Woodbridge Primary School has maintained its WasteSorted Schools accreditation for nine years. In 2023, however, the school felt it was time to revamp its program.
It began by establishing a new sustainability committee, comprising two Education Assistants (EAs), two classroom teachers and the Manager of Corporate Services. The committee decided it needed a waste audit to gather some baseline data on the waste being produced at school. Once it had the results, it held a whole school assembly to share findings and the plan to improve sustainability at the school.
After identifying the waste streams it was hoping to tackle, the team successfully applied for a WasteSorted Schools grant to purchase new, colour-coded bins for all classrooms and outdoor areas. The school now had separate bins for organics, paper and cardboard recycling, Containers for Change and general waste. With these new bins in place, it encouraged students in Years 4 and 5 to apply for a position on the newly established Waste Wise Warriors team.
With the support of EA Chian Ghosh (who is given 1.5 hours each week in her timetable to manage sustainability matters) and the other members of the sustainability committee, the Waste Wise Warriors student team is now responsible for several jobs around the school.
- The Waste Management Monitors guide students at lunchtime to properly sort their rubbish into the right bins.
- The Waste Data Wizards promote, track and celebrate Waste Wise Wednesdays. They present the golden bin award to the winning class at assemblies.
- The Waste Compost Crew collect the organics bins from the eating areas twice a week. They tip the food waste out onto the lawn so they can remove any contamination and then place the fruit and vegetable waste in the compost bins.
- The Waste Recycle Rangers are responsible for emptying, sorting and cleaning the Containers for Change collection bins every Friday.
In recognition of its hard work supporting the school, the Waste Wise Warrior team was rewarded with a special afternoon tea and certificates at the end of the year.
As well as implementing its waste avoidance and resource recovery projects, Woodbridge Primary School is also closing the loop on organic waste through its kitchen garden. EA, and member of the sustainability committee, Jean Muthukumaraswamy has one day a fortnight allocated on her timetable to work with students in the garden. Students come out of class at different times during the day to assist with planting, watering, mulching andharvesting. On this day, Jean and teacher Belinda Condo, also run a lunchtime cooking class called the Grub Hub. They use herbs and vegetables from the kitchen garden to create new recipes each fortnight.
Overall, the members of the sustainability committee at Woodbridge Primary School are very pleased with how their projects are going. Although they have faced challenges, they feel that having the support of staff and positive parents in their school community is making it possible for them to continue with their wonderful waste and sustainability projects.