Getting Started – The Waste Audit
The first thing that needs to happen when addressing waste minimisation in school is to find out if the school has any
environmental policies or targets in place, then follow this with a waste audit. This will allow you to see if the targets
and policies are being adhered to, or if plans need to be put in place to reach these, or if simply there are no
polices/targets and you are just gaining a base mark of where the school is currently in terms of recycling and waste.
The waste audit could be like the one attached or something similar. This way you can assess your results at the end
and have a basis of information to work with when constructing an action plan, involving the children and the whole
school.
This waste audit looks at how the school reduces reuses, recycles and closes the loop.
Reducing
Yes/No
Do we need to do it? / Information and help to achieve
Could we do this?
this:
This function can be set on most
printers/photocopiers
Double sided printing as default
Reusable cutlery and crockery
Unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters
and magazines
Email parent/staff newsletters rather than
paper copy
Encouraging staff to read documents in ecopy rather than print
Restricting number or size of general
waste bins
Often the bigger the bin the more waste you
want to put in it. Making the bins smaller
allows less waste and puts more of an
emphasis on recycling.
Reusing
Yes/No
Do we need to do it? /
Could we do this?
Scrap paper trays in offices
Scrap paper trays in class rooms
Scrap paper printing
Information/help to achieve this:
Could one of your printers just have scrap
paper/paper printed on one side?
Refilling cartridges/toner
Using tap water or water fountains to refill
bottles (water bottle reuse)
Reuse incoming packaging
The school office could reuse envelopes for
internal post etc...
Reusing materials for art/craft activities
Any other activities?
Recycling
Yes/No
Are there recycling bins in all the rooms?
Are they labelled and suitable?
Do we need to do it? /
Could we do this or
improve this?
Information/help to achieve this:
Do a walk around the school to check recycling
bins in all the rooms. Don’t forget to include
the school office, Head Teachers office,
Do the recycling bins have appropriate
posters/information?
Are the recycling bins contaminated?
Is there recyclables in the waste bin?
Are the outside bins (the ones where all
the inside waste and recycling is collected)
easily accessible for collection?
Is recycling/waste effectively removed
from the indoor bins to the outside bins?
Does your school have an on-site
composter or wormery?
Does the
school
collect any
other
recyclables?
Garden/Green Waste
Printer Cartridges
IT/electronic
equipment
Textiles/Shoes
Batteries
CD’s/DVD’s
Staffroom, Library, Copier/print room, IT room
and kitchen as well as all the classrooms.
To see what can be recycled in your borough
check here>>
The recycling bins are contaminated when
there are incorrect materials in them E.g. food,
tissues/hand towels, laminated paper,
shredded paper, crisp packets and plastic bags.
To see what can be recycled in your borough
check here>>
Discuss this with the Site/Facilities Manager.
How many outside waste/recycling bins are
there? Are they the right size or type? Is there
contamination in them? How often are they
collected? How full are they when they are
collected? Could you swap a waste bin for a
recycling bin?
Think about who is responsible or involved in
waste and recycling at school. Who moves
recycling indoor to outdoor? Are there any
issues?
Is the compost/wormery used? What is
composted? Items could include fruit play,
leftover lunch items that are compostable,
kitchen prep scraps, tea bags from staffroom,
leaves, garden club waste etc...
Who is in charge of the compost and how is it
used?
Check out what your borough offers on
composting E.g. discounted composters and
kitchen caddies.
To see what other materials can
be recycled in school, check
here >>
Mobile Phones
Furniture
Does the school monitor or measure how
much is being recycled?
This could include different monitoring
techniques E.g.
- Checking general waste bins for
recyclables in individual rooms
- Weighing recyclables/counting full
containers or bags
- Checking for contamination
- Waste audits/waste composition analysis
- Participation surveys with staff and/or
students
- Attitudinal surveys with staff and/or
students
What are the details from this monitoring, who
is involved? How effective is it? What is the
data available?
Closing the Loop
Yes/No
Thinking
about
Sustainable
Procurement
and closing
the loop Has the
school ever
ordered any
of the
following?
Refilled or remanufactured
cartridges
Recycled paper/FSC (Forest
Stewardship Council)
certified paper
Other recycled stationery
Eco friendly cleaning
products
Handtowels and toilet roll
Recycled or second-hand
furniture, or items acquired
through Free Cycle
Do we need to do it?
/ Could we do this or
improve this?
Information/help to achieve this:
Sustainable procurement is the process of
making and managing buying choices which
take into account the impact of those choices
on sustainable development.
For more information on Sustainable
Procurement and how to write guidelines and
polices see here >>