The 4 local authorities in Dublin have come together with the charity VOICE Ireland to partner on a project to help schools manage their waste better. Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council have created two new video guides based on best practice in school waste management.
The ‘Sorted – How to Reduce, Segregate and Manage School Waste’ videos aim to assist schools to reduce waste and improve waste segregation. Schools encounter a complex and broad range of waste, from food to packaging. A fit for purpose strategy is required to manage this waste in a sustainable manner. Some of the major benefits schools can see from an effective and well-planned waste system include; reduced waste bills, less litter around the school, increased protection of the environment, reduced contamination and compliance with regulations. As schools play a major role in modelling good behaviour for children, a good recycling system and reuse strategy can also shape lifelong sustainable habits.
However, planning an effective waste management system can be difficult within the demands of a busy school environment. To assist schools, two informative video guides have been created. Both videos were filmed at Howth Road Mixed National School, Dublin 3. These videos collect and share best practice from Irish primary and secondary schools.
Video one is designed for staff and outlines the basic principles of a school waste system. For example, it explains how and where to install bin stations. The video outlines how schools can encourage sustainability and circular economy on their campus. The circular economy aims to keep materials and products in-use for as long as possible. Examples that have been proven to work in Irish schools include uniform swaps, book rental and reusable water bottles initiatives. Video two is designed to assist a pupil led environmental or Green-Schools committee seeking to improve recycling rates and tackle unnecessary waste in their school.
The videos are freely available to all schools in Gaeilge and English and can be streamed online at www.youtube.com/@schoolwastesorted
Pictured: The project team (left to right); Sinéad Fox (Fingal County Council), Lyndsey O’Connell (VOICE Ireland), Niamh Moran (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council), Martha Casserly (Dublin City Council) and Fionnghuala Ryan (South Dublin County Council).
