School composting action
About this good practice
The school composting action is organized for all schools in the working area of IVAREM (10 municipalities in the region of Mechelen: Berlaar, Bonheiden, Bornem, Duffel, Lier, Mechelen, Putte, Puurs-Sint-Amands, Sint-Katelijne-Waver en Willebroek). The addressed problem is the reduction of mixed waste in schools and the effective education of pupils by learning by doing and taking ownership. The school composting action is an experiential project that actively engages preschoolers, pupils and school students in the prevention of vegetable, fruit and garden waste (GFT). They learn about GFT collection, the composting process and the use of the harvested compost. In the process, the pupils get to work on their own and are given their own responsibilities. The compost performance is evaluated in the spring by an expert panel of master composters (volunteer composting experts, trained by VLACO npo). The master composters visit the participating schools to judge the students' compost bin and composting knowledge. Afterwards, a compost report and logo are awarded. Nursery and primary schools receive a special inauguration by thematic animators. Schools can add the activity to the school curriculum and save money by reducing the waste they generate. The generated compost can be used in the school gardens. IVAREM saw an opportunity to support schools in this through their educational program and have a positive effect on the amount of waste that is collected from schools.
Resources needed
The coordination is done by the IVAREM communication officer (1 FTE) and one administrative assistant (0.6 FTE) as one of the tasks within their jobs. Annually ± € 500 is spent to thank the master composter volunteers.
Evidence of success
Since the start, 60 schools have engaged in the school composting action. The success is mainly due to the sensitization and playful communication campaigns organized by IVAREM and the engagement of the volunteers (12 master composters in total). The success is also strongly depending on the commitment of the school teachers and the vision of the school board. With regards to the overall Low Waste School 2025 campaign, a total of 133 schools in the region of Mechelen have been registered.
Potential for learning or transfer
For this good practice to be transferable to other regions there are some conditions to be met:
- The schools need sufficient space to compost.
- There is the acceptance or willingness of the school teachers and school directors to engage in this action.
- There are compost experts available that can teach the students.
- Budget needs to be foreseen for communication and communication materials, sensitization, and the inauguration of the awards.
Further information
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
