Staff Meeting Notes
Use these notes to inform staff and teachers about the Recycle @ School pilot at
your school’s first administration meeting.
Speaking Notes

During the 2014-15 school year, six schools within the eastern region of the province
participated in phase one of a Recycle @ School pilot project that helped identify best
practices in School Recycling.

This program is a partnership between the Newfoundland and Labrador English School
District (NLESD), the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) and Eastern Waste
Management (EWM). The goal of the recycling pilot is to expand recycling programs in
schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

And I am excited to announce that our school is one of three schools selected to join the
Recycle @ School pilot program in the 2015-16 school year and further identify best
recycling practices.

This means that we can now also recycle paper and mixed containers, in addition to the
beverage containers we’ve been recycling. These new waste streams include the same
materials you are currently able to recycle at home through your community’s curbside
recycling program.

How the program works:
1. You may have already noticed the new recycling stations and signs throughout the
school – these bins were provided by MMSB as part of the pilot program. You will
find our new recycling stations [list the locations of your bin systems].
2. There are also GREY desk side paper recycling bins in ALL classrooms that when full,
can be emptied into the larger hallway bins by teachers or a designated student.
1. READ ONLY IF YOUR SCHOOL HAS CLASSROOMS WHERE LUNCH IS CONSUMED:
Schools that had a “no food in the classroom” policy were more successful in
diverting waste. To assist schools such as ours where classrooms double as
cafeterias, our classrooms have also been equipped with a GREEN basket bin for
refundable beverage containers and a BLUE basket bin for mixed containers (which
requires a bag).
2. READ ONLY IF YOUR SCHOOL HAS KINDERGARTEN CLASSES: ALL kindergarten
classrooms have been equipped with a GREEN basket bin for refundable beverage
containers and a BLUE basket bin for mixed containers (which requires a bag) to help
these young students learn to recycle in their classrooms.
3. The two new recycling streams – paper and mixed containers - will be collected biweekly by Eastern Waste Management. This program does NOT affect beverage
containers – we will continue to manage our refundable beverage container
recycling programs as normal and return these containers to a Green Depot.

Education is a key component of the pilot program.
1. MMSB will be visiting our school in the coming weeks to deliver presentations to
staff and students on properly sorting waste. But staff also play a role – please lead
by example – take time to sort your own waste and help students participate in the
program, particularly while on lunch duty.
2. Instructional posters for each classroom will arrive in mid-September to help teach
students to sort their waste.
3. MMSB will also be offering on-site educational support for the Recycle @ School
Pilot through routine visits to our school to assess and maximize our recycling efforts
and work through any issues that may arise.
4. Additional educational resources will be available as of Wednesday, September 9,
2015 via MMSB’s website at http://www.mmsb.nl.ca/schools/recycle-school-pilotprogram-2/.

If you have any questions our School project lead is: [appropriate school contact] who will
be working with MMSB to implement this pilot program.

By participating in this pilot, we are leading the way for other schools in our province. Let’s
work together to become environmental stewards and make this a great success.