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The NEWF has coordinated two successful Landfill Open Days during 2007, at Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley Council waste management centres with the focus on school participation. Each event included a range of educational activities and substantial local Council participation.The aim of the Landfill Open Days was to educate the students about their local waste facility, providing an experiential learning experience.
By providing an organised day of information and educational activities the following objectives were able to be met:
· Introduce and inform school children and their teachers about the value of waste minimisation with the focus on reducing, reusing, recycling and resource recovery;
· Enable young people to see first hand the environmental outcome of their waste separation efforts;
· Demonstrate the problems caused by contamination in recycling; and
· Reinforce the importance of waste minimisation and good landfill management for the environment and future generations.
A school open day was held at the Nammoona Landfill at Casino on Thurs 22 November 07 to provide the opportunity for students from Richmond Valley Council schools to experience resource recovery and waste management first hand and to provide them with an incite into the facilities and waste minimisation activities carried out in their local area.
The tour included:
1 Welcome and OH&S brief from RVC Waste Services and NEWF staff.
2. Walking tour of the gatehouse, domestic recycling, green waste, building waste and scrap metal waste areas and a demonstration of the waste trucks and other equipment.
3. Bus tour to the tip face to see compactor
in action, the old cells, irrigation pipes and leachate pond.
4. Performance of the Green House mobile waste education unit with a focus on waste free lunches and how to divert food/organic waste from landfill.
5. Each school group make a ‘pledge’ to reduce waste and live more sustainably. A photograph was taken and the pledge attached and entered into the Pledge Book.
6. Resource folders and reusable bags were handed out to all students and teachers were given a comprehensive educational resource package.
39% of the students and teachers completed evaluation forms.Teachers Evaluation – indicated that the trip effectively achieved the objectives outlined above. The organisation of the tour was considered to be very good and the length of the tour was appropriate. The effectiveness of the tour information and activities at highlighting ways to reduce waste and provide an experiential learning experience was rated as very good to excellent. Information and resources from the tour would be utilised to “build on the main points’ and to “assist in putting the experiences of the tour into practice”. The bus tour of the landfill and the resource pack were considered to be the best aspects of the ‘Trip to the Tip’. Additional comments were that “A cooler time of the year would be better to host future tours”.
Student Evaluation - 73% stated that they enjoyed the tour and 69% stated that they would like to learn more about waste. The worm farming demonstration was easily the most popular aspect of the tour followed by the Green House performance and truck demonstration. Being in the bus on a hot day with no air conditioning and the bad smell was commented on as the least favourable aspect of the tour. The most important take home/take to school messages for students included how to recycle right; waste wise lunches and how to set up a worm farm to recycle food scraps.
The ‘Trip to the Tip’ school open day was held at the Grafton Landfill & Waste Transfer/Recycling Centre on 14th November 2007. 120 students and teachers from 4 Clarence Valley Schools (Wooli, Ulmarra, Glenreagh & St Mary’s Catholic) took the opportunity to experience resource recovery and waste management first hand, giving them an incite into the facilities and waste minimisation activities carried out in their local area.
The tour included:
· A welcome and overview by the Mayor Ian Tilley
· A visit to the Grafton Waste Transfer & Recycling station where students were given a demonstration of the separation and bunding of recyclables and a tour of the green waste processing area.
· A visit to the Grafton Regional Landfill where students were given a bus tour of the site under the guidance of the site manager, which included a visit to the tip face to see the compactor in action, the old cells, irrigation pipes and leachate ponds.
· A performance of the Green House mobile waste education unit with a focus on waste free lunches and how to divert food/organic waste from landfill.
· Displays on ‘Smart Shopping’ and how to compost using a worm farm
· Each school group made a ‘pledge’ to live more sustainably and to assist in minimising waste at school. They were then provided with a pledge certificate and photograph to take back to school along with a reusable bag containing various waste related resources. All teachers were provided with a comprehensive teaching resource pack.43% of the students and teachers completed & returned the evaluation forms
Teachers Evaluation – indicated that the trip effectively achieved the objectives outlined earlier. The effectiveness of the tour information and activities at highlighting ways to reduce waste and provide an experiential learning experience was rated as very good. Information and resources from the tour would be utilised by incorporating them into the HSIE & Science units. The Green House performance and the demonstration of the sorting process were considered to be the best aspects of the ‘Trip to the Tip’. Additional comments were that “the trip was very informative & helped improve knowledge, which will make the students think more about their waste.”
Student Evaluation – 75 to 80% stated that they enjoyed the tour and that they would like to see the Green House again and learn more about waste. The tour of the recycle centre to see the sorting and baling process and the Green House performance at the landfill were the most popular aspects of the tour. A number of students stated that they liked seeing what happened to waste at the tip & that they enjoyed the whole experience. The smell was commented on as the least favourable aspect of the tour. The most important take home messages for students were the need to recycle right to avoid contamination and how leachate is made and how it impacts on the environment.
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