Reducing waste in schools

There are several ways schools can look at reducing the amount of waste they throw away every day.

Waste prevention is better for the environment and usually cheaper than either recycling or waste disposal.

There are lots of simple actions that your school can take to reduce its waste:

think about the packaging used in your lunch and try to prepare a waste-free lunch which produces as little food and packaging waste as possible
use reusable bottles for juice or waster rather than buying new containers every day
install water fountains to avoid pupils having to bring in plastic drink's bottles
make double-sided photocopies or printing where possible
print only when necessary, try to keep electronic copies of files instead of printing everything out
send out email newsletters or notes to parents rather than printed ones that get lost in the book bag
if paper has been written or printed on only one side, why not use it as scrap paper for messages, notes and lists
set up a school reuse shop for uniforms
collect textiles and clothing to raise funds for the school,contact Bags2Schools for more information

Changes to requirements

Please note: From March 2025 all schools will be required to segregate their waste and have their recycling and food waste collected separately. Your waste carrier will be able to provide you with the relevant information and containers for the separate materials.

Additional resources

Open each of the expandable boxes below to see what additional resources are available:

Composting in schools

Composting saves money, saves, energy, saves water and provides free garden compost year after year

Composting at school is a fun way to learn about nature while also reducing the amount of organic waste that the school sends for disposal. A bonus is that students can actually get to see the end result of their efforts – their finished compost being used on the school grounds.

Worcestershire County Council offers free compost bins to schools that are working towards their Eco Schools Green Flag or setting up an eco-garden.

To apply for yours:

Contact Let's Waste Less

More advice on school composting including resource packs can be found on Recycle Now - Composting.

Composting can be used for the study of

mini beasts
school grounds
food chains
micro-organisms and decay
helping plants grow
measuring
improving the environment
involving the local community

Eco Schools

The Eco Schools programme is run by Keep Britain Tidy and is designed to be pupil led. The programme covers a variety of topics to help pupils understand about climate change and sustainability and include biodiversity, energy, waste, transport and water.

Schools can work through the programme and apply for an Eco Schools Green Flag, which is valid for one academic year. Renewal is easier now and most of the criteria that you need to achieve can be sent online rather than having a physical assessment.

For more information visit the Eco Schools website.

Resources for schools

For information about the waste hierarchy and lesson plans, including activities liked to the curriculum and free resources, visit the following websites:

Recycle Now

Recycle Now provides information, advice and activities for primary and secondary schools. It also guides you through the process of setting up and maintaining effective recycling schemes.

Keep Britain Tidy

Keep Britain Tidy runs the international Eco Schools programme in England and is all about getting school communities to be more sustainable.

Recycle More

Recycle More offers information for pupils and teachers, key stage activities, game and facts.

SEEd

Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd) is a registered charity that identifies, promotes, enables and supports environmental education. It is an umbrella, membership organisation for schools, colleges, universities, local authorities and educators interested in environmental education.

WRAP

WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) is a registered charity that works with businesses, individuals and communities to achieve a circular economy by helping them to reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way. They have a huge online database of free resources for schools including lesson plans, artwork and teacher packs.

Garden Organic

Garden Organic is the organisation behind the Master Composter scheme. They promote organic lifestyles and through their education programmes are cultivating the next generation of gardeners and food growers.

Severn Waste Services

Severn Waste Services are the contractor for Herefordshire and Worcestershire and are responsible for the disposal of the waste within the two counties. They have a dedicated education centre at the Material Reclamation Facility at Norton near Worcester where an Education Officer can hold classroom-based activities around waste and recycling as well as tours of the recycling facilities for school and adult community groups. These visits are FREE and Severn Waste will also subsidise the coach travel for schools. To book a visit contact Severn Waste.

Recycling at school is easy and can significantly reduce the amount of rubbish your school throws away, which saves money in collection charges. Speak to your waste collection company or local council to see if they offer a recycling service for schools.