Waste
Empower students to be responsible consumers and understand the impact of their actions.
Guide to Conducting a Waste Audit: This document guides you through the processes of a waste audit: making the case, preparing, conducting, recording, analysis and developing a school waste action plan. Includes NSW Syllabus links.
Stage 2 – 5 | NSW Department of Education & Training
AuSSI Waste Audit: Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary Students engage in a school waste audit to determine the quantities and makeup of the waste generated at their school, then based on data students explore how to reduce their waste.
Stage 1 – 4 | Cool Australia
A Simple Guide to Conducting a Waste Audit: The waste audit looks at the different types of waste generated in the school, where it comes from and how it can be reduced.
Stage 2 – 5 | Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre
Waste Audit Toolkit: an operating practices manual that is intended to guide the development and implementation of waste audits in schools. Curriculum links to WA schools, but relevant activities and methods, Waste audit video also available (7 mins 44 secs).
WA Waste Authority
School Waste & Recycling Audit: This booklet outlines 5 key steps for a schools waste audit.
SUEZ
School Waste Management Calculator: An excel document that assists schools to identify and record different categories of school waste. Part of a suite of education resources from regional Netwaste.
Netwaste
DIY Audit Kit: Kit includes resources that explain the audit procedures including the tasks that occur before, during and after the day of the audit. Designed for designed to be used by sites with less than 100 students, or for use by individual classes.
Wipe Out Waste Green Industries South Australia
Videos
Terara Public School students decided to wage their own war on waste. After completing their own waste audit they are committing to reducing our two biggest waste offenders: soft plastics and food waste.
Video (3 mins 24 secs).
Erskine Park High School waste audit video (3 mins 24 secs)
Sustainable Schools NSW is a proud partner of Return and Earn, the largest litter reduction initiative ever introduced in NSW.
Return and Earn can provide a great way for students and the school community to get involved in recycling, reducing litter, and raising money for their school.
There are several ways your school can get involved:
1. Donate refunds to your school – Encourage your school community to collect eligible drink containers at home and take them to a return point for a refund. The refund can then be donated to your school.
2. Become a Donation Partner – Partner with Return and Earn to receive refunds directly from people recycling their drink containers at any Return and Earn machine or depot. Schools, sports clubs, charities or community groups can be featured on the Return and Earn App. As a Donation Partner, you can receive donated refunds from people returning eligible containers. Click here to find out more
3. Organise a collection drive – Raise money by collecting donated eligible containers from your school community that you can Return and Earn at a return point for a refund. If your school is interested in organising a collection drive or exploring fundraising options, you can get started by checking out how to fund raise with Return and Earn and by downloading the Schools toolkit which includes posters, newsletters and more.
4. Hear what others are doing – you can read some great case studies of how other schools are making the most of the Return and Earn program in their school to get some inspiration!
5. Engage students in learning – Download the free curriculum resources for Early Learning through to Stage 5, and explore practical ways for teachers to engage students on sustainability and recycling and support their school’s participation in the Return and Earn container deposit scheme
Around 30% of schools waste consists of organic waste – i.e. food scraps and garden waste which could be composted.
Below are just a few online resources that explain the benefits and processes of composting and worm farming.
Composting, It’s Easy
Kimbriki Eco House & Garden | pdf file
Scraps to Soil factsheet
Midwaste
Worms, worms, worms
Kimbriki Eco House & Garden | pdf file
Nature’s recyclers, Lesson plan and PPT
Netwaste
How to manage (organic) waste at school
Hornsby Council | pdf file
Rodent control ideas for compost bins
Kimbriki Eco House & Garden | pdf file
Composting at School
Waste Wise Schools WA | pdf file
A guide to starting a composting program in your school
This is created by a group in the USA, it has some useful ideas for planning a system, creating a team and requirements.
Green Mountain Farm to School | pdf file
Costa’s guide to composting for schools
Planet Ark YouTube clip
If you are looking for practical support to introduce or reinvigorate your compost at school, try reaching out to your local council, regional waste group, your school waste contract supplier (NSW government school supplier list) or a local Environmental Education Centre to see if they are able to support you with infrastructure or education programs.
Cool Australia - Primary & secondary waste units
Stages 1 – 3 | Integrated, Inquiry Australian Curriculum aligned lesson plans | Cool Australia
Food Smart Schools - Food waste lesson plans and teaching resources
Stages 1 – 3 | Love Food Hate Waste NSW EPA
FEAST – Hands on activities and teaching resources exploring food waste
Stages 1 – 3 | Information, activities | OzHarvest
Waste as Art – Developed with the support of the NSW Environmental Trust, Waste as Art provides a valuable and practical toolkit that explores waste reduction and other environmental issues through visual arts. This resource provides the information, resources and inspiration that schools and teachers need to plan, develop and implement an engaging and rewarding Waste as Art project.
Wipe Out Waste learning resources: Teaching activities: Compost in a bottle experiment, Uneaten food waste, Bigger buys vs single serve multipack, Tale of two lunchboxes.
