact

kimberleycommunityed@dbca.wa.gov.au   

Waste audits

Audits are available across Perth metro areas and the Kalgoorlie–Boulder region.

WasteSorted Race

Schools are loving the WasteSorted Race incursion to help students learn the importance of sorting their waste! Tailored to your school’s waste system, this 30-minute incursion covers:

• why sorting waste is important
• the different-coloured bins waste is sorted into at home and school
• a practical application of waste sorting with a fun interactive race.

Many schools book our metro incursion officers for two–three hours to run multiple classes through this engaging activity! 

Visual bin audits and school waste assessments

Schools are saving money by improving their waste systems.

Our visual bin audit and school waste system assessment tools help schools to assess their waste services by identifying the type and number of bins available and where services can be adjusted.

Schools find it helpful to book an incursion officer to use these new tools for the first time.

An incursion officer is available in the Perth metro and Kalgoorlie–Boulder areas. Regional schools can also contact WasteSorted Schools for phone or online support to use these resources.