Welcome back to term two!
The team at WasteSorted Schools are here to support you and your schools 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 about any issues you are having. We are always here to help.
Holland Street School
Holland Street School are proud to be a WasteSorted School, with sustainability embedded into everyday teaching, learning, and operations. Their waste reduction practices are supported by students, staff, families, and community partners, and are delivered through inclusive, hands-on learning experiences that build real‑world skills.
Sustainability at Holland Street School is a shared responsibility. Waste reduction and resource recovery are embedded across classrooms, specialist programs, and whole‑school initiatives. Students actively participate in sorting, reusing, recycling, composting, gardening, and enterprise activities, ensuring learning is authentic, meaningful, and accessible to all.
The school’s chickens play a key role in reducing food waste by consuming scraps and producing manure for composting. Students are involved in daily care, building responsibility and confidence. The chicken pen was constructed using mostly reused materials by a community member, demonstrating practical reuse and community collaboration.
Students compost food scraps and garden cuttings, including donations from staff homes. Compost is returned to their vegetable and fruit gardens, creating a closed-loop system. Wheelchair-accessible garden beds and adaptive tools ensure all students can participate equally, supporting inclusion alongside sustainability outcomes.
Students sort and manage items for reuse or recycling including paper, cardboard, jars, egg cartons, plastic containers, magazines, stationery, 10c containers, printer cartridges, rope, video tapes and more. The school also has an outdoor library which was created by upcycling an old filing cabinet and filling it with donated books.
The Little Red Shop is a mobile honesty stall developed in partnership with MEEDAC (Midwest Employment & Economic Development Aboriginal Corporation), who upcycled an unused phone booth into the stall. Students grow produce, cook, craft, package, and sell items using mostly reused packaging. Products include fresh produce, flowers, jams and preserves, recycled notebooks, handmade crafts, and second‑hand uniforms. Students manage sales and count funds raised, with money reinvested into school projects via the P&C, supporting enterprise skills, numeracy, and sustainability learning.
Sustainability learning is embedded within classroom programs and Science lessons. They communicate their waste reduction practices with families and the wider community through newsletters, emails, and social media, and actively encourage contributions of recyclable materials and garden resources. Their leadership team and staff support consistent sustainability practices across the whole-school.
What an amazing effort by staff, students and the wider school community, well done Holland Street School!
If you have stories of your own that you would like to share, get in touch at wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au.
WasteSorted Awards 2026
Nominations are now open for the WasteSorted Awards and will close at 5pm on Monday 25 May 2026.
The WasteSorted Awards – Schools Award recognises school communities that go that extra mile to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill in WA.
If your school is leading the way in championing waste reduction, we encourage you to submit your nomination. The nomination kit, including criteria and online entry form, can be found here.
Winners will be announced at a gala dinner award ceremony on 10 September 2026 as part of the annual Waste and Resource Recovery Conference.
Let's Grow grants
Round one of the State Government’s Let’s Grow Grants is now open for schools and community/not -for-profit groups across Perth and Peel to deliver projects that focus on boosting tree canopy, supported by understorey planting.
Projects must be located in urban places such as school grounds, community spaces, street verges, parks, carparks, neighbourhood hubs, public transport stops or walking and cycling routes.
Grants range from $500 to $100,000 and it’s straightforward to apply. Projects can be on public and private land, as long as they benefit the community.
Round one closes on 30 June 2026, or earlier if funds are fully allocated.
The grants are the first major initiative under the new Let’s Grow Action Plan, which delivers the State Government’s Urban Greening Strategy. For more information, visit wa.gov.au/letsgrowgrants.
Supporting School Canteens program
The Supporting School Canteens program aims to enhance the delivery of nutritious and affordable meals to students.
The program offers funding for Department of Education school canteen projects including the purchase of equipment and the upgrade of canteen facilities. This could include the purchase of a dishwasher and reusable crockery and cutlery to avoid the use of single use items.
Funding will be offered from 2026 to 2028 through an expression of interest program. Round 1 applications are now open and close 8 May 2026.
For more information about the Supporting School Canteens program see the Department of Education website, phone 9264 4824 or email SupportingSchoolCanteens@education.wa.edu.au.
Check out the WasteSorted Schools green canteen video and the WasteSorted Schools Green Canteen Factsheet for inspiration!
Upcoming workshops
WasteSorted Schools plastics workshop
Date: Thursday 7 May
Time: 9am – 3pm
Venue: Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre, Wembley
Join us for a full day of talk about plastics and prepare your school for Plastic Free Term 3. Explore activities aimed at avoiding single-use plastic including hands-on and classroom style activities.
Register: WasteSorted Schools plastics workshop
WasteSorted Schools beginners workshop
Date: Tuesday 26 May
Time: 9am – 3pm
Venue: Port Kennedy Primary School
Join us for a full day of talk about the WasteSorted Schools Program and how to get involved. Some of the topics that will be covered include WasteSorted Schools accreditation, assessing your school waste, setting up infrastructure and WasteSorted Schools grants.
Register: WasteSorted Schools beginners workshop
Save the date - WasteSorted Schools Student Meet
This year’s Student Meet will be hosted by Aquinas College on Tuesday 18 August. It will run for a full day, 9.30am - 2.30pm. This event is for high school students and staff who want to work together to drive change in waste and sustainability at their school. Each school can register to bring up to 15 students.
