Recycling at school is easy with our Waste Education Program.
It gives students and teachers the resources they need to support, plan, implement and maintain waste minimisation projects in their school.
Our Waste Education Program aims to:
- raise awareness of waste issues
- encourage behavioural changes
- develop responsible environmental values.
The program aims to achieve this through a targeted school education. The program has something to offer every school, regardless of year level or level of expertise.
The program has in-class presentations linked to the Queensland Education Curriculum guidelines. Students can also see how we manage waste by visiting our Browns Plains Waste & Recycling Facility.
Schools can also set up projects for themselves by using the following tips:
School recycling… More than just paper and cardboard!
Paper and cardboard make up around 60 to 70% of the average school’s waste stream. To help recover some of this waste, set up paper recycling stations in each classroom. Stations can be placed next to the general waste bin, and you can choose a year level or environmental group to collect them.
Once collected, place the waste into a recycling bin or bulk paper and cardboard bin - it's that easy!
Printer cartridge drop off points
Take your used or empty laser and inkjet cartridges to any Officeworks stores, participating Australia Post, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi, Office National and Office Products Depot outlets.
They will accept inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges and toner bottles. This includes cartridges used in printers, photocopiers and fax machines.
(If you cannot find the box, please ask the staff at the counter.)
All cartridges collected through the 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' program will be re-manufactured or recycled.
Visit the Recycling near you website for a full list of participating outlets.
Worm farming and composting
A fun way to reduce the amount of organic waste your schools sends to landfill is to feed your fruit and vegetable scraps to a worm farm, or combine these scraps with garden waste and place them in a compost bin. Organic waste can be turned into great compost for the school gardens and pot plants.
We can create a worm farm or compost bin at your school when you take part in the Watch Out Waste Education Programs, Nature’s Recyclers lesson.
Plastic bag recycling
Australians use an estimated 7 billion plastic bags each year. These plastic bags cannot be placed in your yellow lidded recycling bin. Most Coles and Woolworths stores now accept clean plastic bags for recycling in the red wheelie bins placed outside each participating store.
Visit the Recycling near you website for a full list of store locations.
The other way to reduce this problem is to avoid plastic bags and buy some reusable cotton or calico bags. They make great swimming bags and library bags for school!
The Logan Recycling Market
Did you know that your local Browns Plains waste and recycling facility has one of the biggest recycling markets in the Southern Hemisphere? If your school has any old furniture, white goods or even books that need disposing of, they can dropped off at any of our waste and recycling facilities for the Logan Recycling Market.
Please phone first if you have more than a few items. All valuable resources will be recovered and sold back to the public to raise funds for local charities.
Drop-off charity stores
Many charity stores will also accept your clean, unwanted household items and clothing. Please call charity stores before taking any unwanted items. Search online for your nearest store.
Teachers resources
Teachers can access the expertise of the Logan Waste Educators and have in-class presentations or visit the Browns Plains Waste & Recycling Facility.
For more information, please email the waste education team logan.education@cleanaway.com.au.