Below are just some of the activities that Scottish Eco-Schools have undertaken as part of their investigations into the topic of Waste Minimisation.
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Pupils at Clachan Primary School in Argyll & Bute have been raising money for charity by organising 'Bring & Buy' events.
Kirkhope Primary School in Scottish Borders is working towards being a plastic bag-free zone. Pupils have been making carrier bags from paper and wallets from drinks cartons!
Pupils at Slamannan Primary School in Falkirk got all romantic with their waste minimisation work on Valentine's Day. Instead of sending cards, pupils posted their messages on a special Valentine's Day board!
Children at Cowgate Under-5s Centre in Edinburgh City venture out on a weekly basis to the local recycling bank. They are well-known in the local area for doing this and often tell passers-by that 'we are going recycling'!
Pupils at Cockburnspath Primary in Scottish Borders have been conducting experiments to see how long it takes various types of rubbish to degrade. They have secured samples of cans, fruit, plastic, paper etc in a sheltered corner of the school grounds and they monitor the degradation of each on a weekly basis. They plan to display the results on a graph to show the whole school their findings.
Pupils at Largoward Primary School in Fife made plant pot holders from cut-off plastic bottles. These were covered in papier mache, and painted.
Dunino Primary in Fife were one of the first Eco-Schools in Scotland to build a greenhouse out of 2-litre plastic bottles. Instead of throwing these away, the school realised that they could be used as a valuable building resource. Pupils, staff and members of the local community worked together on this project and they now use the greenhouse to grow a a variety of plants.
King's Meadow Primary School in East Lothian have instigated a whole-school composting campaign. Each class has its own ‘mini-bin’, into which all pupils put their compostable waste, and the staffroom and school kitchen do the same. These mini-bins are emptied into larger bins in the school grounds, and the compost has been used to grow vegetables in the school garden. A P7 class held a competition to design a composting information leaflet as part of their Language work, and the winning design was printed and sent home with every pupil to share with their parents. The leaflet is also displayed in the recycling area of each classroom.
Balmullo Primary School in Fife decided to take a different approach to the issue of excessive paper usage – and held a competition to see which class could make a pack of paper last the longest. Even the staff took part, with one teacher creating a reusable memo pad by simply laminating a single sheet.
Elie Primary School in Fife have been doing lots of work to promote the ‘Re-Use’ message. Some of their ideas include hanging baskets made from old tyres, an eco craft sale – with most of the products on display made from salvaged materials - and a woodland pathway made from sections of old logs.
Pupils in the Technical and Art departments at Shawlands Academy in Glasgow City worked together to make a sculpture from scrap metal. The sculpture is on display in the school’s entrance foyer and depicts Shawlands’ partner countries in their COMENIUS work.
The Eco Committee at New Stevenston Primary School in North Lanarkshire set their pupils a challenge – to bring a waste-free packed lunch to school. Many pupils took part – with banana peel and apple cores often the only remaining items...all of which were then duly composted. The committee measured the amount of waste produced, and hope to repeat the exercise to see if any improvements have been made.
Clippens School in Renfrewshire caters for pupils with a diverse range of complex special needs. They've turned their recycling work into a sensory and motor skills learning experience, where pupils are encouraged to experience the textures, differing weights and colours of a range of waste materials before they go for recycling.
Port Ellen PS in Argyll & Bute show off their plastic bottle-top muralPupils at Port Ellen Primary in Argyll & Bute decided to get creative with their waste. They worked with a local artist to design a mural which reflected local scenes on their beautiful island of Islay...and built it using old plastic bottle tops!
