Nearly 2,000 schools have signed up to take part in ‘Waste Week’, a national campaign that aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.

The third annual Waste Week, which forms part of EDF Energy's, science, energy and sustainability programme for schools, The Pod (launched in 2008 to meet sustainability commitments), aims to highlight the impact of waste on the environment.

The campaign is targeted at students aged between four and 14 and encourages schools to carry out a variety of awareness-raising activities during a week of their choice in March.

This year, the programme is particularly focusing on the impact of plastic waste on the environment and resources.

Resources for schools

Schools taking part can download a range of resources to assist in the awareness week, such as lesson plans, games, videos,posters, certificates and suggestions for practical activities. Further information will be provided to schools that sign up to the programme relating to the problems caused by plastic waste, and information on which types of plastic can be recycled.

A new ‘Bottle Stoppers Time Machine’ game has also been developed on The Pod website to enable students to see the effect of sending plastic bottles to landfill, and how recycling plastic can reduce environmental damage.

Students are also encouraged to hold waste-themed assemblies and campaigns, blog about their waste activities, survey the amount of waste that their school and families send to landfill, and use recycled materials for activities such as art work and gardening.

‘Sparking year-round behaviour change’

Speaking of the programme, Robyn Thorn, EDF Energy’s Education Programme Manager, said: “It’s great to see so many schools signing up to get involved in this year’s Waste Week. We hope that the campaign will spark year-round behaviour change and encourage more people than ever to reduce, reuse and recycle.”

Julia Rowlands, Head Teacher at St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School in Bury, Lancashire – which is taking part in Waste Week – added:
“This is the third year running that our school has joined in with Waste Week run by The Pod. It gives us a great opportunity to focus our young pupils' minds on the importance and real benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling waste instead of it ending up in landfill. And, with the campaign running throughout March, it makes it easier for schools to take part as we can pick the days, week or weeks that suit us best.

“For any school that hasn’t yet taken part I’d say register and give it a go. There are lots of waste-inspired activities provided as part of the campaign so lesson-planning requirements are minimal. Our younger pupils are really looking forward to the ‘bling a bottle’ activity and imagining what ‘life in the dumps’ would be like.”

All of The Pod’s resources are linked to the national curriculum and are accredited by Eco-Schools England.

Those taking part in Waste Week are also being invited to enter environmental education programme Wastebuster’s ‘Primary Earth Summit 2014’, which gives students the opportunity to ‘present their ideas for reducing plastic waste to political and industry change-makers in Parliament’.

Find out more about Waste Week.