Stages 1 – 4 | Science and Technology, Science | Lesson plans | Green Industries SA
Beeswax wraps: A challenge-based learning task that has the aim of reducing schoolyard and community waste, integrating digital technologies.
Stage 3 | Digital Technologies, Mathematics | Learning task | Digital Technologies Hub
Bury your trash experiment and What will biodegrade: Investigate what types of materials biodegrade in the soil
Stage 2 | Science | Teach Engineering Investigate what types of materials biodegrade in the soil
Litter free schools - A toolkit for schools to reduce single use plastics.
Taronga Conservation Society
Waste-free lunch challenge A toolkit for pre-school and early primary school teachers to understand the benefits and meet the challenge of a waste-free lunch day or week.
Stages ES1 – 2 | Schools recycle right Planet Ark
Junior Landcare Learning Centre - learning activities aligned to the Australian curriculum to encourage waste minimisation and awareness.
All ages
Take 3 for the Sea – Project based learning teaching units, exploring the impact of litter and waste on oceans and waterways.
Stages 3-4 | project based learning units | Take 3 for the Sea & Cool Australia
Plastics Challenge comprehensive STEM resource that investigate the properties of plastics and find solutions to problems caused by plastic waste globally.
Stages 3 – 4 | Videos, Information, Classroom activities | Resources for Rethinking
NetWaste - a voluntary regional waste group; projects include Waste to Art.
Stages 1 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Information, projects | 28 NSW local councils
Question and Answer Quiz Posters from Planet Ark. Seven recycling question posters, with corresponding answer posters.
Stages 3 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Teaching resource | Planet Ark
Our human footprint - information on the impact humans are having on the environment.
Stages 3 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Information | World Wildlife Fund
Clean Up Australia - curriculum resources focusing on refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
Stages 3- 4 | Science and Technology, Science, HSIE | Units of work, Student activities | Cleanup Australia
Compost and worm tutorials - a step-by-step guide to composting and wormfarming.
Stages 3- 4 | Cross KLAs | Information | Randwick City, Woollahra and Waverley Councils with NSW Environmental Trust
National Pollutant Inventory - learn about pollution emissions, includes online curriculum resources for teachers.
Stages 3- 4 | Science and Technology, Science, HSIE, Creative Arts | Units of work | Australian Government
Waste Not - free learning activities on recycling.
Stages 4 – 5 | English, Science, Geography, Art | Videos, Information, Classroom activities | Total Environment Centre
Shining a light on sustainability - explains the concept of sustainability highlighting waste.
Stages 4 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Video | Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (Aries)
Love Food, hate waste - information on the environmental impacts of food waste particularly useful for students in Food Technology 7-10.
Stages 4 – 5 | Food Technology | Information | NSW EPA
Junior Landcare Learning Centre - learning activities aligned to the Australian curriculum to encourage waste minimisation and awareness.
All ages
Take 3 for the Sea – Project based learning teaching units, exploring the impact of litter and waste on oceans and waterways.
Stages 3-4 | project based learning units | Take 3 for the Sea & Cool Australia
Plastics Challenge comprehensive STEM resource that investigate the properties of plastics and find solutions to problems caused by plastic waste globally.
Stages 3 – 4 | Videos, Information, Classroom activities | Resources for Rethinking
NetWaste - a voluntary regional waste group; projects include Waste to Art.
Stages 1 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Information, projects | 28 NSW local councils
Question and Answer Quiz Posters from Planet Ark. Seven recycling question posters, with corresponding answer posters.
Stages 3 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Teaching resource | Planet Ark
Our human footprint - information on the impact humans are having on the environment.
Stages 3 – 5 | Cross KLAs | Information | World Wildlife Fund
Clean Up Australia - curriculum resources focusing on refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
Stages 3- 4 | Science and Technology, Science, HSIE | Units of work, Student activities | Cleanup Australia
Compost and worm tutorials - a step-by-step guide to composting and wormfarming.
Stages 3- 4 | Cross KLAs | Information | Randwick City, Woollahra and Waverley Councils with NSW Environmental Trust
National Pollutant Inventory - learn about pollution emissions, includes online curriculum resources for teachers.
Stages 3- 4 | Science and Technology, Science, HSIE, Creative Arts | Units of work | Australian Government
Cool Australia - Primary & secondary waste units.
Stages 1 – 5 | Integrated, Inquiry Australian Curriculum aligned lesson plans | Cool Australia
- Clean Up Australia Every Day – You don’t have to wait until March each year to help keep Australia clean.
- National Recycling Week and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge. In partnership with Planet Ark, Cool Australia have prepared a range of activities that aim to raise awareness around the benefits of using recycled products.
- Take 3 for the Sea
- Garage Sale Trail program takes place in November. Schools can get involved by hosting a secondhand market, car boot sale or white elephant stall on their school grounds.
- Nude Food Day is a fantastic opportunity to teach children about how their actions can impact the environment and their health. The event can be as big or small as your school desires. Visit the website for a number of activity suggestions that will help you build the day into something that is right for your school.