Putting waste in its place

St Andrew’s College is making significant strides in waste management with the introduction of new outdoor waste disposal units and the gradual rollout of centralised indoor rubbish stations.

People and Business Manager, Justine Scott, and Business Office Manager, Kendall Burt, have worked closely with the student Sustainability Council, Year 11 Waste Management Group, and others to implement the project.

“We knew improvements could be made in the rubbish and recycling space, and when we started to investigate, realised the outdoor and indoor requirements were two very different projects,” says Kendall Burt. “We tackled the outdoor spaces across the College first, getting rid of most of the existing rubbish bins and replacing them with five rubbish and recycling stations, including one in the Preparatory School. Two of these stations also feature a green food waste bin alongside the rubbish and recycling.”

Head Prefect and Head of the Sustainability Council, Kate Simcock, says the new system has had a positive impact, with the colour-coded bins encouraging students to develop and maintain responsible waste disposal habits.

“The new stations are part of a broader image which ensures proper usage and awareness around this issue. The implementation of clear signage, bin monitoring, and informative talks to educate students has helped to ensure the system’s long-term effectiveness.”

With the outdoor bins in place, the next stage is to eliminate the use of plastic bin liners in the classrooms, replacing the old classroom bins where possible with centralised indoor rubbish and recycling stations, which serve up to five classrooms.

Kendall says a trial of the new stations, which have yellow (recycling) and red (general waste) bins was successfully completed in the Preparatory School last year.

“We rolled the trial out in three phases, and by the end of the year, the centralised bins were working really well right across the Preparatory School. The teachers still have their own rubbish bins in the classroom, but with no plastic liner, and they empty the bins themselves into the new rubbish stations.”

Kendall says a separate waste station will be created to meet the unique needs of the Pre-school, which is already ‘doing really well’ in the areas of rubbish management, recycling, and minimisation of plastic waste.

The next step is to introduce the centralised indoor rubbish and recycling stations into the Secondary School, she adds.

“We are planning to consult with the Executive team and teaching teams to figure out the most effective way to roll it out, with our goal to have at least one station on each level of a teaching block. Some areas, for example Food and Technology, will probably need a green bin in addition to the rubbish and recycling bins.”

So far, the introduction of the outdoor waste bins, and the successful trial of the indoor waste system in the Preparatory School, has been ‘really positive’, says Kendall.

“It is going to make an even bigger difference once the system is in place across the whole school, as we take major steps towards a more sustainable future.”