School waste programs

A group of kids on a tour of the waste facility.

Waste facility tours

Guided bus tours of the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre are an excellent way for students and adults to see first-hand what happens to the waste we create in our own homes and schools.

A limited number of tours each year can be organised, targeted to schools and groups in the Lismore LGA who are working to reduce their own waste generation.    

Early Childhood Education Centres

From time to time, programs for early childhood education centres are run by North East Waste on Council’s behalf.

Council can also help your centre to buy resources such as worm farms and compost bins. To find out more about potential programs or resources, contact Council’s Waste Education Officer on (02) 6625 0500

Primary schools

Primary schools

Council’s Waste Education Officer can visit primary schools or target learning stages/classes to:

  • Talk about how we can reduce our waste in the first place
  • Understand their recycling and/or organics bins
  • Do a school or classroom waste audit 
  • Support creative and tangible actions to reduce waste
  • Help promote their efforts to the wider community 

Secondary schools

Secondary school visits primarily support a group, club or class of students who wish to support positive sustainable change in their school and reduce single use items. Visits include:

  • Presentations about resource recovery programs within Council
  • Student Representative Council (SRC) support to make positive sustainable change through campaigns (such as Reduce Single Use and Recycle Right)
  • School audit, usually undertaken with a class or group and waste reduction action plans
  • Canteen audit and support

Additional programs

North East Waste also provide fun and engaging school programs in collaboration with Council. Programs include:

  • Love Your Lunch - tackles the challenges of reducing lunchbox and packaging waste, healthy eating, reducing school waste and also food waste reduction amongst families. The program includes bin audits (no student involvement), and student workshops in lunch making and beeswax wrapper making.
  • Wipe Out Waste - the Wipe Out Waste ‘WOW’ show is a mobile educational van which promotes sustainable waste practices through interactive and fun information sessions.
  • Recycle relays – an active participatory relay race that teaches students how to correctly sort common recycling, compost and landfill items into the right bins.
  • Compost workshops - manage food waste and nourish school gardens by learning how to compost at your school.