New
waste minimisation initiative proving popular with schools
This material was produced by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ)
under contract to the Ministry of Education in 2000 and 2001. It was written
to assist teachers and schools in their delivery of the technology/ hangarau
curriculum statements. The project was jointly coordinated by personnel
from the Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ)
and National Association of Māori Mathematicians, Scientists and Technologists
(NAMMSAT) networks. Monitoring and evaluation of the material was carried
out by a national project advisory group.
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The
news
In Auckland, the Waitakere City Council has set itself a waste minimisation
target of 30 percent of waste diverted from landfill by 2005. Children
are a core target market for this initiative and to help achieve their
goal the council recently opened a learning centre for 8- to 12-year-olds
at its solid waste refuse transfer station in Henderson.
The aim of this centre is simple – to teach children and educationalists
how they can reduce waste and thereby protect the planet. The council
believes that the educational role of the centre is vital if their target
is to be reached and has therefore committed itself to the learning
centre programme by refurbishing an old prefabricated building on site
and funding a waste minimisation staff member to coordinate the sessions
for schools. The activities of the centre are fully integrated with
other initiatives such as recycling and reuse promotional campaigns.
Three days weeks, school groups participate in a variety of hands-on
activities, including composting, worm farming, and making recycled
paper. Children can also tour the waste refuse transfer station to see
first hand how plastic, paper, glass, and steel are sorted and recycled.
When teachers book a visit to the centre they receive a study package,
which provides information and activities, which can be used both before
and after the actual site visit.
A number of schools have followed up their visit to the learning centre
by installing their own worm farms in the school grounds. The worm farms,
made from baths discarded in inorganic rubbish collections, are installed
by the council's waste minimisation officers. Worms, manure, carpet
covering, and food collection bins are all provided free to the school
by the city council. Follow-up advice and support is also available
if required. The liquid fertiliser and vermicast that is produced by
the worm farm can be collected for use by the school and its wider community.
The centre is proving to be a very popular attraction to schools and
since its opening in November 1999 more than 5000 students have visited
the site.
Ideas
for classroom use
A number of city councils around New Zealand are active in the area
of waste minimisation and have established ongoing educational programmes,
which are available either free or at minimal cost to schools. Resource
material, landfill tours, and visits by council staff are easily arranged
in many areas. This can be used as the start of a school or community-based
waste minimisation project.
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