Top Tips For Recycling In Schools

Due to the large volume and variety of waste materials produced, recycling in schools is essential. Managing waste effectively not only ensures your school reduces your environmental impact, but also shows young people a responsible outlook to managing waste.

4 Top Tips To Increase Recycling In Schools

Clear Recycling Points

Colour coding bins and ensuring easily accessible containers is key to recycling in schools. Both students and staff should find recycling easy, with clear bins available that can be accompanied by visuals. Bins should also be labelled, with titles such as ‘Scrap Paper’ and ‘Plastic Bottles’ on segregated containers. 

Encourage Students and Staff

Whether you run a primary school, college, or university, promoting sustainability and teaching the importance of recycling can help boost recycling rates. Whether that be through posters, short lessons or an email campaign for higher education, all of these steps will help others learn the correct disposal methods. 

Encourage The Use Of Reusable Items

Encouraging the use of reusable items in schools can be achieved through educational campaigns, infrastructure improvements and incentive programs. Schools can raise awareness through workshops, curriculum integration, and interactive activities that teach the environmental benefits of reusables. 

Installing water bottle filling stations and offering reusable supplies can also make sustainable choices convenient. In canteens, you can also remove single use plastics such as straws, cutlery and containers for environmentally friendly alternatives. This, matched with recycling food waste effectively, can be an incredible improvement to reach sustainability goals. 

Conduct a Waste Audit

Conducting a waste audit at your school allows you to understand which waste types are produced and where they are being generated most. With this data, you can identify areas of improvement and focus on a tailored recycling action plan for your school. 

This not only provides valuable insights but also engages the school community in understanding and addressing its environmental impact. Make sure to repeat the audit periodically to measure improvements and refine strategies.

What Recyclable Materials Are Found In Schools?

Schools, colleges and universities all produce a range of recyclable materials. This includes, but is not limited to the following items:

• Paper and cardboard
• Drinks bottles
• Electronic equipment
• Organic waste, such as food scraps
• Food packaging
• Containers, such as paint tins.

At Collect and Recycle, we offer professional waste management and recycling services to schools. We can collect all of the above school waste, as well as chemicals, paint, hazardous materials and much more. If you need help safely disposing of these items, please book a waste collection with our team.