Saturday, April 27, 2013

How to Manage School Waste?

 Hi all :) Today I'd like to explain about how to manage school waste. Because waste isn't 'waste' until it's wasted.


  

The very first step your school can do is by providing 2 kinds of bins to separate the waste, namely, trash bin for organic waste, and recycle bin for inorganic waste.


2 in 1 trash bin (possible to be put inside the class)

This waste bin is 2 in 1 trash which has the dual function of accommodating the organic and inorganic waste. This small container is inside a large container. This is functioned as a container for organic waste. As for advantages, it has a cover that serves to avoid perch of flies and the stench that comes out. It is also very safe to dispose of liquid waste, so as not to wet the surrounding area 



Recycling Bins in Singapore

1. Waste Management Committee

The first step in setting up a successful waste management program in your school is to make sure that all parties which could affect the program’s success namely; school management, teachers, parents, students, and the school cleaning staff, buy-in to the idea and are committed to making it work.
 
One of the best ways to do this is to create a waste project committee that includes representation from each of the key groups. It would be ideal if the school’s head teacher or principal were directly involved in the waste management programme since that would ensure it was supported from the top-down. 

The waste committee should include 2 – 3 other teacher representatives, preferably from different areas within the school (e.g. one teacher from the academic side, one teacher from the arts and crafts side, and one teacher from the sporting side). As far as other staff is concerned, also include representation from the school caretaker and/or cleaning staff as their day-to-day activities can play an important role in its success. Having students on the committee is also important, as they will help generating awareness and support from their friends.

2.  Waste Audit

Now that your waste committee has been established, you can move onto conducting your waste audit. A waste audit will help you establish how much, and what type of waste your school currently throws away. This audit will give you information such as where your school produces its waste (classrooms, cafeteria, playground etc), what types of waste are produced, and how much is produced.

3. Reduce


The best way to solve our waste problem is to firstly reduce the amount of waste we produce. So, depending on the outcome of your school’s waste audit, your school should try and focus on the waste stream(s) you are producing the most of and see where you can reduce your waste output. Looking at ways to reduce your waste output can be fun. How about allocating each of the classes in your school a specific waste generation area and task the pupils to come up with clever ways to reduce the waste being produced. Award the class whose recommendations have the biggest impact on the volume of waste the school produces.

Tips:
  • Before disposing of something you no longer need, try and think about other ways in which your school could use it e.g. discarded paper could be used to make paper mache, discarded cans could be used in your arts and crafts classes and glass jars could be used to hold crayons or pencils in the classroom. You could probably think of plenty of other ideas if you put your mind to it.
  • Look outside of your school for people who may want to reuse the waste you are producing. For example, artists may use recycled waste to produce their art. You may even be able to sell your waste to external parties thereby making some money for your school.  
  • Where possible, repair items that are broken.

4. Reuse 

  • Always use both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it or throw it away. Reuse old paper that cannot be written on any more to make ‘papier mache’ models or masks. You can also mix it with water and mash it up to make a pulp for 3D modelling or making your own recycled paperUse refillable pens instead of disposable ones
  • Encourage the school to use rechargeable batteries and refillable print cartridges.
  • Encourage the school and your ‘after school club’ to join and use a local ‘scrap store’ for materials
  • Designate an area for scrap art supplies. Encourage students to bring in items such as egg cartons, film canisters, magazines, cartons, paper grocery bags, and plastic lids for reuse in art and other projects
  • At the end of the school year collect unwanted supplies for use in the upcoming school year

5. Recycle


  • What to Recycle: Use the results of your waste audit to determine which waste streams you’re going to recycle.
  • Location and Safety:
    • SPACE: Your recycling centre will need sufficient space to accept waste that is being delivered, sort through it, and store waste once it has been sorted 
    • ACCESS: Your centre must also be accessible so as to ensure easy delivery of waste coming in from external sources as well as waste collection. The ideal place will have a parking area big enough to turn a small truck.  
    • HEALTH AND SAFETY: Because a recycling centre works with and stores waste materials, you need to pay careful consideration to the health and safety aspects. From a health perspective, consider the odour that the waste might generate (especially if you are dealing with organic waste and composting). Also think about the insects such as flies that may be attracted to your centre.
    • PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Make sure that all recycling centre staff and volunteers wear gloves and possibly even a plastic jacket or overall when they are sorting waste. This will protect them from any possible contamination.
    • SHARP OBJECTS OR HAZARDOUS WASTE: Make sure that sorters are aware to look out for sharp objects, and that they can easily identify and deal appropriately with hazardous waste that may mistakenly have been delivered to the centre.

6. Composting

When it comes to organic waste such as leftover food, create compost.  There are different ways to make compost so select one that suits your specific situation. Think about how much organic waste you have access to as well as the time and space you have available for composting. You could also consider using the compost you are making to set up a small-scale commercial vegetable garden. Your school could sell the vegetables to members of your community and generate additional income.
By composting, we save space in landfills and turn waste into a product that can improve soil and increase its water-holding capacity.




More tips on Waste Reduction & Reuse for Schools:

 http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2714&q=324928 

http://www.nerc.org/documents/school_reuse_tips.pdf







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