Wipe Out Waste!
Almost 7500 children from 32 Gloucestershire schools took part in RfG School’s Wipe out Waste @ Lunchtime event. The event aimed to encourage children to reduce their lunchtime waste as much as possible and then reuse, recycle or compost their leftovers.
The Green Fairy visited 28 school assemblies inspiring children with her own WOW lunch. Children were given WOW lunchbox/ snack box stickers as a reward for their efforts and to act as a future reminder about reducing their waste.
Here are some of the ways schools managed to achieve WOW lunches -
- Include fruit (cores and peels can then be composted)
- Place food in re-usable tubs (rather than wrapping in cling film)
- Use refillable drinks flasks
- Choose re-usable cutlery
- Select school dinners carefully and think about portion size
- Wrap food in tin foil, then re-use and recycle
- Buy a big bag of crisps and split the contents into reusable containers
- Decant yoghurt from large tubs into smaller reusable tubs
- Finish food
- Re-use silicone cake cases
- Re-use yoghurt pots
- Try hard not to drop any food on the floor
Schools worked hard to promote their event to parents and pupils. Some even invited parents and playgroups along to the Green Fairy’s assembly. One school organised for Eco Council Members to become ‘Waste Detectives’ and award prizes to children who produced a low waste lunch, another produced a powerpoint for parents. Text message reminders were used along with newsletters and schools own websites.
We have been overwhelmed with the positive response from schools. Here are some of the comments we received -
‘The amount of food thrown away at the end of lunch was reduced by two thirds!’
‘Pupils very excited, especially by those who have no waste at all in their lunchbox’
‘(Parents) thought it was a good idea. Cheaper – don’t need to keep buying cling film etc’
‘The (Green Fairy) assembly was a 10 (out of 10)!’
‘Some children have carried on with the initiative’
‘We will repeat this at least once a year’
‘Very good feedback from children to parents re Green Fairy and talk’
Thank you to all those teachers, parents, carers and children who took part and made the event a huge success. Congratulations to Powell’s C of E Primary in Cirencester whose feedback form was drawn out of the hat. They win vouchers to spend at Wiggly Wigglers. We hope that WOW lunches become a regular event in Gloucestershire schools.
Photos show pupils of Elmbridge Infant School enjoying their WOW lunch.