For most of us, school is an integral part of our early life — teachers are our mentors, and our books the tools for exploring the world.
Schools help to shape the habits that we continue as adults.
Teaching children to care for the environment is a learning experience that is an important part of growing up. It gives them skills in respect, empathy, patience, responsibility, and teaches them about consequences.
It also teaches them valuable lessons about sustainability and how we want to leave the world for future generations. Showing children how to recycle properly is like passing the baton to them for a cleaner and brighter future.
Students who participate in recycling will have more of an incentive to carry on this habit as adults. The recycling habit developed in school can serve to transform our communities, our jobs, and our nation as we recycle more and more of the products we consume and the resources used to manufacture them.
It is for these reasons that ANZRP ventured through school gates for the first time earlier this month.
Kicking off our schools education and recycling pilot program, ANZRP Digital Marketing Coordinator Katie Braid visited St Peters Girls’ School and Kildare College in Adelaide, speaking to students of all ages about the benefits of recycling old electronics.
The visit acted as a testing ground to gauge the appetite of schools to accommodate both an educational and a practical aspect in an e-waste recycling program, and was very well received among both staff and students.
ANZRP has spent the past six months undertaking a feasibility analysis of such an initiative. Working alongside teachers and sustainability coordinators undertaking various research and workshop initiatives, it has become apparent the desire for an education based e-waste recycling scheme is compelling.
Following the recent presentations given, both Adelaide schools will hold e-waste collections in early term 3, and use these collection events as a chance to promote awareness around the e-waste problem – encouraging students, teachers and parents to recycle electronics responsibly. To promote the collection, staff and students at St Peters Girls’ created a video which was distributed in their e-newsletter.
Katie said that schools are vital forums for educating young people and the community about the problems and solutions of waste management.
“Hands-on activities, such as recycling and picking up after ourselves, help to make us conscientious and accountable adults.
“There is a growing awareness among our youngest demographic regarding the environment and the consequences of our actions as consumers. The overall attitude I have experienced is one of unquestioning determination to solve the issue and have a positive impact,” she said.
Just over the border in Victoria, ANZRP is looking to test our schools program in partnership with secure document and data destruction services provider Shred-X. With Shred-X’s extensive footprint across the country and established logistical and data destruction capabilities, we hope to provide a smooth and simple pickup service at an affordable cost to schools.
Shred-X National Sales Manager Renee Pryor said participation in a program like this can inspire students to realise they can actually make a difference.
“An effective schools recycling program can impart valuable hands-on experience that encourages students to make recycling a part of their lifestyle – not only at school, but also at home and into the future.
“Such programs empower young people helping them become active learners and apply their classroom skills to resolve real problems,” she said.
Feedback from all engaged school representatives has been extremely positive, with many urging ANZRP to launch such an initiative sooner rather than later.
In addition to gaining an understanding of the educational curriculum system in Australia, these collections will be a chance for us to test our logistics processes in this new space and understand the volumes that are available.
Once the pilot is completed (and pending its successful outcome), both organisations are committed to a national rollout of this exciting initiative.
We anticipate that beyond the pilot we will gain efficiencies from expanding our collection network, reducing costs for our Members as well as helping us achieve our regulatory requirements.