All over the country parents are rejoicing (ahem) that in only a few weeks their children will be back in the nest, hunting for Easter eggs, arguing over what’s left in the fridge and making you wonder how you survived school holidays before being able to plug your teenagers into the IT equipment that now fills your home.
The school term is a constant flurry of activity, but as the children leave the gates for the holidays it can be a great time to have a good old fashioned clear out. From the flickering strip lights in the dining hall to the hazardous waste from the GCSE Science projects, your facilities team can take the right steps to get your waste managed by the people who know how to dispose of these items – in a compliant, cost efficient and audited way. You may find while there are no classes the Easter leave gives you the chance to check your IT equipment and servers to see if now is the time to consider recycling any older monitors you may still be using or if your servers need decommissioning.
It isn’t only the bigger items that need recycling. If you haven’t got one already, why not start a recycling scheme in your school. Not only will both children and staff understand the importance of managing the waste your school produces, it also offers a learning opportunity for students. For the younger pupils it can be an activity as simple as identifying common types of material such as wood, paper, metal or plastic and then sorting them into groups. For older students the recycling scheme can offer the chance to be involved in decision making and understanding how to best use local, national and worldwide resources to improve our quality of life both now and in the future through sustainable development.
There are several schemes and government backed award programs that are designed to help schools become more environmentally friendly. The Sustainable Schools program sets out a framework of environmental and social sustainability goals to achieve by 2020. There are 8 areas in which schools can aim to improve in and one of these is ‘Purchasing and Waste’. Similarly, Eco-Schools is an international award program that involves a pupil-led committee who audit and assess the environmental performance of their school before deciding on ways to improve it.
There are so many ways that your school, your staff and your pupils can get involved. From something as basic as collecting aluminium cans to the more specialist waste management services that Pure Planet Recycling offer. You can find more information about setting up a recycling scheme in your school here or contact Pure Planet Recycling to see why schools in your area are already using our award winning service range including WEEE recycling and collection services, data destruction and computer recycling.
