It is concerning that children in school are not being encouraged to recycle when they are at school. We view school as education for life in all senses; socially, responsibly, environmentally and academically. Part of this is practising sustainability through the management of waste. Therefore, every school in NSW needs to receive recycling bins. 

Waste is a vital part of the curriculum from year 3 - 10. Quoting from the syllabus, “Investigations into waste and materials can lead to reductions in waste generation and increased recycling.” (NSW Government - Education, 2019; https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-across-the-curriculum/sustainability/teaching-and-learning/waste If we recognise the importance of waste by teaching about this in the classroom, why is there not a recycling bin in every school? We should be practising this in the playground, not just teaching it in theory in the classroom. 

The House Paper #5798 - School Recycling states that, ‘…all public schools have access to general waste services as well as paper, co-mingled, and e-waste recycling services. These services are available through the department’s procurement process’ (Greenwich, A., 2017, https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=235994 Perhaps each school is technically able to be procured, but it is currently costly to pay for a recycling bin. The local council does not give schools a standard household recycling bin, and paper recycling is the only thing that is provided. 

Further, the peak body of local councils, Local Government NSW has written a paper title ‘Save our Recycling, enabling the NSW Government to take steps to recycle and invest in the future by making changes now. In the paper, citizen Sherene LaGasse comments “We knew we had to act a few years ago when we found out our recycling was being sent to landfill. Most schools are not recycling at all. It seems like such a good place to start tackling our waste problems” (https://saveourrecycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LANSW_DES_recycling-report-online-081019-3.pdf She is a canteen manager at a local public school in the Northern Beaches, and as such has seen the amount of waste build-up. Creating a plastic-free canteen and enabling the use of different waste bins has made a significant difference in the amount of waste the school procures. In the paper, it is also noted that ‘the NSW Education Department is one of the largest education bureaucracies in the world. Schools can access a state-wide recycling contract, but there is no mandate to recycle or use recycled products in schools’.  

Each school can make a significant difference. At many schools in Australia, there are compost bins and worm farms, they talk about sustainability and have waste-free Wednesdays, and the children are making an effort. To support them in this, and to see the importance of recycling, we should be ensuring that there are easily accessible co-mingled recycling bins at every school in NSW. 

It is essential for the sustainability of our state and the education of our children; the leaders of tomorrow.