Ipswich City Council

Waste

Ipswich Waste Services has developed a comprehensive School Environmental Education Program, What a Waste! focusing on the principles of waste minimisation. It incorporates lesson plans, resources and fun activities for both primary and secondary year levels, as well as catering for preschools, childcare centres, kindergartens and special education units.

The overall aim is to encourage each school in Ipswich to participate in the program and adopt a whole-of-school approach to waste minimisation, encouraging every student and teacher to join in and take responsibility.

The program is designed to complement the existing school curriculum and can be incorporated into a range of subject areas such as Environmental Science, Social Studies, Health, Geography, History, Maths, English and even Art.

Aims of the Waste Education Program

An awareness of the need for waste minimisation
A clear understanding of essential components of waste minimisation, namely reducing, reusing, recycling and composting
The knowledge, skills attitudes and values needed to minimise waste
A sound knowledge base and the reasoned ability to encourage friends and family to minimise waste
Possible new patterns of behaviour including both personal lifestyle choices and informed social action that reflects these values

The What a Waste! Environmental Education Program brochure for the primary level provides more information about the range of lessons available and how these lessons can be linked to key learning areas within the Queensland School Curriculum. School Education Brochure New (PDF, 263 kb)

This What a Waste! education program is available to all Ipswich schools free-of-charge. For more information go to School Visits.

The Environmental Education Van

Ipswich Waste Services utilises the Environmental Education Van as a fully-contained interactive classroom, providing students with a relevant, stimulating, exciting, hands-on and practical student-oriented learning experience.

Learning is a lifelong process and the environmental education van is designed to cater for a range of age groups. The educational experiences available are relevant for pre-schoolers, primary school students, high school students, teachers and community groups.

The education van includes:

a projector for the showing of PowerPoint presentations.
a TV, video and DVD player.
a series of large, colourful educational information panels.
a working worm farm.
compost bins.
information brochures for school projects, posters and a wide variety of props!
a range of interactive games and activities plus many other educational resources.

The van is designed to be set-up as a fully mobile outdoor classroom and has room to comfortably seat a class of thirty students under a shade canopy. For the projector and television, to work, the van also requires access to a power point.

For presentations to a larger audience, for school assemblies or for groups with special needs, the resources can be easily moved and assembled in an indoor setting.

Additional resources

An education package is sent to all schools that book the Environmental Education Officer with worksheets, activities and introductory information available. There are also follow up activities that can be completed once the education officer has completed the presentation.

The What a Waste! education booklet is also sent out as part of the education package with additional activities and relevant links to the curriculum.

In addition, from July 2004, Ipswich City Council has resolved to provide recycling services to Ipswich schools on a request basis and at no cost to the school that engage Council's waste education program. School recycling programs are a very practical educational tools that encourages students to develop life-long waste minimisation practices and good recycling habits.

To arrange for our Education Officer to visit your school, fill in the online form.

Last Updated 7 Apr 2008 |

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