Green Waste consists of food, garden and anything else organic (such as compostable paper). This usually comprises around 45% of the school waste stream. This means that a typical school of 400 students may generate up to 20kg of food waste per day and up to 4 tonnes per year will go to landfill. Which could cost the school over $500/year in disposal costs.
What Can We Do?
- view our Green Schools tab on this website and see the waste case studies
- install compost bays or worm farm. Small farms are available from most hardware stores and Wyong Shire Council.
- if you need professional assistance there is a good worm farm supplier on the Central Coast who can set up, supply worms and give advice. Contact Dave Maher on Tel: 0433013474.
- worms are available from most hardware stores and nurseries.
visit Kariong Eco Garden to see a range of working backyard scale compost systems, worm farms, no dig garden beds and creative ways to reuse materials. Join in workshops and get ideas from volunteers . Contact Lisa Wriley on Tel: 02 43 405425 or Mobile: 0417686694.
- organise a waste audit so students can see for themselves the importance of recycling. Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre can help run the audit and supply buckets, scales, gloves and tongs.
- visit the 'How To Set Up A Worm Farm Site'
- see the 'Easy guides to worm farming and composting'
- provide a container with lid for the storage of food waste in each classroom and staff room. Ensure that the food waste bins are a different colour to the recycling or waste bins and attach label identifying the material suitable for composting or worm farming. Once every month teachers should run a brief reminder session to reinforce what goes into the food waste bins.
- Introduce "Waste Hawks" (or similar). Waste Hawks will take on the role of waste monitors. Each class should nominate on a weekly basis a waste monitor who could receive a badge identifying him/her as the Waste Hawk. The responsibility of Waste Hawks could be:
- check food waste bins for contamination
- empty food waste bins into worm farm or compost bin after recess and lunch
- rinse food waste bin and return it to its appropriate location. - general assistant should add grass clippings to compost bays
- use compost and/or vermicast (worm castings) as mulch on gardens.