Climate change, pollution and the destruction of nature's biodiversity are major challenges of our time. Tackling waste is a key step to ensuring we consume Earth's resources sustainably and we can all make small but significant changes in our everyday lives to support that.
Reduce - preventing waste through the choices we make is an easy first step. Stop and think, do I really need that or is there something I have already that could do instead? Or simply choosing loose instead of packaged items in the shop is a quick win.
Reuse - making sure we get the most from things we own is essential to ensuring resources are used as much as possible. Sharing, buying/selling second-hand and donating things we no longer use are great options. Have a look around your home or school to see what could be given a 'new life' if passed on to someone else.
Repair - fixing something instead of throwing it away or buying new could save you money and will help the environment. We've also put together a list of tips on how and where to get things fixed.
Recycle - it's hard to avoid creating waste but if the item can be recycled into something new then it's the next best step. Use our A-Z to see what can be recycled and visit our recycling page to get more tips and info on recycling in north London.
Best options for disposing of waste
Best options for disposing of waste
Wastebuster has produced an informative video called What on Earth is the Waste Hierarchy? explaining the different ways of getting rid of, or avoiding, waste to children.
The waste hierarchy demonstrates the different behaviours that contribute towards someone’s waste footprint, with disposing things being the worst for the planet and reducing the things you need/use being the best behaviour with the least harmful impact all round!
External source: Wastebuster
Local action
Taking action at a local level is essential to making the changes we need to help the environment, and this can start from inspiring your school and local community.
Below are some of our ideas on what you can do in your school – the trick is to be creative. We’d love to hear what action you're taking already!
- Creative writing: setting students a creative writing task, asking them to imagine what an ideal world would look like if we couldn't use plastic. Maybe their ideas could turn into some real changes at school.
- Persuasive writing: ask students to think critically about waste production and the impact it has on the environment, perhaps drafting a letter to school management to improve the system that's in place for managing waste.
- Introduce activism by getting creative: through arts and crafts, students could design their own banners or signs around waste prevention that could be used at school or in the local community.
- School council: encourage your school council or eco committee to champion waste prevention in school. It’s a good platform to encourage interest in social issues, such as the climate emergency. Eco Schools have some great information on how to set up a committee, as well as how to earn an Eco Schools award!
Climate Action Plan
Friends of the Earth has designed a handy guide for schools on how to encourage climate-positive behaviour and meaningful action with 50 easy measures.
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External source: Friends of the Earth
Nature connectedness
Research suggests that increasing people's sense of connection to the natural world can help fight the climate crisis. This is because people who are connected to nature are more likely to make sustainable choices and engage in environmentally friendly behaviours - such as wasting less.
The research has also shown that being connected to nature also improves overall happiness and wellbeing. However, it's concerning that children's connection to nature drops significantly from the age of 10 to 18 - taking up to a decade to be rebuilt. It's therefore incredibly important that we help facilitate nature connection with children as much as possible. Information on how to do so can be found in The Nature Connection Handbook. We've also written our own blog which provides some handy tips on how to connect with nature.
50 things to do before you're 11 3/4
The National Trust have designed a handy guide with some activities under 11's can do to connect with nature which is a great starting point.
External source: National Trust
The Wildlife Trust have created a challenge, encouraging you to do one wild thing every day for the entire month of June. This is a great way to connect children with nature, and can be helpful to create inner-school competitions!
External source: The Wildlife Trusts
Campaigns
There are various campaigns that happen throughout the year that schools can get on board with – NLWA will keep this section up-to-date so keep checking back for new campaign information!
Earth Day – 22 April
Earth Day is a campaign aimed at encouraging and inspiring action against the climate. Their website contains resources that can be used locally to educate around the climate emergency, and is a great way to encourage conversations around the climate.
Stop Food Waste Day – 24 April
This is the largest single day of action in the fight against global food waste. Download their toolkit and spread awareness of the issue of food waste. You could even put your class/school to the test by conducting a food waste audit (see the Food section) before and on the day of Stop Food Waste Day to compare the amount of food waste you produce!
International Compost Awareness Week – 5-11 May
The theme for 2024 is based on one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” and to show how composting can help achieve this goal. See the Compost section on how to educate your students on the magic of composting and consider doing a hands-on activity like setting up a composting bin at your school.
Great Big Green Week – 8-16 June
The UK's biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. Could you plan a whole-school assembly, or perhaps you could organise an event? Or if you want to dedicate a lesson to climate change and nature loss – sign up via the website to get a range of resources for primary and secondary schools sent to your inbox!
Plastic Free July – month of July
The aim of this international challenge is to reduce how much plastic you buy during the month of July - sign your school up and take the pledge! They also have great resources on how to conduct bin audits at your school and loads of handy advice for teachers.
Zero Waste Week – 2-6 September
Going zero waste completely is extremely difficult, mainly because a huge number of products are just not available without packaging, however, going zero waste for a week is definitely manageable. Check out their website for resources just for schools and inspiration on how you can get involved with Zero Waste Week.
Recycle Week – 16-22 October
Run by WRAP, Recycle Week is a celebration of recycling aiming to encourage the public to recycle more. The campaign is a great way to start the academic year with any new initiatives around waste prevention.
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