Published date: 2 March 2016

A winning waste prevention programme for pupils across north London

An ‘end celebration event’ took place at The Science Museum, in South Kensington last week (24 February), attended by a group of pupils, with a teacher and parents from schools participating in a waste education project.
 

The event was part of North London Waste Authority’s (NLWA) ‘Wise Up To Waste’ waste prevention and recycling educational programme, delivered in 14 north London primary schools from September 2015 to February 2016 by the environmental charity ecoACTIVE.

The aim of the project was for pupils to learn about ways to reduce and recycle waste, including food waste reduction; textiles  reuse, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) reuse and recycling, as well as to learn more about all of the local recycling

services available in their boroughs. As part of the project pupils carried out waste audits of their school, to see how much rubbish was really being thrown away, introduced new recycling systems to their classmates and even delivered whole school assemblies to spread the word. There were also teacher-training sessions, providing teachers with information about waste minimisation and recycling, as well as suggestions of ways to include these topics in their existing curriculum or schemes of work.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA said:

“This exciting programme was delivered through fun activities to provide straightforward, practical guidance to enable both families and schools to waste less and recycle more. By working with the pupils at these schools, we hope that positive and useful messages about reducing waste and recycling were shared at home with parents/carers across north London.”

The following schools took part in the project and each was provided with a scrap book to record their learning:

  • Hollickwood Primary School, Barnet
  • Whiting’s Hill Primary School, Barnet
  • Emmanuel Primary School, Camden
  • St Luke’s CE Primary School, Camden
  • Highfield Primary School, Enfield
  • Latymer All Saints Primary School, Enfield
  • Forty Hill Primary School, Enfield
  • Daubeney Primary School, Hackney
  • Rushmore Primary School, Hackney
  • Lancasterian Primary School, Haringey
  • Campsbourne Junior School, Haringey
  • New North Academy, Islington
  • Mayville Primary School, Waltham Forest
  • St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Waltham Forest

The scrapbooks were then entered into a competition to judge the most imaginative and effective work.

At the ‘end celebration event’ pupils shared poems, songs and examples of their work and learning. There was also face-painting, craft activities, a waste hierarchy quiz and a surprise game where pupils got to make their teachers a hat ... made from waste! The winner of the scrapbook competition was also announced:

Joint third place went to St Luke’s CE Primary School, Camden and Daubeney Primary School, Hackney – who were awarded £100 each

The second place prize of  £200 was won by St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Waltham Forest

Whilst the first place of £500 went to Highfield Primary School, Enfield

schools-celebration event-pic-2

The winners’ prize money will be used to implement each school’s action plan to improve reuse and recycling in their school.

There are a number of tools and resources available to schools on the theme of waste prevention and sustainability, if you are interested in accessing these, please visit the following page on NLWA’s Wise Up To Waste website: wiseuptowaste.org.uk/schools/free-teaching-resources. 

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