ST. LUKE THE EVANGELIST SCHOOL
WASTE AND LITTER MANAGEMENT POLICY and STATEMENT
RATIONALE:
At St Luke’s we incorporate SUSTAINABILITY into our practice at all levels of the school. We believe that if
we build a culture of shared responsibility we are supporting our students to be responsible citizens.
The Australian Curriculum has been written to equip young Australians with the skills, knowledge
and understanding that will enable them to engage effectively with and prosper in a globalised
world. Students will gain personal and social benefits, be better equipped to make sense of the
world in which they live and make an important contribution to building the social, intellectual and
creative capital of our nation.
Accordingly, the Australian Curriculum must be both relevant to the lives of students and address the
contemporary issues they face. With these considerations and the Melbourne Declaration on Educational
Goals for Young Australians in mind, the curriculum gives special attention to these three priorities, one
being – Sustainability.
Cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all learning areas. They will have a strong but varying
presence depending on their relevance to the learning areas
IMPLEMENTATION:
Our school’s management of litter and waste is implemented through:
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teaching and learning inquiry units
sustainable structures and practices
student voice
leadership commitment to using resources that are increasingly recycled
auditing and data collection
communication to the community
A framework for change supports the school’s initiatives around litter and waste management.
RESOURCESMART AUSSI VIC (SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS)
About the Program
ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) Vic. has evolved from a program
developed by CERES and the Gould league called 'Sustainable Schools'. ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic. is
currently an initiative of the Victorian Government and is managed by Sustainability Victoria.
ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic. provides a holistic approach to sustainability. It integrates educational,
environmental, social and economic outcomes so that schools do not see each area in isolation but as
components of the bigger picture of sustainability. Schools are supported to develop a 'whole school
approach' to, building sustainability into the fabric of everyday school and community life.
Integrating State and Federal programs, this framework brings together sustainability educators and
delivery organisations to help Victorian schools minimise waste, save energy and water, improve
biodiversity in their school grounds, and cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
EXPECTATIONS:
At St Luke’s we:
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Have at least one day a week as a wrapper free day, which is promoted by the student action team
Purchase only recycled toilet paper
Reduce the use of photocopy paper through raising awareness
Use recycling and composting practices in the school canteen
Recycling and composting practices are used in the staffroom and all classrooms
Have a student action team that maintains several actions:
o the signage on the bins
o wrapper free day and its respective activities
o newsletter articles informing the community of waste reduction activities
o collecting the compost bins from each room to feed the main compost bins in the vegetable
garden
Recycle paper and other products such as flexible plastics, phones and cartridges throughout the
school, using external groups such as Visy, Ark and Whitehorse Council
Use practices such as printers being set to double sided unless required to be single sided printing.
Recycle used printer paper in classrooms, staffroom and the administrative office for the fax
machine.
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
http://www.ceres.org.au/Education/sustainableschools.html
EVALUATION:
This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s review cycle.
RELATED POLICIES:
Student Wellbeing Policy
Teaching and learning Policy