From Audit to Action at Redwoodtown
At Redwoodtown School, like many across Marlborough, students and staff are working hard to reduce what ends up in landfill through a school-wide recycling system for paper, plastic and food waste.
However recently, the school’s Enviroleaders noticed that enthusiasm for proper sorting had started to slip. Rather than let things slide, they set themselves a new goal: to redesign the recycling area and make it easier and more inviting for everyone to use.
Before making changes, the students wanted to understand what types of waste were most common and where it was ending up—both inside classrooms and around the school grounds. With the support of the school cleaners, a day was set aside for a full waste audit. Waste from the classrooms was collected and a lunchtime clean up of the schools grounds was organised.
Angela was invited in to support the process, alongside Rachel Ellis, Redwoodtown’s new Kids Edible Gardens facilitator who is also supporting the Enviorgroup. Together with the Envirogroup, they set up a big tarpaulin and got to work.
The tamariki began by sorting paper waste, dividing it into three categories:
- Recyclable paper
- Cardboard
- Compostable paper
Each category was weighed and carefully recorded.
Next came the messier part: sorting through four full wheelie bins of mixed waste. With enthusiasm and focus, tamariki sorted the rubbish into categories including:
- Recyclable plastics
- Organic waste
- Metal
- Glass
But the waste stream wasn’t always so straightforward. Students created new categories on the spot for tricky materials. This included items made from rubber, old batteries, concrete, broken pens—and even a bike helmet!
What next?
With the audit complete and the data collected, the Envirogroup set aside time in their next meeting to dive into what they had recorded. But before finishing for the day, they turned their attention to the question:
How can we get the rest of the school excited about reducing waste?
Brainstorming began with a focus on fun, creative, and engaging ways to involve the whole school in the learning journey toward less waste and better systems.
Ka pai, Redwoodtown! We’re looking forward to seeing how your ideas come to life and how you transform your recycling space into something that supports and inspires tamariki across the school!