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Waste education

Learning to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Why the 3Rs?

Learning about ‘rubbish’ is a great way to engage even the youngest pupils with environmental issues. Reducing waste prevents landfill sites filling up, preserves biodiversity and conserves valuable natural resources. It also saves energy, a vital part of tackling climate change. Having learned about these issues each child can take immediate action both at home and school, providing an empowering sense that each individual can make a difference.  

For schools working for an Eco-Schools award, work on the 3Rs will be essential, and there are close links with the Healthy Schools Programme.

Every Child Matters identifies ‘making a positive contribution’ as a key outcome in every child’s development. By working together to recycle and reduce waste, pupils learn to care for the local and global environments, as well as that of their school.

What we offer schools

Our team of experienced Waste Education Officers have been running dedicated waste education projects since 1998. They offer schools assemblies and workshops to raise pupils’ awareness of the 3Rs, as well as practical advice on setting up / revitalising school recycling systems. Our workshops have strong cross-curricular links with science, maths, literacy, geography and PSHE. They will complement your school’s schemes of work, and tie in well with themed weeks such as Science, Environment or Recycling.

To encourage pupils to share their learning with parents and take action at home, workshops can be supported by a range of information sheets and stickers.  These reinforce both 3Rs and curriculum learning, meeting teachers' needs as well as engaging the whole family with waste issues.

In some areas our services are subidised by the local authority and may even be free of charge to schools; see our project area pages for more information or e-mail the Education Manager. 

Project Synopses

Resource Futures helps WRAP understand recent reductions in food waste

Resource Futures has recently helped WRAP to estimate how much household food waste has decreased nationally in recent years, with the recently published “Synthesis of Food Waste Compositional Data 2010” 

Best estimates ever of what’s in our rubbish

Defra has published a study carried out by Resource Futures which provides the best estimates to date of what’s in the ‘national rubbish bin’.

Research into reuse of household items through online portals

In 2011, Resource Futures carried out WRAP funded research into how household items are reused through online portals such as eBay, Freegle and Gumtree.  The research included a detailed survey on internet user habits regarding online exchange and sought to understand the reasons for not using such sites.  

News and Events

Community RePaint: A Helping Hand for Hearts and Minds in 2011

In 2011, householders, traders and paint manufacturers donated 343,957 litres of paint to Community RePaint schemes, which then distributed 217,112 litres to community groups and individuals saving 565 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of taking 192 cars off our roads - and providing 766 volunteer and training opportunities. The network now has over 65 schemes across the UK and with four new schemes about to start at the beginning of 2012.    

Resource Futures seeks new Non-Executive Chair

Following restructuring during 2011 Resource Futures is now looking to strengthen its Board with a new Non-Executive Chair.  The company is forecasting a three-fold increase in its profit from 2% in the year ended March 2010 to 6% for the year ending March 2012.  The new position will join Chief Executive Officer Jane Stephenson MBE and Operations Director Sam Reeve, bringing independent scrutiny and advice to this successful business at Board level. 

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