Download Welcome to our very first WasteWise News

WA S T E E D U C AT I O N F O R A U C K L A N D S C H O O L S - M A R C H 2 0 1 1
Welcome to our very first WasteWise
News under the new Auckland Council.
This issue introduces you to new council staff and
outlines waste minimisation resources available to
schools in the Auckland area.
Key waste minimisation contacts in council are detailed
below and further information can be found throughout
this newsletter.
Waveney Warth
WASTE MINIMISATION ADVISOR
Waveney is responsible for waste
WasteWise schools 2011 update
reducing our footprint
We would like to extend congratulations to the following
schools: Edendale Primary, Harrisville School, Mansell
Senior, May Road School, Owairaka District Primary,
Stanmore Bay School, and Woodlands Park who are all
ready to graduate from the WasteWise Schools Programme.
minimisation services and a resource
bank. She can be contacted at:
[email protected]
Katie Buller
WASTE MINIMISATION EDUCATOR
This is a great achievement - each school has worked
really hard over the past two years and has made a
commitment to continuing their WasteWise journey into
the future. The waste minimisation team is really proud
of the graduating schools and looks forward to presenting
each school with a 'Proud to be Waste Wise School' sign
in the coming weeks.
Katie is responsible for coordinating the
WasteWise Schools programme.
She can be contacted at:
[email protected]
Marissa Oakley Browne
WASTE MINIMISATION EDUCATOR
Marissa is responsible for developing
and delivering learning sessions at the
Auckland Council waste minimisation
learning centre. She can be contacted at:
[email protected]
For general queries please contact:
[email protected]
Bailey Road students with their 'Proud to be a WasteWise School' sign.
Bailey Road was the first school in the Auckland region to graduate the
WasteWise School programme.
Printed on 100% recycled paper with vegetable based inks.
WasteWise schools teacher workshops
We offer 2 one day workshops for WasteWise schools key
teachers. An 'Introduction to WasteWise schools' in the first
year and 'Next Steps' in the second. Below are the workshop
dates for 2011.
If your school is interested in signing up or finding out more
about WasteWise schools please contact Katie Buller on 624
4714 or email [email protected] as there
are still places left on the 2011 intake.
Date
Venue
Focus
1 April 2011
8 April 2011
20 May 2011
Logan Campbell Botanic Gardens
Logan Campbell Botanic Gardens
Logan Campbell Botanic Gardens
27 May 2011
Secondary School - Logan Campbell Botanic Gardens
10 June 2011
Primary - Logan Campbell Botanic Gardens
Next Steps - primary teacher workshop 2
Next Steps - secondary teacher workshop 2
An introduction to WasteWise schools for
primary teachers workshop 1
An introduction to WasteWise schools for
secondary teachers workshop 1
An introduction to WasteWise schools for
primary teachers workshop 1
Are we recycling right?
Not sure if you are recycling right? Here are some answers to the most frequently asked kerbside recycling questions:
Do items have to be washed and squashed?
YES. All Material Recovery Facilities require clean and prefer dry recyclables. Where possible, rinse, squash and remove any
lids. Lids can be recycled too, but not in Waitakere or North Shore.
Should paper be separate or commingled (mixed together)?
In all cases paper and card must be flat. Most schools have separate arrangements for paper, but if the kerbside service is used:
• Auckland Isthmus and Manukau: paper and cardboard are commingled
• Everywhere else in the Auckland region: Put paper and cardboard in a secure bundle next to recycling crate.
Can I recycle this?
Straws
Yogurt pottles
Magazines
Paper with artwork
if water based
if paint is oil based, acrylic or similar
Juice carton
North Shore / Waitakere
Everywhere else in the Auckland region
Soiled paper
(used paper towels, food soiled)
Hot chip or coffee cups
Photocopier ream wrappers
Chip packets
Want to know why or unsure if an item can be recycled? For more information contact Waveney at 624 4703 or
[email protected]
For bookings please phone
For Manukau, Auckland and North Shore areas:
The Kaipatiki Project on 482 1172
For all other areas, including the Gulf Islands:
Sue Martin on 624 4767.
Free worm
farming and
composting courses
Want a Worm Farm?
The council will hold 38 composting courses over
the Auckland region from February to June 2011.
They will cover worm farming, Bokashi and
conventional composting systems.
For more information about building and
maintaining worm farms at your school
contact Waveney Warth at:
[email protected]
Your school could be eligible
for financial support.
Waste education services
and resource bank
• Curriculum based learning material and aids: for example
the Composting Kids DVD.
There is wide range of resources and programmes available
to schools in 2011 delivered by a team of experienced
facilitators, whom many of you already work with.
Educating students in waste issues and minimisation
principles is a relevant and rewarding topic. It could
also lead to your school significantly reducing the cost
of waste disposal.
• The WasteWise Game Show: an engaging interactive
learning activity for up to 200 students.
• Facilitated in-depth learning experiences: for example,
composting or consumer choice workshops.
• Technical advice for building and maintaining
organic waste systems such as worm farms, bokashi
and composting. Limited funding is available.
• Waste audits.
