I am working for Stewardship Ontario, a waste management organization specializing in Blue Box (regular recycling) and HHW (hazardous household waste) all across Ontario.
We are beginning an awareness and education program in schools. We are trying to reach youth from Kindergarten to grade 12. Our focus is raising awareness about HHW waste management. Our difficulty is that youth tend not to interact with these types of waste in their daily life, and we aren't able to use physical examples because they are hazardous. Ensuring we reach our audience with a meaningful message is key, but quite difficult given the above issues.
I'm looking for creative hands-on activities that can be used in schools to help raise awareness of the significance of HHW waste management and encourage youth to value waste management.
Sean Magee
Promotion and Education Coordinator
Stewardship Ontario
smagee@stewardshipontario
sean magee
Sustainable Schools Coordinator
Check Your Head
Canada
www.checkyourhead.org
Waste Management Education Tools for Schools
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The King County Solid Waste Division/Local Hazardous Waste Management Program has lessons for teachers as well as other materials for grades 4-12. If you go to http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/education/hazwaste.asp
you can find materials or a link to download the Hazards on the Homefront guide for grades 6-12. The 4-6 version is in the process of being updated and should be available soon. Generally, we don't promote teaching this to younger students since the issues are complex. We use empty sealed containers for teaching tools or product labels. We've also just put together more graphic versions for use with English Language Learners.
Jennifer Howell
Triangle Associates
United States
Hi Sean,
We're working with Waste Diversion Ontario to place Online Reuse & Recycling websites in smaller communities throughout Ontario. Each website permits residents (& businesses) to trade reusable materials online, to be informed via a Recyclopedia Recycling Guide, News Section, Events & Calendar, eMail Newsletter. Eventually we're working to build 'social networking' into the service.
One of the issues that local recycling coordinators have had is a. time to edit the website and b. promotion of the service.
I wonder if schools in Ontario would be interested in helping out (volunteering) to help the local reuse & recycling coordinators with this work. For example, if 'the high school' began to use the service, and encouraged the students to use the service, and perhaps some of the students volunteered to meeet with the reuse/recycling coordinator to help with the directories, or the recyclopedia sections?
Contact me for more information if you wish. I'm near Ottawa.
Norm Ruttan
President
iWasteNot Systems
Canada
www.iwastenotsystems.com
Thank you all for comments.
Connie - how do teachers get the packages? Are they requested? Have you had any success in terms of the actual tracking?
Jennifer - Thanks for directing me to those resources. Can you tell me how often they are being used in schools? Also it says that you do follow-up presentations. What do the presentations include?
Norm - I'm sure many schools would be interested. In particular Eco-clubs are always looking for ways to do something. Have you had any success with contacting schools?
All the best
Sean
sean magee
Sustainable Schools Coordinator
Check Your Head
Canada
www.checkyourhead.org
Jennifer - How long did it take for you to create all of your materials?
sean magee
Promotion and Education Coordinator
Stewardship Ontario
Canada
www.stewardshipontario.ca
Hi Sean,
We make, host and support the software, with an administration panel. Recycling coordinators operate the service, promote and market it as well.
I'll be suggesting to them that they connect with the local schools to get eco-clubs involved.
Norm Ruttan
President
iWasteNot Systems
Canada
www.iwastenotsystems.com
Hi Sean,
most grade 4 teachers bring their classrooms to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre for a tour because waste is part of the grade 4 science curriculum. We send kits to the teachers when they call us to book a tour. We haven't tracked the appearance of stickers at Eco Stations for quite some time so we need to do that again.
Connie Boyce
Director, Community Relations, Waste Management Branch
City of Edmonton
Canada
Hi Sean,
In our grade 4 teachers' kits, we include a take-home exercise so that the parents receive the message; they are the real audience. We provide Eco Station stickers, and the students are asked to go home and with their parents, attach the stickers to HHW products that should be taken to an Eco Station. That way we can also measure the number of items coming into the Eco Stations with stickers on them.
Connie, City of Edmonton
Connie Boyce
Director, Community Relations, Waste Management Branch
City of Edmonton
Canada