How to reduce waste at your school
District councils can work with Taranaki schools to help them minimise their own waste, as well as educating pupils about waste minimisation and recycling.
Did you know most schools in the Taranaki region receive recycling bins and collection of recyclables for free?
District councils may be able to offer advice or assistance in setting up a recycling system, improving your current system or any other area of waste minimisation you may need. Contact your district council for more information.
New Plymouth District Council: Zero Waste Education Officer - email enquiries@npdc.govt.nz or call 06 759 6060
South Taranaki District Council: Environment and Sustainability Team - envirosus@STDC.govt.nz
Stratford District Council: Email stratforddc@stratford.govt.nz
View from the purpose-built education room at the Materials Recovery Facility.
Class tours of recycling centre
Taranaki's Recycling Centre (Material Recovery Facility or MRF, pronounced “murf”) has a purpose-built education room which is perfectly positioned to watch our region's recycling being sorted.
Come along and learn how the machinery works, watch the recycling sorters work on the conveyor belt, find out why we can recycle some items but not others, and where the recycled materials end up. School parties from across Taranaki are welcome. Bookings essential. PLEASE NOTE: the Recycling Centre's education room is located upstairs and is not accessible for wheelchairs.
Your class will need to allow one hour for the Recycling Centre Education Session. School classes at all levels are welcome. There is no charge, but schools must organise their own transport.
View our A-Z Zero Waste Directory
Find local options for donating, recycling and disposing your items safely and correctly.
Stratford Transfer Station
Tours are available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. The tour is free and takes 30 minutes. It is available to primary and secondary schools.
Contact: Mike Oien Stratford District Council
Ph 06 765 6099
Email moien@stratford.govt.nz
Egmont Refuse and Recycling Ltd
Raymond Buckland at Egmont Refuse and Recycling. Tours are free and take an hour. They are available to primary and secondary schools.
Contact: Raymond Buckland
Egmont Refuse and Recycling Ltd 19 Scott St, Hawera
Ph 06 278 6170
Email egmontrefuse@xtra.co.nz
Hawera Transfer Station
Tours are free and take 20 minutes. They are available to primary and secondary schools.
Contact:
South Taranaki District Council
Ph 06 278 0555
Email envirosus@STDC.govt.nz
Recycling bins for classrooms
Paper4trees is a free waste minimisation and tree-planting programme for schools and early childhood centres. It provides classroom recycling bins to help with source separation, and rewards participants with native trees. For full details, visit www.paper4trees.co.nz.
Contact:
Hope Lawsen or Satsuki Takenouchi (Programme Team) Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust (EERST)
Ph 0800 727 4873
Email: paper4trees@eerst.co.nz
Impact Taranaki
Impact Taranaki facilitators are available to support youth-led environmental projects at your school or in the community. We use enquiry based learning with a focus on individual and team strengths. For more information visit our website www.sustainabletaranaki.org.nz/impact/
Projects last one term with support for ongoing learning. This programme is free and a start-up fund for projects is available. Target group ages 12-24 years old.
Enviroschools
With support from the school community, students plan, design, and take action to create a sustainable school environment. Zero Waste is one of the five Enviroschools theme areas.
Under Zero Waste, Enviroschools Taranaki runs Boomerang Bag and Plastic Free July initiatives. See the Facebook pages to learn more and get involved:
Boomerang Bags for Taranaki Enviroschools on Facebook
Plastic Free July Taranaki on Facebook
For more information visit the Enviroschools website:
www.enviroschools.org.nz/in_your_region/taranaki
Lauree Jones
Regional Enviroschools Coordinator
Ph 0800 736 222
Email enviroschools@trc.govt.nz
Composting and worm farming
Learn how to set up a worm farm or compost system, or learn how to make your existing system more efficient. See how composting and worm farming is done at the Taranaki Regional Council gardens.
The session takes 30 minutes and is free. Available to early childhood centres and primary, intermediate and secondary schools. Contact:
Emily Roberts
Education Officer
Taranaki Regional Council
Ph 0800 736 222
Email education@trc.govt.nz