Recycle More has been designed by young people working with Cornwall Councils Waste and Recycling Team. Their aim is to make a difference to the recycling rates across Cornwall and get other young people involved in recycling more. This is part of the Annual Conversation, supporting young people have their voices heard.
Four simple steps to get involved:
- Conduct a recycling audit in your school- see how much waste you produce and how much you recycle.
- Encouraging as much recycling on site as possible across the school site.
- Repeat the waste audit and show your progress.
How to audit your waste
The easiest way to audit your waste is to count the number of black bag waste and the number of recyclable waste bags. Choose a set day, being careful not to choose a day when the waste might be lower or higher due to an event or students being out of school.
If you are a part of a big school or are limited on time you might just count a sample of your waste. You could ask cleaning staff to count the waste they collect on a particular day. Alternatively, you could take a look inside the large wheelie bins outside your school. You must have adult supervision for this. Remember to never climb into these bins.
You could also conduct a more detailed waste audit, giving you more information about the types of waste your produce as a school. If you choose this method make sure you avoid any waste bins which may contain food or other toxic items. Choose a sample of the school's waste. On a large piece of plastic empty out the rubbish and sort into different categories:
- paper
- plastic
- card
- non recyclable
Record the amount of each. It is a good idea to wear gloves for this activity. You can find more information on conducting a waste audit and lots of other resource on the Waste Buster Website.
At the end of your Recycle More campaign audit your black bin waste and recyclable waste again using the same method you used at the start.
Top tips and ideas for your campaign
- Make sure everyone knows it is happening. It is a good idea to hold an assembly or a tutor session to tell all students
- Speak to the person in the school who organises the rubbish collections. Find out how your rubbish is collected. For most schools waste is classed as commercial waste. It will have a collection for black bin waste and a second for recyclables. The recyclables often don't need to be separated like the curb side waste and are placed in clear bin bags. Check with the school office, Headteacher or facilities manager that this is the case in your school
- Make sure your recycling bins are clearly labelled- you can down load the recycling images below
- Here is a great idea from Treviglas School. They are running a competition where students pick up litter/recycling on their way to from school each day. They then put it in the correct bin in their form room. Students who take part and then entered into a draw to win a cinema voucher.
There are a number of organisations offering free resources to help your campaign to reduce waste:
If you are planning a litter pick check out Clean Cornwall where you can borrow litter picking equipment.
Schools across Cornwall are pledging to make a difference
In this video students at Redruth School tell us about what they have been doing to reduce the amount of plastic on their school grounds.
If you are working to improve your environment and would like to share with other schools and youth groups please get in touch.
Email us at CarbonNeutral.Education@cornwall.gov.uk