Waste Management

Education & Awareness

Waste management remains a high profile and priority issue in Northern Ireland. If we are to preserve our environment for future generations we must change our habits and modernise our approach to managing our waste.

Why?

Landfilling waste is no longer sustainable. There are now fewer landfill sites and the cost of waste disposal is increasing year-on-year. The European Union Landfill Directive requires reductions in the amount of biodegradable waste being sent to landfill, with Council’s facing substantial fines if they fail to meet the targets.

How must we change?

We must now look at not only Reusing and Recycling our waste but also ways in which we can Reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place (the 3 R’s). Education will play a key role in changing our behaviour and mindset and increasing our understanding of sustainable living.

Details of Talks

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME

The Council provides educational talks and activities to all schools, community groups, churches and other interested organisations/bodies. These talks cover a range of topics in the areas of waste awareness and are provided free of charge. Our talks to schools can be adapted to all Key Stage groups and run in conjunction with the current curriculum.

Please find below a list of activities and talks available as part of our Educational Programme. For further information on our education programme or to book a talk or activity please contact Emma McCarter, Recycling and Education Officer on 02890 49 46 29 or emmamccarter@castlereagh.gov.uk

ADULTS – Community Groups / Church Groups / Other organisations

An interactive presentation on waste management in Castlereagh and N.Ireland, the ‘3 R’s’ and current recycling schemes. Includes information on issues with landfill sites, current waste management infrastructure, what happens to the materials collected in each bin, recycling targets, composting and food waste.

Practical activities such as a litter picks can also be arranged.

NURSERY GROUPS

The programme would focus on ‘rubbish’ and the problems it can create. Includes a short interactive talk, a reading of a story book e.g. King Wastealot and a practical activity or game. Examples of these include composting or seed planting, junk art and a ‘sort it out’ game.

KS1 & KS2

An interactive presentation on the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle designed to show children the problems waste can cause within the world. Also includes information on current recycling schemes, what goes in each bin and what happens to the materials collected. Can be followed up with a practical activity or game:

• Tetra Pak activity - Children make and decorate purses, wallets and handbags from empty tetra packs (juice and milk cartons). This fun activity is designed to encourage children to see waste as a valuable and reusable material.
• Composting activity – Using compost made from materials collected in the Brown Bins in Castlereagh, children can make small pots from newspaper and plant seasonal seeds.
• Litter pick - We can provide instruction, assistance, litter pickers and bags for classes, if children want to organise a litter pick and survey in their school grounds.
• Sort it out – An energetic game for children- race to sort waste into the correct bins.
• Junk art – Children can create mosaics, robots, musical instruments and anything else creative from various pieces of rubbish.

KS3 & KS4

A more detailed interactive presentation on waste management and the 3R’s. Includes detail on current recycling schemes, processes used to recycle material and end products achieved. Also covers current waste management infrastructure in N.Ireland, is there a need for an alternative infrastructure, different options and meeting targets.

Can be followed up with a practical activity such as a litter pick, junk art or a quiz.

Talks and presentations can be designed for individual classes or a whole school assembly.

Arc21 Education Vehicle

Castlereagh Borough Council has access to a bespoke education vehicle that can be used with schools and other groups. The bus is staffed by a driver who is a qualified and experienced educator and can carry out a range of environmental activities and presentations.

The bus is shared with ten other arc21 Councils so booking is essential.

Environmental Youth Speak

Environmental Youth Speak is an annual public speaking competition open to pupils throughout Northern Ireland. The competition aims to encourage environmental awareness among young people by giving them the opportunity to research and debate environmental issues.

This competition works in line with the National Curriculum and Councils are committed to encourage the development of young citizens and building awareness of environmental sustainability.

Local heats are held on an annual basis usually around March / April and the Junior and Senior winners will go on to represent Castlereagh in the arc21 regional final and hopefully on to the N.Ireland grand final.

To see videos of presentations from last years winning pupils please click on http://www.rethinkwasteni.org/eys

For further information on talks or further competitions and events please contact Emma McCarter, Recycling and Education Officer on 02890 49 46 29 or emmamccarter@castlereagh.gov.uk

Eco Schools Programme

Eco schools is a great way to make sustainable development a part of the life and ethos of your school. Designed to fit into the curriculum, it's an award scheme that gets everyone in the school community involved in making the school environment better. The Eco Schools programme involves three main stages: implementing the seven elements of the process applying for one of the three Eco Schools awards - a bronze-level award, a silver-level award or a Green Flag - depending on how much you have achieved renewing your award every two years.

The Council’s Recycling and Education Officer can offer advice and support to all schools at any stage of the programme – from registering to applying for your first green flag. Please contact Emma McCarter on 02890 49 46 29

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ECO-SCHOOLS

Please log onto http://www.eco-schools.org.uk