Melbourne school’s bin ban forcing students to carry garbage home
Melbourne Girls’ College is banning rubbish bins, forcing students to carry their garbage home with them from the Richmond school. Here’s why.
Education
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Top government school Melbourne Girls’ College is banning rubbish bins, telling its 1300 students to take their garbage home with them.
The Richmond semi-select school, which has been grappling with cutting the cost of dealing with waste, said it will phase in a policy similar to that of national parks, whereby people take home what they take in.
“This will mean that, similar to entering a National Park in Australia, the waste you take in, you will also be responsible for taking out. The proposal is that there will be no more rubbish BINS at MGC,” principal Karen Money said.
But Ms Money said the school was struggling with the waste.
“Australia is one of the most wasteful countries in the developed world. Every year the waste generated here grows at twice the rate of our population. Our recycling system is in disarray and solutions are not immediately evident,” Ms Money said.
The school spent nearly $13,000 to remove 1000 cubic metres of rubbish last year. That was on top of paper recycling and other waste programs.
The school’s environment team, made up of teachers and students, has come up with a plan to get rid of general waste, recycling and soft plastic disposal bins.
MGC will still provide compost options including worm farm bins, meaning that students can dispose of all food scraps such as fruit, vegetables, bread, dairy and meat.
There will still be paper bins in classrooms, offices and the library and sanitary waste bins will remain in the bathrooms, the school said.
“This plan is being adopted with the ambition of becoming a zero waste to landfill school by the end of 2020, massively reducing our environmental impact,” she told parents.
“We hope that this will encourage everyone, students and staff alike, to reduce their waste by bringing less waste to school and, in doing so, create less waste at home.
“It’s not that we want you to use the same amount of waste and just dispose of it at home, we want you to reduce your waste so you don’t have to carry as much home.”
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The school canteen offers biodegradable paper wrapping and discounts for students who BYO cups for soup and hot drinks
It has previously asked families to pack lunches thoughtfully, reducing packaged treats, and to not use zip lock bags and cling wrap. It came up with recipes so girls could cook healthy snacks instead of buying packaged bars.
Many schools have nude lunch days and some primary schools have been trying to do zero waste bins but Ms Money said she understood this was a first for secondary schools.
“Together we can change the world, please help to make this scheme successful and sustainable so it can continue for us and the many future MGC students to come,” Ms Money said in a letter to parents.