• Support for a Litterless Lunch day.
• Visits to a Waste Minimisation Learning Centre
(see next page).
Whether you would like support for teaching a unit on
waste, or you would just like to know what to put in the
recycling bin, please feel free to contact Waveney Warth
at [email protected]. Resources and
services include:
• Talks for assemblies and classes: including the popular
3R's talk (reduce, reuse, recycle) and the 'Rubbish Free
Year' talk (from the woman who challenged herself to
live without creating any rubbish for one year).
Keen to visit a waste minimisation centre?
Did you know there are currently two waste minimisation
centres in the Auckland region? One is the Auckland Council
waste minimisation learning centre in Henderson and the
other is the Visy Recycling education centre in Onehunga.
Both offer free classroom sessions where you can learn how
to minimise your waste. A third centre is under construction
at the TPI refuse transfer station on Waiheke Island.
Auckland Council waste minimisation learning
learning centre
As well as an interactive classroom session on waste
minimisation, the centre offers a unique site tour which
allows you to view the various areas of the refuse transfer
station including the green waste disposal area, the resource
recovery centre, the steel recycling area, the main tipping
floor and the loading area.
Where:
Auckland Council waste minimisation learning centre
50 The Concourse, Henderson.
When:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9.30am
to 12 noon (bookings are essential).
To book please contact:
Marissa Oakley Browne
Waste Minimisation Educator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (09) 624 4781.
Visy Recycling education centre
The Visy Recycling education centre, located at the Onehunga
Material Recovery Facility (MRF) offers an opportunity for
school students to learn more about recycling and the
environment. Excursions can include interactive presentations
and the opportunity to learn what happens to recycling
when it leaves your kerbside.
Where:
Visy Recycling
29 Victoria Street
Onehunga, Auckland
When:
Monday to Friday, bookings are essential.
To book please contact:
Meredith Graham
Education and Marketing Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (09) 975 2003.
Green Calendar 2011
Date
Event
Website
26 March
Earth Hour (8:30pm)
www.earthhour.org
22 April
Earth Day
www.earthday.org
1-7 May
International Composting Week
www.compostweek.com
5 June
World Environment Day
www.unep.org
20-27 August
Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week
www.knzb.org.nz
11-18 September
Conservation Week
www.doc.govt.nz/conservation-week-home
26 November
International Buy Nothing Day
www.buynothingday.co.uk
Harvesting vermicast
from your worm farm
After a few months or when a layer is full you will be
ready to harvest vermicast for your garden.
For horizontal feeding systems, such as bathtubs, gently
shift all the unfinished material on the top to one side.
Place vermicast that is now exposed in little heaps on a
tarp in full sun. Wait 15 minutes for the worms to move
downwards away from the light and warmth.
Skim vermicast off the top, wait a further 15 minutes
and repeat.
Vermicast may be used straight on the garden or
vegetable patch as an excellent fertiliser. Any left over
worms and unprocessed organic matter may be placed
back in your worm farm. Vermicast is very rich in fertility
so it needs be diluted to at least a ratio of 1 part castings
to 5 parts soil so that plant roots do not burn.
Remember keep worms out of the light - they get instant
sunburn! Alternatively castings can be liquefied by diluting
with water and applying in liquid form.
Note: Do not harvest your worms with the vermicast!
You want your worms to stay inside your worm farm
or they will not survive for long!
For vertical stacking systems (e.g. Can-o-worms) the
worm farm ideally wants to be in a sunny position for
harvesting as worms move away from light and warmth.
When not harvesting castings the worm farms need to
be in the shade. Take the bottom working tray and place
it on top of your worm farm and leave the lid off.
in association with
WasteWise Game Show Tour
16th May – 3rd June
A unique interactive production specifically aimed at years 4-6.
Auckland Council in partnership with Kids 4 Drama present the “WasteWise
Game Show” a free theatre in education production available to your students
in term two of this year.
Audiences of up to 200 are treated to a high energy, engaging and highly
interactive show while learning key messages of reduce, reuse, recycle.
Each class has a representative competing in the game show. The representative
is chosen based on achievement in a waste minimisation
activity. Teachers find this activity in a
teacher resource book they receive upon
booking. This book is an excellent resource full of
curriculum based waste focused activities.
Be quick. Traditionally Kids 4 Drama tours fill up fast.
We reserve spaces for schools across the region on a
first come, first served basis. To reserve your free
performance, email [email protected] as soon
as possible.
WasteWise words in Te Reo
WasteWise schools audit results
A big thank you to all our WasteWise schools who
collectively reduce waste to landfill by 211.12kg per day!!
This means approximately 38,000kg of material is now
reduced, reused or recycled by WasteWise schools each
school year!
compost
environment
food waste
landfill
paper
plastic
waste
worm farming
wair kau or puwair kau
taiao
para kai
ruapara
pepa
kirihou
para
p mu noke
These words are taken from Te Reo P aiao, a M ori
language dictionary of Science, written and published
by He Kupenga Hao i te Reo. He Kupenga Hao i te Reo
is a developer and publisher of learning materials for
M ori medium education based in Palmerston North.