Waste-free is our goal at EBPS.
We have bins in place to recycle everything imaginable, but ultimately our goal is to be less wasteful.
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Because...
Plastic production requires an enormous amount of energy and resources as well as many production process environmental issues. Production processes are not sustainable.
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Recycling plastic is not efficient (less than 12% of plastic is recycled).
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Plastic in our environment produces Microplastics and these are dangerous to our natural world.
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Organic waste in landfill rots anaerobically and gives off methane gas, which is more than 20 times more damaging as a greenhouse gas (GHG) than carbon dioxide.
Our waste audit revealed that in one day we had 30kg of food (lunchbox and canteen) going to landfill.
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I did not like it.
It was too much and I was full
I didn't have time to eat it
I didn't want to get in trouble for not eating it
Keep lines of communication open.
Ask the questions
'What is your ideal lunchbox?'
but add 'must haves'
(eg) 2 veg, 2 fruit...
My child is a fussy eater
Organic Waste
The children are chatting instead of eating.
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Thermos of their fav
left overs​
Try new things​
Make a Deal
Pack things that can be eaten as an after-school snack.
If need be.
We asked parents and teachers about their concerns and for their solutions
We asked children why they sometimes throw away their food.
Bake it!
They are more likely to eat it if you cooked it or baked it together
Teachers be sure kids are eating and monitor what goes into the bins!​
We liked these recipes and tips
The Waste-Free Lunchbox
The Lunchbox Dilemma
Whether you want to spend up big or go with the more economical lunchbox....
Label!! Label!!! Label!!!!!
This is one of the ways you can help us be a Sustainable School and teach our kids that
Every Little Bit Counts!
We have a system so that containers taken away from the classroom can be placed in a classroom wheelie bin!
But still containers get lost.
Labelling is very important to the process
Beeswax wraps instead of ziplock bags
Benefits of Beeswax
-antimicrobial (keeps bacterial away!)
-reduces waste
-are biodegradable
-saves money
-stays fresher, longer (breathes)
Cut it up for those
tender teeth!
But no need for ziplock!
Often the sustainable steps we take are seen as inconvenient.
This little step doesn't take more time, and means 1 less ziplock bag!
Going totally plastic free can be daunting, so Cleanaway created a 31 Day Plastic Free Challenge to get you started.
Green Week 2021
This video was created by the Sustainability Team at Empire Bay Public School. It was launched during our "Green Week" last week, where all classes had a lesson in their library time about waste free. All of the students watched this video, completed some sustainability activities including "how long does it take for items to decompose". Our big achievement was that every student (approx 490 students) participated in making their own bees wax wrap to take home to include in their waste free lunch boxes.
19.11.2021
Students recap the fun in this video, sending the message to use less Single-use plastic.