Find more information and register your school here: https://events.humanitix.com/student-meet-2026
You can also check out this video to learn more about our past student meet events. WasteSorted Schools Student Meet
Regional workshops
Organics webinar for regional schools
Date: Wednesday 27 May
Time: 12pm – 3pm
Venue: Online
Join us online on for a half day to learn about organics recycling and edible food gardening.
This workshop is suitable for school staff including teachers, principals, administration staff, gardeners, canteen staff and parents. The workshop is FREE and a half day teacher relief reimbursement is available for two staff from each school.
New resources
Meet our WasteSorted Schools Superheroes, a fun and inspiring set of characters designed to help engage students in learning about waste, recycling, and caring for the planet.
These superheroes can be used in the classroom as rewards, motivators, or discussion starters for waste-related activities such as avoiding waste, recycling correctly, composting, or completing sustainability challenges.
They can be printed as stickers, certificates, badges, or classroom displays to help celebrate positive behaviour, reinforce key waste messages, and make sustainability learning fun and empowering for students.
Download them here: Games & incentives | WasteSorted Schools | Waste Authority WA
Give Write 2025 impact at a glance
Thanks to the support of schools and the wider community, Give Write helped nearly 13,000 students across Western Australia access the school supplies they need to learn with confidence.
Over 12 tonnes of donated stationery and school supplies were thoughtfully repurposed, a remarkable milestone that highlights both the scale of community generosity and the positive environmental impact it has achieved. This work was recognised with a Highly Commended award at the 2025 WasteSorted Awards.
In 2025, the program reached further than ever before, delivering supplies as far as Fitzroy Crossing, 2,550 kilometres from Perth, ensuring even the most remote students weren’t left behind. Give Write also expanded into Bunbury, Albany, and Geraldton, strengthening local networks to better support regional students. Looking ahead to 2026, the team aims to take the next step into Karratha and welcomes connections with local schools and community partners.
This year also marked the launch of the Work Experience Program for students with disability, reflecting Give Write’s ongoing commitment to inclusion and creating meaningful opportunities for all young people.
You can find more information about the program, including how to donate or request stationary, on the Give Write website.
Upcoming events
International Compost Awareness Week
This year International Compost Awareness Week will be held from 3 - 9 May. The goal of ICAW is to raise public awareness on why we all should be composting our organics and using compost to create healthier soil. It’s a great opportunity to use this internationally celebrated event to kick start your own earth-cycling initiative at school, using the WasteSorted Schools Compost curriculum guide to help you incorporate compost into your classroom learning
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World Environment Day
World Environment Day, happening on 5 June, is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world.
The 2026 theme underscores that climate action is not just about reducing carbon emissions—it is about rethinking the systems that power our economies and repairing our relationship with the climate.
World Oceans Day poster competition
World Oceans Day on 8 June is a great opportunity to inspire students to learn about our oceans, why they matter, and how we can protect them.
To celebrate this global event World Oceans Day are hosting their first annual poster competition. Creatives of all ages are invited to share what the ocean means to them and why it deserves our care. Posters should inspire, or spark curiosity about the ocean and our connection to it.
Posters must be submitted by 31st May 2026.
Find more information on the World Oceans Day website World Ocean Day Poster Competition 2026 - World Ocean Day
MobileMuster competition
This year, MobileMuster is running a Classroom Recycling Challenge to encourage teachers, students, families and their local communities to learn about and engage with mobile recycling, by collecting old and unwanted mobile phones and sending them in for recycling, between 27 January and 30 September 2026.
The top collecting class from primary and secondary schools will win a unique online and/or in-person zoo experiences for their whole class. The collection box judged to have the best design from primary and secondary school will win a $1,000 gift voucher.
Find more information and register your class on the MobileMuster website.
Start planning for Plastic Free Term 3
From its beginnings right here in WA, Plastic Free July has grown to become a global sustainability movement. With their Plastic Free Schools Challenge, you can now inspire your school to make a difference with solutions to single-use plastic all year round.
For ideas on how to engage your students with this global event, use our Plastic Free July curriculum guide. This guide contains lessons and activities to engage students in primary school and high school in learning about single use plastic.
Incursions
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 FOGO? 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 student about the recycling process, why not borrow our paper making kit? This kit contains all the equipment needed for you and your students to participate in the process of turning old, scrap paper into new, usable paper.
To organise a booking in the metro area, please contact us at wastesortedschool@dwer.wa.gov.au
Local government waste education
Switch Your Thinking
Switch Your Thinking has launched a new Schools Engagement Program, offering free Sustainability Education and Support Services to schools within the City of Gosnells, City of Armadale, and the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale.
This program is designed to help schools embed sustainability into their learning programs and operations. It includes:
Assembly presentations to inspire whole of school action.
Class incursions tailored to different year levels and curriculum outcomes.
Policy development support, including help to create sustainability policies and action plans for programs such as WasteSorted Schools and Waterwise schools.
An Expression of Interest (EOI) form was emailed to schools at the end of last year and spaces have been filling quickly. If you're a school in the City of Gosnells, City of Armadale, and the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale be sure to check your emails.
For more information or to get involved, email schools@switchyourthinking.com
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.
Just for fun
I’m trying to start up a business recycling discarded chewing gum – but I’m struggling to get it off the ground.
For more information about the items in this newsletter or for any questions about the WasteSorted Schools Program, please contact us at wastesortedschools@dwer.wa.gov.au.