i want to start a school recycling programme · 2011. 7. 20. · start a school recycling programme...

1

H O W T O : Start a School Recycling Programme

urrent legislation puts more emphasis on waste avoidance, minimisation, reuse and recycling. Implementing a recycling programme at your school instils the right values and behaviour in our children and also presents the school with new learning opportunities. The aim of this booklet is therefore to educate learners and educators about ways to minimise waste and become part of the solution in doing their bit to protect our environment.

C

of 19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT IS WASTE MANAGEMENT? 3

GREEN SCHOOLS 6

GENERAL RECYCLING TIPS 10

WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED? 13

LAST WORDS 19

This booklet was compiled and designed by Delanie Bezuidenhout (Environmental Manager: Plastics Federation of SA) on behalf of the

Recovery Action Group (RAG) and other partners below:

of 19

WHAT IS WASTE MANAGEMENT? • •

A waste management programme aims to reduce waste generation and increase recycling to reduce

waste going to landfill and create a clean and green environment!

THE WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY An environmentally sustainable waste management programme is based on the waste management hierarchy as shown below. Reducing waste should be the first step in any programme with disposal to landfill only considered as a last option.

of 19

The figure below is a picture representation of the waste management hierarchy above.

WHAT IS IN MY RUBBISH BIN? If we take a look at the general contents of our rubbish bin and take the waste management hierarchy into consideration it is clear that we are able to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill for disposal by almost 87%!!!

CONTENTS

Plastics = 14% Glass = 3% Cans = 4%

Garden Refuse = 29% Food Waste = 12%

Compostable Food Waste = 25% Unrecyclable General Waste = 13%

of 19

WHAT IS LITTER? There is nothing worse than living in an environment littered with food wrappings, cigarette boxes, soft-drink cans, used tissues and plastic bags! Our municipalities allocate large budgets every year to clear litter from our surroundings. Littering is a reality, but these budgets could be better spent if less litter was thrown about! If you cannot find a bin close to you when you generate litter, keep it with you until you can dispose of it in the right way! If we teach our young children that littering is not acceptable, they will continue to behave responsibly throughout their adult years. Remember, packaging does not litter, people do!

of 19

GREEN SCHOOLS

Why Recycle?

What is an Environmentally Green School?

How to Run a Green School

WHY RECYCLE? Why is it important to recycle? Because...

• We have dwindling landfill space.

• We need to reduce waste per person.

• We need to reduce pollution and environmental degradation.

• We need to conserve our natural resources for future generations.

• We need to preserve our natural landscape and resources by reducing the need for mining.

WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN SCHOOL? An environmentally green school is a school that upholds to the values of good environmental management. Such values include:

• Natural resource conservation like water conservation

• Energy conservation

• Reduce, re-use and recycle activities

• A safe, clean and green school

HOW TO RUN A GREEN SCHOOL There are 5 basic steps your school needs to take in order to become a GREEN SCHOOL:

1. Set up a waste management committee for the school

2. Conduct a waste audit

of 19

3. Reduce the waste your school produces

4. Reuse materials to prevent them from becoming waste

5. Set up a waste recycling programme at your school

STEP 1: Setting up a Waste Management Committee You need to make sure that all interested parties (school management, educators, learners, parents) buy into the idea of a “Green School” and are committed to make it work! The following people will constitute a Waste Management Committee:

• The Waste Coordinator. This is the leading waste champion elected from the schools top management. He/she will:

o Take responsibility for the project

o Drive the implementation of the project

o Raise awareness of the project

o Facilitate training for all involved

o Set up regular meetings with the committee

o Keep the governing body and management team informed

• Representative from Top Management. It would be ideal if the school’s principle could be directly involved as it would ensure that the project receives full support from management.

• Representatives from Educators. The committee should include at least 3 educator representatives depending on the size of the staff compliment.

• Representatives from the Governing Body. The support of the governing body is crucial for the success of the project.

• Learner Representation. This is vital as learners will assist in generating awareness and support amongst their peers.

• Representative from the School Cleaning Staff. Although learners, educators and parents can do a great deal to ensure the success of the project, the support and buy-in of cleaning staff is crucial.

