RECAP News
16/12/2009 - Schools Big Success in Reducing Waste
Around 5,000 pupils and staff from 19 primary schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have taken part in a challenge over the past 8 weeks to reduce the amount of rubbish they throw away, and recycle more of what’s left. And the results have been re
The waste challenge, “The Happy Bin Project”, was organised by councils in the RECAP (Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) partnership and Waterbeach based waste management company Donarbon, with the help of The Green Egg Company, that has run similar projects in over 60 schools across Wales.
This is the second year the Happy Bin Project has been run by RECAP councils, and it began with a puppet show at all the schools in October, followed by lessons on why it is important to reduce waste, and how to do it. Each week pupils weighed the amount of rubbish their school put out for recycling and for disposal, up to early December.
The results are now in, and on average the 19 schools reduced the amount of waste they sent to landfill by 35%! Over a whole year this would mean the schools would send 26 fewer tonnes of waste to landfill, which would weigh the same as 4 elephants, a giraffe, 2 zebras and a lion.
Swaffham Bulbeck Primary came out tops, with the largest reduction in total waste, from over 1 kg per pupil at the beginning of the programme to only 400 grams, with about half of the remaining waste being recycled!
Kings Hedges Primary School was able to decrease the amount it sent to landfill each week by nearly 50% and Milton C of E Primary School had the best all round performance throughout the 6 weeks of the project. It reduced the amount of waste each pupil sent to landfill to less than 100 grams per week…about the same weight as a bag of crisps!
Two schools from Huntingdonshire, Gt. Staughton Primary and St. Mary’s Primary in St. Neots, had greatest success at minimising the total amount of waste in school.
Thorpe Primary School, in Peterborough, was the largest school taking part in the project, and it was able to minimise the amount of rubbish it sent to landfill by a third. It achieved this by increasing recycling and producing less waste in the first place. The school won a free visit from the Schools Recycling Bus to help encourage even more recycling.
Elm Road Primary School, in Wisbech, the top school in Fenland to take part, reduced its total waste by over 50%, much more than the overall average. It was particularly successful in reducing the amount of school meal waste.
Helen Taylor from RECAP said,
“We are really pleased with how well the schools have done – it shows that with a bit of dedication and enthusiasm, it is easy to reduce waste and increase the amount we recycle. We will be using what we have learnt from the project to encourage our residents to do what our school children have done, and reduce their waste.”
View all recycling news
