Changing Attitudes and Reducing Waste

This is a waste minimisation project for primary schools.

The most recent project

Nineteen schools in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough took part in the most recent Happy Bin Project.

They monitored their waste from Mid October until December 2009.

The project was a great success. The collective progress of all schools is displayed in the following graph.

At the start of the project the schools were wasting a total of 2.8 tonnes per week. This reduced to 2.1 tonnes at the end of the project: a 25% reduction.

The reduction was almost entirely in the waste sent to landfill: a decrease of 33%.

Recyclates were 29% of waste at the start of the project but increased to 41% at its conclusion.

The progress each school made in reducing waste can be seen on the SCHOOL PAGES.

A comparison of all participating schools results can be viewed on the WEEKLY PROGRESS page. This graph shows the progress schools made in reducing TOTAL WASTE. (Landfill+Recyclates)

Why is this project needed?

The current generations of young people are likely to live their lives when an expanded global population puts pressure on water, food, energy and material resources. Climate Change may increase these pressures. Helping pupils to reduce waste, with its many outcomes (e.g. landfill, incineration, carbon or methane pollution), makes good sense.

Tried and Tested in 90 schools

The Happy Bin project has been developed and used in more than 90 schools in Powys, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Each project lasts six weeks during which pupils are provided with a variety of experiences which help them:

·       Understand the amount and variety of wastes that are produced to support their lifestyles;

·       Know the likely consequences of producing these wastes;

·       Measure the physical waste (landfill, recyclates and catering waste) produced by a school on a weekly basis;

·       Develop local strategies to reduce that waste.

The project begins with a specially prepared Puppet Show to stimulate pupil's interest.

Details of how the project works are on the About page of this website.

How successful has the project been?

Over the course of all  projects the amount of waste destined for landfill has significantly decreased. Of the remaining waste, the proportion of recyclates has always increased.

 

The project has been consistently positively reviewed. For example a teacher commented:

"I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed running the project; it was one of my most enjoyable initiatives I've had to run as I think it was such an engaging and relevant topic."

Another wrote "I think it a well thought out and researched project from both a teacher and parent perspective."

Other unsolicited comments from teachers taking part in the project are displayed on the FORUM page.

RATS (Rubbish Abolished Totally in Schools)

Several schools, outside the areas in which the project has previously functioned, have asked if they could join the project.

For those schools a variation of the project, called RATS, has been designed.

It uses a similar approach to the Happy Bin project, except that schools earn rewards by recycling waste consumer electonic equipment as the project progresses,