You create the trash, you take it away

You create the trash, you take it away

By Liam Taylor  September 9th, 2019

A selective girls’ school in Melbourne is taking the impressive step of banning all rubbish bins from campus, requiring students to pack reusable lunch containers and take any trash they generate home.

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A selective girls’ school in Melbourne is taking the impressive step of banning all rubbish bins from campus, requiring students to pack reusable lunch containers or take any trash they generate home with them.

The aim is to teach Melbourne Girls’ College students to take responsibility for their rubbish while also encouraging families to consider purchasing goods with less packaging when planning school lunches. The new system will come into action next week, with the school also setting up a token system to reward students consistently using reusable packaging with prizes.

The move comes following a waste audit conducted by the school this year, which found it sent about 954 cubic metres of trash to landfill in 2018 at a cost of $13,000. Since then the school sustainability team had been consulting with parents and students on the idea of adopting a bin ban for over six months.

Paula McIntosh, a teacher at the school, told Guardian Australia the move was as much about sending a message as it was about teaching students about waste.

“Avoid, reuse, responsibility, they’re our hashtags for this whole thing,” McIntosh said.

“We’re making a statement to manufacturers that we would like our stuff packaged less and in biodegradable compostable packaging, thank you very much.”

 

Positive Action

    Check out the range of resources we provide to schools for the Schools Recycle Right Challenge, including the Waste-Free Lunch Guide.
  • Looking for information on recycling in your local area? Visit RecyclingNearYou, Australia’s most comprehensive database for recycling information.
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    Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

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By Liam Taylor

Prior to joining Planet Ark Liam spent his time studying global environmental issues, travelling Southeast Asia on the cheap and working for a sustainable property management company in Bali, Indonesia. Joining the communications team at Planet Ark, he hopes to inspire positive environmental behaviour through effective and positive messaging.

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