Seven primary schools in North London have reduced waste by 45% after collaborating with the North London Waste Authority to implement the waste hierarchy.
Through North London Waste Authority’s (NLWA) ‘In the Know’ education programme, pupils and teachers carried out ‘audits’ of their bins, before putting in place a range of waste and recycling interventions that led to a reduction in overall waste.
NLWA states that the schools reduced waste by 45% based on measurements taken at the start and end of the year.
End-of-year waste audits for one school day found a reduction of 649kg of waste across all schools. The local authority said that, if extrapolated across the whole school year, the waste savings would equate to around 124 tonnes of waste.
Schools that had a food waste recycling service in place also managed to reduce their wasted food by 50%.
Just under 3,000 pupils, staff, governors, and parents were engaged as part of the In the Know education programme.
The project has been incredibly engaging for the children, sparking curiosity and encouraging responsible habits.
Sophie Ooi, a teacher from Parkside Primary School in Waltham Forest, said both children and staff have become more conscious of waste through the initiative.
“The project has been incredibly engaging for the children, sparking curiosity and encouraging responsible habits,” Ooi said. “We’re excited to build on this momentum and continue our sustainability journey next year.”
Teachers received tailored resources to embed sustainability into everyday learning, and NLWA officers also checked the school recycling infrastructure, providing advice to solve problems or improve participation.
NLWA says students led much of the change themselves, including devising and running their own classroom recycling campaigns.
NLWA Chair, Cllr Clyde Loakes MBE, commented: “It’s clear that entire school communities have got behind the waste reduction message, understanding its importance in tackling the climate emergency and protecting this planet for future generations.
“While it can be tempting to look to recycling rates to measure impact, it is through reuse, repair and avoiding over-consumption that we can really make a difference.”