Case study
Raising awareness of environmental issues
School details
- School name: Ashfield Secondary School
- Town: Sutton in Ashfield
- Age range of pupils: 11-18
- Number of pupils: 2,500
- Number of staff: 150
Reasons for recycling
An advert for the Eco Schools awards scheme prompted two teachers to think about what the school could do to become more sustainable.
As the waste generated by 2,500 pupils and 150 staff was all going to landfill, they decided their school could make a real difference by setting up a recycling scheme. The main appeal was:
• It straightforward
• It saves energy
• It saves resources
• It’s a practical hands-on activity
• It helps to tackle climate change
• It has raises awareness of environmental issues amongst staff and pupils
• It has given the whole school a sense of achievement
Approach
By recycling our used paper we save 187kg of paper going to landfill each week! That’s over seven tonnes a year, which saves approximately 9 tonnes of CO2 each year – the same as the emissions from watching a 32’’ TV for 128 years.
The two lead teachers put forward the the environmental benefits of recycling and explained their plans for a school recycling scheme to the head teacher, who was happy to support the project.
Year 7 students took part in a waste audit and the school discovered that more than two thirds of their waste was paper. They discussed how much paper – and associated resources including energy, water and trees – the school was using and how much was ending up as waste buried in the ground.
The school then developed an action plan and set up their recycling scheme.
Outcome
A follow-up waste audit showed that the school achieved an enormous 60% reduction in the amount of waste they send to landfill and everyone is really proud of the results.
The school recycles around 187kg of paper waste a week through the recycling scheme - that’s more than 7 tonnes a year diverted from landfill, and the equivalent of saving 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Students gained an understanding of the environmental impact of waste and how they can reduce it by actively recycling.
Details of recycling scheme
Materials recycled:
Paper and cardboard
Containers used:Transparent plastic boxes with stickers showing what can be recycled
Who collects your school’s recycling:
Local authority (Ashfield)
Frequency of collection:
Weekly
Date/year the recycling scheme was introduced:
2005
Ashfield School’s Top Tips
- Clear plastic boxes are ideal as paper recycling bins and can be put next to the ordinary bins with stickers explaining the materials that can be recycled.
- It works well if you designate someone from each tutor group to empty the bins every week.