Term 1 Newsletter 2021

Our 2020 winner of Waste Wise School of the year was Augusta Primary School.  Augusta Primary School demonstrated a multi-faceted approach to reducing and reusing waste and educating the community. Their achievements include:

• making weed mats and selling firebricks, to recover all paper waste
• earth-cycling food waste from lunches by composting and using worm farms
• collecting and recycling soft plastics, coffee pods, batteries, plastic bottle lids, and bread tags.

Waste Wise Schools grant funding is now open for applications. Applications close at 12 noon on Tuesday, 9 March 2021.

www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/programs/view/waste-wise-schools-grants

If you have any questions regarding your grant application or the planning of your project, please contact Patrick Hamill from the Waste Wise team. Pat can assist you over the phone, via email or visit your school if you feel a site inspection is required.

Email: patrick.hamill@dwer.wa.gov.au

Phone: 6364 6644

TeachMeet

17 Feb 2021

Hear from primary and secondary Waste Wise schools about their successful waste management practices. Teachers will share their experiences in running a successful program including set up, maintenance, engaging students and other areas of the school such as the canteen.

Time: 4 – 6 pm

Venue: Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre, Leach Hwy, Winthrop

Contact: kate.macrae@dwer.wa.gov.au

Register: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/teachmeet-waste-wise-and-sustainability-in-primary-and-secondary-schools-tickets-136538699927

 

Reducing waste together and little Green Steps to becoming ‘waste wise’ in the Early Years

17 Feb 2021
Meet the City of Cockburn Waste Educator, learn what others are doing to reduce waste, participate in activities you can run with children to reduce waste and receive the Little Green Steps WA early childhood waste reduction kit.

Time: 6 pm - 8.30 pm

Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RWTCockburn

Contact: Megan Mentz for more details:  m.mentz@aaeewa.org.au

www.littlegreenstepswa.org.au

 

Getting your WasteSorted workshop

9 March 2021

(Also available online, details below)

Join the team from Waste Wise Schools for a hands-on look at sorting your school waste.

The workshop will include:

• the new WWS 10 steps to getting your WasteSorted
• new tools for assessing your school waste
• info on how to set up your waste sorting stations at school
• info on Containers for Change and how to do it at your school
• tips on how to engage students
• advice on how to motivate behaviour change in schools.

The workshop is suitable for school staff including teachers, principals, administration staff and parents. It is FREE and teacher relief payments are available for two staff from each school.  

Time: 9:30am–3:30 pm

Venue: Canning River Eco Education Centre, Kent St, Wilson

Contact: kate.macrae@dwer.wa.gov.au

Register: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/waste-wise-schools-skills-workshop-tickets-137371603163

 

Self-paced online module

Register at:  wwsonlinelearning.wa.gov.au/ut the Waste Wise School

 

How to be litter free and waste wise

Albany, 12 March 2021

Kalamunda, 16 March 2021

Join the team from Waste Wise Schools and Keep Australia Beautiful to learn about litter prevention and waste reduction. This workshop will inspire students to reduce waste and litter. It includes:

• a step-by-step guide on how to run a whole school waste and litter prevention campaign
• loads of resources to take back to your school including USBs, posters, booklets
• laws relating to litter, social and environmental impacts of litter and tips on behaviour change
• advice on how to get started with waste avoidance and resource recovery projects
• tools for getting your school WasteSorted
• information on how to become an accredited Waste Wise School and apply for grant funding
• a tour of the materials recovery facility (enclosed shoes are essential).

The workshop is suitable for principals, teachers, EAs, gardeners and parents. It is recommended that two staff attend to help with planning for your school. Following COVID-19 guidelines, we are restricted to 20 spaces. Full-day teacher relief is provided, maximum two per school.

 

Albany, 12 March 2021

Time: 9am–3pm

Venue: Albany Waste and Recycling Education (AWARE), Cuming Road, Albany, WA 6330

Contact: rosie.bruce@dwer.wa.gov.au

Register: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/how-to-be-litter-free-and-waste-wise-albany-registration-137366568103

 

Kalamunda, 16 March 2021

Time: 9am–3pm

Venue: City of Kalamunda, 2 Railway Road, Kalamunda, WA 6076

Contact: kate.macrae@dwer.wa.gov.au

Register:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/how-to-be-litter-free-and-waste-wise-kalamunda-registration-132192400027

 

More online skills videos are being developed, making more resources available to all schools, anytime. We will keep you posted!

Talk with experts about key topics on all things waste. These webinars are held at 3.30pm on Tuesdays. Head to our workshop page to sign-up to an event: www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/wws/workshops

Did you miss the first Q&A on using Containers for Change in schools? Watch it here! youtu.be/mI59iELuVko

23 Feb - Green canteens

24 Feb - Grants

23 March - Worms

4 May - Composting

25 May - Permaculture

15 June - Plastics and packaging

Take a tour from the classroom

Take your students on a virtual tour of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council’s (SMRC) Green Waste and Materials Resource Recovery facilities this term! SMRC is currently recycling 75% of the comingled recycling in the Perth Metro area and selling the recyclables to be turned into new products.

smrc.com.au/virtual-tours/

We are looking for fun and creative resources to share with Waste Wise teachers. Send us your favourite tried-and-tested lessons or units of work and go into a draw to win one of three iScopeStands to use in your classroom.

Topics include:

• single-use plastic
• compost
• worms
• gardening
• food waste
• recycling

Please include links to the WA Curriculum, subject area and year level, as well as a clear lesson description and any required materials. The submitting teacher and school will be acknowledged in any resources published on the Waste Wise Schools website.

The competition will close 5pm, 16 April 2021 and the winners announced May 2021.

Please email lessons to Wastewise@dwer.wa.gov.au

iScopeStands turn your tablet into a microcope and are designed and constructed in Perth!

Waste audits

Book your waste audits in for Term 1 2021. Waste audits are now available in Kalgoorlie as well as Perth metro areas.

WasteSorted Race

Are your students struggling with the correct waste sorting behaviours? Schools are loving the WasteSorted Race incursion to help students learn the importance of sorting their waste!

Book our new WasteSorted Race incursion to help students learn the importance of source separation. Tailored to your school’s waste system, this 30-minute incursion will cover:

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

Book our metro Incursion Officers for 2-3 hours to run multiple classes through this engaging activity. 

Visual Bin Audits and School Waste Assessments

Some schools may save money by improving their waste systems.

The WWS Visual Bin Audit and School Waste System Assessment tools help schools to assess their waste services by identifying the type and number of bins, identifying contamination and where services can be adjusted.

An Incursion Officer can conduct the audit and waste assessment for schools in Kalgoorlie and Perth. Regional schools can contact Waste Wise Schools for phone or online support to use this resource.

To organise a booking please contact us.

• Suburbs north of the river: Rosie Bruce rosie.bruce@dwer.wa.gov.au
• Suburbs south of the river: Belinda Bloxsome b.bloxsome@aaeewa.org.au  (AAEE Waste Wise Support Officer)
• Kalgoorlie-Boulder area: Gabrielle Scannell nursery@kbulg.org.au  (KBULG Support Officer)