Since the 1990s, sustainability and its importance have been a part of the UK school curriculum. Researchers have conducted more research on the effects of carbon emissions and pollution over time. As a result, sustainable themes have worked their way into almost every subject schools teach.
Sciences, Geography, Social Studies, Art, History, and more now integrate lessons into their classes that cover different aspects of sustainability relevant to the topic at hand.
With sustainability touching so many parts of everyday life, schools have a valuable opportunity to lead by example. Working towards zero-waste-to-landfill is a positive, practical goal that can help schools reduce their impact, inspire pupils, and build lasting habits for the future.
This isn’t to suggest that schools aren’t making an effort to change. Many schools already have a sustainability policy. However, we’d like to see an active effort to minimise overall waste in more schools. The final goal is zero waste sent to landfill.
What we’ve learned from school waste audits
Zero Awareness.
Not knowing where to start with something as important as sustainability can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be a barrier to progress. We see it as an opportunity to learn. Firstly, ‘zero-waste-to-landfill’ means exactly what it sounds like. The status highlights your hard work and commitment towards a sustainable future.
Given its importance, many people seek sustainable schooling because they view it as more modern and socially conscious. In a 2021 poll, 85% of students surveyed agreed that all schools have a responsibility to help the environment. This is why it’s so important to teach young people about sustainability. Not only do they gain awareness, but they also develop a passion to deliver on goals.
Be prepared.
If you want to gain a deep understanding of your school’s recyclable waste, you need to prepare before Agecko arrive to ensure a thorough audit can be conducted. If we don’t have the accurate measurements and estimates, it’s harder for us to develop a plan tailored to you.
Don’t be scared by the word audit! Handing out infractions is not a part of our role, or even our power. School recycling is something you can get excited about. Take the opportunity to educate the next generation on the importance of sustainable waste management.
Our role is to assess your current situation, see what works and what doesn’t. Then we decide on achievable targets for you to hit whilst working towards a final goal. This can be zero-waste-to-landfill or even net-zero.
To accurately determine what you need, we will host our audit on a regular school day. Things such as school events (charity bake sales, Christmas party days etc), half days, or days where classes may be out on school trips. These will drastically change the estimated requirements later in the process.
What we measure.
Much of our audit aims to determine what waste your school produces, how much it generates, and where your school can make improvements. Every waste stream requires different treatment, and it’s down to us to make sure that happens. By determining what you produce the most and least of, we can ensure your waste management plan prioritises the key issues.
This includes learning:
- Which areas of the school generate the most/least waste.
- How specific should your waste separation be.
- How to separate at the source.
- How often does your waste need collecting.
- How educated is your team/students about sustainable waste management.
What do we learn from this?
Bin there, done that.
Sometimes the changes are simpler than you’d expect. Having separate bins encourages separation at the source. We’ve often covered how important this is, but bins of different types should also stay together.
You may oppose having multiple bins in one place because you worry about potential odour or vermin issues. However, if bins for different waste streams aren’t located nearby, people may be discouraged from segregating their waste. If they have to walk across the school to find the right bin, they’ll likely ignore the rules and throw it anywhere. By creating waste-disposal stations, you make it easier for pupils to recycle and develop positive habits.
The adults are talking.
Over time, we’ve also learned that adults are often more hesitant to adopt sustainable practices. Nowadays, parents and educators instil sustainable behaviours in kids from an early age, helping them adopt positive habits. Adults, on the other hand, have to become reacquainted with new behaviours.
Additionally, they may see the short-term cost of switching to a sustainable plan as detrimental. Without enough budget, the school cannot risk the waiting game, even if it means savings in the long run. While a sustainable waste management plan may be cost-effective in the long run, many public schools operate on tight budgets. This makes agreeing to a new plan a much bigger commitment.
How Agecko can help.
Our biggest commitment is to provide you with a waste management plan that delivers on your needs. While sustainability targets are our mission, we also ensure that every plan is tailored to:
- Your budget – Get the best possible service for your price.
- Your size – Small waste production should mean smaller prices.
- Your needs – Why overpay for a set plan, leaving you paying for services you don’t need?
- Your students – We can provide practical lessons to get students more involved in sustainability.
Want to learn more about how our team can help? Get in touch today.
