Old newspaper heralds recycling message for school students

A 30-year-old newspaper recovered from Noosa’s landfill is helping promote recycling at local schools.

“Besides a history lesson the paper offers a disturbing insight as to how long litter can take to break down,” says Council’s Sustainability Officer Emma Menzies.

“If newspaper, which typically breaks down within six weeks, can last three decades in a landfill, it is frightening to think that plastics, which cause untold harm to wildlife, can remain in the environment for hundreds of years.”

Council is taking its Towards Zero Waste campaign to local schools to highlight the importance of plastic recycling and waste minimisation.

Sunshine Beach State High School is the latest school to begin recycling, with the school’s student council members working with Council to introduce recycling bins, timed in conjunction with World Environment Day.

“When recyclable plastics make it into the recycling bin it keeps them out them of the waste stream and the environment - a message the students are embracing,” Ms Menzies said.

“For some schools this may mean starting a worm farm to help divert organic waste from landfill, or for others, it may be in the roll-out of recycling bins and behaviour change efforts to encourage better recycling habits,” Ms Menzies said.

“There is also a great synergy with Sunshine Beach State High School’s excellence in surfing program with many of the students realising the importance of recycling from having seen the amount of rubbish that ends up in the ocean.”

Recycling bins are also being rolled out at nearby Good Shepherd Lutheran College, while Noosa District State High School year 11 students have set up a worm farm.

“The students are learning how worm castings and worm leachate can be a great fertiliser, and they are testing the liquid worm fertiliser on different plants,” Ms Menzies said.

Consistent with its Towards Zero Waste program and Emission Reduction Policy, Council is sponsoring this year’s World Environment Day event at Cotton Tree, this Sunday, where staff will provide information on not only recycling, but worm farming and composting.

For more information about Council’s Towards Zero Waste schools program, contact Council’s Waste Coordinator Ian Florence on (07) 5329 6500 and for more information about World Environment Day visit the website. To find out more about recycling visit Council's website.

1 June 2016