Schools Waste Action Club
SWAC educational programme
What else does Nottinghamshire SWAC do
What they say - responses to the project from schools
Contact
Nottinghamshire Schools Waste Action Club (SWAC) is a waste education programme provided free of charge to primary, secondary and special needs schools throughout Nottinghamshire and the City of Nottingham.
The project is delivered by Nottinghamshire County Council and its principal aims are to:
- increase awareness of waste and its management among school staff and pupils
- encourage and support schools to reduce, reuse and recycle waste
- transfer the knowledge gained by pupils and staff from working on waste at school to achieve increasingly sustainable waste management in the home.
The project, which started in December 2001, has its own Education Officer who works directly with pupils. To date, Nottinghamshire SWAC has delivered more than 1000 sessions in over 124 schools of which 85% have been primaries, 10% secondaries and 5% special schools.
All SWAC work is linked to the National Curriculum, as well as to the Healthy Schools programme and Education for Sustainable Development.
SWAC Educational Programme
Following an Initial Planning Meeting with school staff, SWAC is introduced to pupils through the School Dustbin Assembly which makes use of a giant wheelie bin to introduce the programme and the concept of sustainable resource management to the whole school.
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The SWAC assembley |
The SWAC Officer then works with a carefully chosen class or group to plan and carry out an Initial Waste Audit of the school's waste. One or two day's worth of waste from across the school is sorted into material types and weighed. This provides a 'snapshot' of the school's rubbish and shows the materials and areas which the school most needs to address.
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The SWAC Waste Audit Activity at Brinsley Primary School |
Action Planning
Using data from the waste audit, SWAC works with students and staff to develop a Waste Minimisation Action Plan. Below is a sample action being taken by Nottinghamshire SWAC schools to minimise their waste. Further actions will be taken as required in response to schools' individual waste audit findings.
OBJECTIVE: To establish an effective paper recycling system throughout school.
- installation of local authority paper banks in those schools which do not already have them
- maximising use made of existing paper recycling banks by installing clearly labelled 'twin bins' to separate recyclable and non-recyclable paper waste in every classroom and office
- establishing a recycling rota by which pairs of pupils are responsible for emptying the bins, checking for contamination and making sure that only paper that has been used on both sides is recycled
What effect does SWAC have on school waste?
Once a Waste Minimisation Action Plan has been drawn up with the school, it is then their responsibility to implement it. However, they are not left to do this on their own but are offered further support by the SWAC Officer in the form of Action Plan Updates Visits.
Between 6 and 12 months after their initial period of work with SWAC, schools are offered a Repeat Waste Audit to assess the effectiveness of their Action Plan. These audits have shown significant reductions in waste going to landfill or incineration. In addition, the data collected from repeat audits is used to develop further actions (Action Plan II) to minimise school waste.
What else does Nottinghamshire SWAC do?
SWAC offers schools a wide range of additional activity sessions, all exploring the theme of sustainable waste management. These both broaden the range of activities offered by the project and involve classes and year groups not directly involved in the core programme. Nottinghamshire SWAC additional activities include:
- rubbish and recycling stories - Infant & nursery classes learn about how rubbish disposal and recycling
- paper making - practically exploring the environmental benefits of making recycled paper
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Ben Bradshaw MP making recycled paper with pupils from Woodborough Woods Primary School Autumn 2006. |
- composting - experiments in the science of composting and the wonderful world of worms
- the Rubbish Challenge - a giant 'board game' reinforcing the 3Rs message
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The Rubbish Challenge at Brinsley Primary School |
- packaging workshops - investigating the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of packaging
- waste free lunches -a challenge to create a packed lunch with a minimal amount of waste
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A waste-free lunch |
- packaging pairs - highlighting that different products are available in different packaging and the impact this packaging waste has on the environment
- making musically Instruments - children learn about reusing waste and then re-use waste materials to create musical instruments
- reusing carrier bags - highlights how reusing items can benefit the environment. Pupils identify different materials which can be reused and give ideas of how this could be done. Pupils then make carrier bag holders by reusing old clothes
- waste odyssey - a secondary school activity investigating what will happen if we don't take action on waste now
The project has also:
- organised visits by primary and secondary schools to local waste management sites.
- delivered teacher training, both to individual schools and to teachers from groups of schools
- organised and taken part in special events and competitions.
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Thorpe Winners at Waste World Cup Event Summer Term 2006 |
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Rubbish Monster Competition Winner - Spring Term 2006 |
What they say - responses to the project from schools
- The response to Nottinghamshire SWAC from schools has been excellent with nearly 100% of evaluations rating the content and delivery of its activities as good to excellent.
- “Throughout the waste audit children showed a good understanding of which areas in school generated waste and of what materials. Practical exercise of sorting waste supported their understanding. All the children really enjoyed the session and all were kept busy and on task” St Swithun’s Primary School - Waste Audit.
- "The activity was great, the charts were a good resource for showing waste properties and it was interesting seeing the children work as part of a team" Bleasby C of E Primary School - Sorting Materials Activity:00
- "Excellent practical activities, all children very clear about what can be recycled. Excellent and enjoyable session – Thank you!” Kimberley Primary School – Sorting Materials
- “Very clear – loved the practical approach! Clear labels and good explanation.” Kimberley Primary School – Waste Assembly
- “Excellent hands on activity. The kids really enjoyed themselves and learnt about the value of recycling.” Porchester Junior School – Paper Making
- “The game taught the children in an interesting and fun way.” Mornington Primary School –The ‘Rubbish Challenge’ game
- “SWAC was an excellent catalyst to our litter and recycling initiative. The assembly set the scene and the action planning with the School Council following the audit provided a very useful framework which we can now build on throughout the year.” The Brunts Secondary School
- “The trip [to the incinerator] has been a really good opportunity for our students to see the process for themselves and to develop their understanding of waste management” Trinity Secondary School.
Contact
Nottinghamshire SWAC is fully supported by Veolia Environmental Services, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and the area's 7 District & Borough Councils.
If your school is interested in getting involved with the SWAC please contact the SWAC officer on swac@nottscc.gov.uk Mob: 07764 269 135
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