MGC launches our Waste Avoidance and Zero Waste to landfill policy

In term 4 last year Samone Hosking, Andrew Vance and myself set about writing a policy document aimed at reducing our school’s waste to landfill. We had the help of interested parents with expertise in this area and the insights they bought were invaluable to us. We wish to thank Dr Johnathan Spears director Executive Director and General Counsel for Infrastructure Victoria in particular, for his input.  

Parents should know the ultimate aim of the policy is to nurture young people to become active guardians of the planet rather than passive consumers of stuff. We believe it is a fundamental role of schools to empower young people to effect positive environmental change and that this is the best way to ensure they do not become depressed, anxious and sufferers of ecological grief as the world prepares to respond to the extinction crisis and climate change. Achieving zero waste to landfill at MGC is an exercise in mindfulness that students and staff can take beyond the school to their homes and other places of visitation. 

But we can’t do it alone. With any major cultural and behavioural change there are the early adopters, those that eventually come on board and those that never will. Our hope is there will be more MGC families that are with us in our efforts to foster our students to adopt low waste and low impact lifestyles. We all love our children and one of the best ways we can express it in today’s day and age, is by looking at our own behaviour and consuming carefully so that our children inherit a planet that’s worth living on and that they can make a living from.  

Below is a reminder of what each of us within the MGC community can do to support our waste avoidance policy: 

Teachers -  

Take your waste home with you 

Make sure your classroom is clean for the next class, turn off all electricals and lock the room 

Turn up to your yard duty  

Support staff -  

Take your waste home with you 

Students -  

Make yourself a lunch that has as little packaging as possible 

Take your plastic waste home with you 

Parents -  

Make it as easy as possible for your child to make a lunch with little or no packaging 

Below is a reminder of what happens to our waste when it ends up in landfill. 

If any parent would like to view the Waste Avoidance and Zero Waste to Landfill policy, please email paula.mcintosh@mgc.vic.edu.au. We are very happy to share what we have written with other schools and organisations.