European School Partnership for Sustainability (ESPS)
Our school?s ecological waste footprint
Our school?s wastes are mainly office paper and a smaller amount of mixed paper from juices, soft drinks and food packets, plastic and an even smaller amount of organic waste, such as leaves and branches. The student?s food remains are limited, because our school doesn?t provide the students with catering services, but there is a school canteen, which offers a limited variety of snacks
RECYCLE-PAPER SAVING: Recycling bins have been placed all over building and the school grounds and it has been figured out that the collected paper for recycling purposes is about 1200 Kg/year, which is commensurate with 3,8 Kg/student/year.
OTHER MATTERIAL RECYCLED: On the ground floor, next to our school canteen, a blue bin has been placed in order for students to recycle plastic bottles, soft drinks etc. The results of the research on recycling (apart from the paper that was selected) are not satisfying but they?re getting better and better considering the disposal frequency, which gradually increases.
BATTERY RECYCLING: Collecting useless batteries is very important because a small battery of 1,5 Volt can pollute 400 m3 of water, if it comes close to the water table. For this reason we chose to place the battery recycling bins in a highly visible place on the top of the stairs. The rest of the waste, which cannot be recycled via conventional green bins, is being driven to the dump.
Action plan for school wastes.
- In the effort our school is making to sensitize students in environmental issues, it attempts, whenever it is possible, to buy and use recyclable material, such as laser paper and toilet paper or reusable material like rechargeable batteries and whiteboard markers.
- In order to reduce the use of laser paper, there are clear directions by the school principal to print and copy on both sides of a paper and then save them for recycling. Also, our school has a list of the parents? e-mails to inform them about their child?s progress on a daily basis, or send them daily announcements. We possess an electronic database of all activities, and printed material is only used in our communication with the Ministry of Education.
- Recently a compost bin was placed on the school yard, in order to make bio-fertilizer, which will be used for the vegetable garden we have created in the yard. There are planned actions to inform students about the compost bin and collect all the students? food leftovers for fertilizing.
- A questionnaire was distributed to students and residents of the surrounding neighborhood to ask their opinion about recycling and waste collection. Most of them were not particularly satisfied about garbage collection and the management of the recyclable material in the blue bins.
- In the 1st Erasmus+ meeting in Thessaloniki, among other activities, an activity about reusable matters (reuse project) was organized, during which, students created accessories and jewellery from ?useless? material. The same activities were employed for our Christmas tree. The decoration of our Easter candles was also made from ?trash?. The creative imagination of students was unique and the result was perfect. We believe that the school helps the planet, with eco friendly choices. We hope that all the activities carried in our school, will enhance even further, after the end of the Erasmus+ program.
- Students, who participated in the volunteering team of our school, in coordination with the head teachers, managed to mobilize all the school stuff and all the students, in order to collect ?useless? clothes, which were in good condition. They were sent to refugees? camps. This particular activity had a great support during all the months since the beginning of the academic year. Assessing the importance of this activity, we believe that it is the most important reuse project of our school, because, besides the benefits on our treatment of the environment, it has beneficial effects on our social behavior since it cultivates social sensitivity and solidarity.
