Recycling containers
A bit of thought about recycling containers will help to optimise the amount pupils and staff recycle in your school.
Points to consider include:
1) Location: if possible, put a recycling container in every classroom and office. Make sure they are clearly visible and easily accessible – if adults and pupils have to hunt to find the recycling container they may resort to using the bin instead. Most schools locate recycling containers next to rubbish bins; however some find that this leads to contamination of the recycling and choose to separate them.
2) Type: make sure that recycling containers cannot be confused with rubbish bins. With younger pupils use a box or other container that is very definitely not a bin. Older pupils will benefit from clear colour coding e.g., green bins for recycling, red for rubbish. Don’t rely only on written labels to distinguish between recycling and rubbish bins – busy staff and pupils may not stop to read them.
3) Consistency: it helps all users of the school building if the same recycling containers are used in all rooms. A blue recycling box in one classroom and a yellow recycling bucket in another can lead to confusion. If possible, adopt a whole-school approach to location as well. This is particularly important for younger children and those with special educational needs.
4) Size: some schools have boxes or bins in large rooms that generate a lot of recycling, and recycling trays for smaller rooms. It can be a positive message if recycling bins are larger than the rubbish bins – this creates the expectation that a lot will be recycled and very little binned.