STEP 2: Conducting a Waste Audit It is important to determine how much and what types of waste your school is currently throwing away. The audit will answer the following questions:

• Where does your school produce the most waste? (ie. classrooms, function rooms, rugby field, offices)

• What types of waste is produced?

• How much waste does your school produce?

of 19

STEP 3: Reduce the Waste Your School Generates Here are some tips on how to reduce the waste you generate:

• Avoid buying products with excessive packaging

• Buy in bulk, purchase refills and concentrates

• Try to buy products made from recycled materials

• Try to avoid disposable products ie. paper cups

STEP 4: Reusing the Waste Your School Generates Waste is not waste until it is wasted! If you identify clever and creative ways in which waste can be reused you not only save your school money, but you also cut down on the amount of waste sent to landfill. For example:

• Discarded paper can be used for making paper mache

• Discarded cans can be used in the art class

• Glass jars can be used to store pens and pencils

• Repair items that are broken

STEP 5: Setting up the School Recycling Centre Recycling refers to the separation of recyclable waste from the general waste stream. What are the different aspects of setting up a recycling centre at your school? Let’s take a look!

Infrastructure: What do we need? Space – Sufficient size to accommodate, sort and store the waste that comes in until it can be collected.

Access – Your centre should be easily accessible to both the collector and parents dropping off recyclables.

Health and Safety – Consider the possible odour, effect of insects, high traffic areas, possibility of fire, broken glass, etc.

Protection from the elements – Make sure that your material collected are protected from rain and sun damage.

Security – To prevent vandalism or illegal dumping you must be able to restrict access to your recycling area.

Sorting Tables – A number of sorting tables to handle the volume of waste you expect to come in.

Bail (Bulk) Bags – You will need bulk bags to place the various recyclables in. Make sure your collector supply you with bulk bags in a good condition when they collect your material.

of 19

Protective Clothing – Make sure that all volunteer staff and other cleaning staff have the necessary protective clothing ie. gloves.

SO WHAT WERE THOSE STEPS AGAIN?

Set up a waste management committee

Do a waste audit

Reduce your waste!

Reuse the waste your school generates Set up a school recycling centre

of 19

GENERAL RECYCLING TIPS • •

For more information visit: www.mywaste.co.za www.recycling.co.za www.moonprint.co.za

www.cleanup-sa.co.za www.recyclingday-sa.co.za

www.plasticsinfo.co.za www.petco.co.za

www.polystyrenepackaging.co.za www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za

www.collectacan.co.za www.prasa.co.za www.ewasa.co.za

GENERAL RECYCLING TIPS

A little R & R & R! To reduce, reuse and recycle goes without saying!

Know what you can and cannot recycle

Read up on the recycling rules of your collector and follow those guidelines!

Buy recycled

Supporting recycling means not only feeding the loop but also buying items with recycled content.

of 19

Recycle your water Use grey water in your garden.

Recycle your greenery Start a compost heap and worm farm for use in your school garden.

Recycle your electronic waste

Electronics and electrical goods such a batteries, globes, computer scrap...

Let it go! Do not store items you are never going to use again! Lots of charities will welcome your donations!

Make recycling easy

Place recycling bins as close to the point of generation as possible. Also put a general bin next to a recycling bin.

Label it! Label recycling bins so that everyone knows what goes where.

Who will do it? Decide who will be tasked with emptying the recycling containers.

of 19

Bring it in! Decide on a day each week on which learners will bring recyclables from home.

Who will collect?

Identify a suitable collector in your area. Make sure that they will be able to provide you with a reliable service!

Generate awareness!

Recycling should be seen as a fun activity! Organise fun events, involve all learners, provide feedback on successes and involve the local media!

of 19

WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED? • •

Plastics Glass

Cans & Tins Cardboard & Paper

e-Waste

PLASTICS For more information on plastics recycling visit www.plasticsinfo.co.za.

