NZ Schools Answering Call To Reduce Rubbish

New Zealand Schools Answering Call To Reduce Rubbish

Schools nationwide are doing their bit in the Reduce Your Rubbish Clean Schools Challenge, organised and run by the Clean Up New Zealand Trust.

Organisers of the country's largest environmental event, Clean Up New Zealand Week September 15--21 2003, are calling for schools to reduce their rubbish. To date, over 140 schools have responded, with more than 36,500 children around the country taking part.

Schools are being asked to extend their Clean Up activities and take part in this unique competition. The Reduce Your Rubbish Clean Schools Challenge focuses on rubbish reduction, an environmental initiative introduced earlier this year by the Ministry For The Environment. All schools are eligible for entry and are competing for $4000 cash towards an environmental initiative in the winning school.

Schools nationally are undertaking a variety of rubbish reduction activities. For example, Riverview School in the Far North has set up recycling bins and a worm farm in an aim for zero rubbish in the school, and Alexandra Primary School, Otago, will be holding a funky fashion show using recycled materials.

The only two schools in the Marlborough region also have some interesting and unusual rubbish reduction initiatives underway; as well as running a worm farm and waste reduction unit, Picton School is making art from recycled items, while Riverlands School, Blenheim, has a total rubbish reduction system.

The Clean Up NZ Trust has offered seed funding to schools starting a rubbish reduction project for the first time and assistance to schools that are looking to sustain or develop existing environmental projects.

Upper Hutt's Heretaunga College is one of the successful recipients of this sponsorship funding -- the school is recycling and developing new student--made rubbish reduction signage for use in and around the school. Also, with the benefit of Clean Up NZ funding, Russell School, Porirua has begun a worm farm to recycle food scraps.

Further information regarding the Reduce Your Rubbish Clean Schools Challenge is available on Clean Up NZ's official website www.cleanupnz.org.nz. The website also highlights what activities are planned in each area for Clean Up NZ Week and allows groups, including schools, community groups and businesses, to register their clean up event.

Alternatively, the Clean Up NZ Trust can be reached on the 0800 315 000 hotline for further information, including details about what schools in each area are doing.

Clean Up NZ Week is part of Clean Up The World, an international community--based environmental programme run in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which has motivated more than 40 million people annually in a range of activities to improve local environments.

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