Plastics are part of our everyday lives. They keep our food safe and hygienically packaged, they are inexpensive to produce, easy to recycle and light to transport. To make it easy for us to identify the various types of plastics, an international polymer identification logo can be found on most plastics packaging. The number in the triangle indicates what type of plastic (polymer) was used to manufacture the plastic product. Most packaging plastics can be recycled.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Products like plastic water and cold drink bottles MORE INFORMATION: www.petco.co.za or 0860 147 738

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Products like: • Grocery bags • Milk bottles • Household cleaning product

containers • Crates • Jars

of 19

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Products like:

• Rigid packaging like blister packs

• Clear plastic bottles

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Products like:

• Packaging films • Soft plastics bags ie. Frozen

Veggies • Shrink wrap

Polypropylene (PP) Products like:

• Yogurt and margarine containers

• Bottle caps • Flower pots • Buckets

Polystyrene (PS) Either expanded polystyrene (EPS) like:

• Take away cups • Clamshells • Protective packaging

Or High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) like:

• Yogurt Tubs • CD cases • Salad Containers • Seedling trays

MORE INFORMATION: www.polystyrenepackaging.co.za

of 19

GLASS The Glass Recycling Company helps entrepreneurs and communities establish a collection system and you can contact them or visit their website for more information! www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za

Glass can be recycled indefinitely as part of a simple process. Recycling two glass bottles saves enough energy to boil water for 5 cups of tea. Glass is 100% recyclable, with scrap glass an important ingredient of new glass. The recycling of glass uses less water, raw materials and energy than using raw materials in the production cycle.

Glass that we are familiar with is divided into different streams based on its composition and use:

1. Container glass. Largely bottles and jars – 80% of the recycled glass market.

2. Flat glass. Used in long-term applications ie. windscreens – not recyclable.

3. Fibre glass. Currently no recycling in this sector.

4. Domestic and special glass. Pyrex and ornaments, cathode ray tubes in TV sets – largely not recyclable and should not be mixed with container glass.

What to do?

• Rinse glass bottles and jars – in the same water you washed your dishes

• Remove metal or plastic tops, corks and rings

• Separate glass bottles in different colours (clear, green & blue, brown)

of 19

CANS AND TINS For more information on the recycling of cans and tins visit www.collectacan.co.za.

The cans you use on a daily basis are all recyclable! There is no reason to throw them away. Sort your cans for the best prices e.g. steel cans (colddrink and beer), aluminium cans (Red Bull), food (Milo, dog food, baked beans, coffee tins etc.), paint and aerosol cans and oil cans (used at garages and fuel stations). Cans should be empty and flattened.

CARDBOARD AND PAPER For more information on the recycling of paper and cardboard visit www.prasa.co.za.

Remember to remove staples, sellotape, prestick, pins and paper clips from paper items. The following types of paper can be recycled:

• Old memos and letters

• Computer paper

• Used photocopy paper

• Windowless envelopes

• Old books

• Pale coloured paper (ie. invoices)

• Newspapers

• Magazines

• Flattened cardboard

You cannot recycle:

• Wet or dirty paper

• Tissue paper

• Wax of plastic coated packaging

• Self-adhesive paper

of 19

• Carbon paper

• Chemically treated fax or photographic paper

• Dog food bags

• Potato bags

• Wax coated boxes

• Cement bags

REMEMBER!

• Print only when necessary!

• Print and copy on both sides of the paper

• Use scrap paper for internal correspondence

• Place your waste paper in a paper recycling bin

of 19

E-WASTE For more information on the recycling of e-waste visit www.ewasa.org.

E-waste includes computers, TVs, stereos, DVD players, fax machines, cell phones and other electronic and electrical household appliances that have been thrown away. It is definitely recyclable because it is a valuable source of secondary raw materials. It will become toxic if not treated and discarded properly.

of 19

LAST WORDS • •

KEEP IT GOING!!!!

Getting a school recycling programme started is one thing... keeping it going is a much harder task! Make sure you have a member of the staff as waste champion. Put measures in place to ensure regular updates from the people who manage the programme. Include waste management activities in the lesson plans and reward the school when the programme works well...

BUT the most important thing is to have...

i want to start a school recycling programme · 2011. 7. 20. · start a school recycling programme...

Documents