School Waste Programs

Council offers programs and resources to support waste education in preschool, primary and secondary schools.

Keen for a waste wise chat? Contact Council's Resource Recovery Education Officer for more details on our schools programs and how we can tailor a program for your school on 6686 1287.

Let's Get it Sorted Schools Challenge 2025

Become a waste wise school and join Council's free and engaging schools challenge reducing waste to landfill and improving resource recovery across your school. The Challenge can be customised to build on your school's existing waste wise endeavours in fun and useful ways.

Participating schools will be supported to make achievable sustainable changes that suit their school community and provided with resources, visits and local promotion across the 2025 school year. They will also be encouraged to link in with their local community and can benefit from up to $500 funding to support approved resource recovery actions.

The Challenge is open to both primary and secondary schools. Here's what to expect.

Decide who will champion the project
A team provides momentum and camaraderie and can be a dedicated sustainability or waste-wise group; members of the student representative council or teacher group; an enthusiastic class, or any other set up that suits your school best
School waste audit and report provided
Council’s Resource Recovery education officer will come to your school to understand your current waste management system and either
- conduct a waste audit on the school’s behalf, or
- work with a group of 5-30 students to conduct a waste audit of your school bins (must be from year 4 up). Length of session will depend on size of school.
Following the audit, the school will be provided with an audit report with recommendations.
Create action plan
Create an achievable action plan with support from Council officer. Get creative with how to involve your school community.
Involve your school
Communicate and implement your action plan.
Evaluate your plan and celebrate what your school has achieved

Arrange a time for Council’s Resource Recovery educator to revisit your school and undertake a second simple waste audit to showcase the results of your actions.

Share and celebrate your efforts. Participating schools that make tangible positive change will be provided with a certificate at assembly and a plastic free party kit!

Key Dates

Term	Activity
Term 1 Week 4 Friday 28 February	Registrations Close. Register your interest here
Term 1	Create a waste wise school team Undertake school waste audit
Terms 1 & 2	Create action plan and commence implementation Wipe Out Waste visit
Terms 2 & 3	Implement action plan and review where required Hold a nude food lunch day
Terms 3 & 4	Implement action plan and review where required Second audit/tour
Term 4	Celebrate and promote waste wise achievements Certificates presented to participating schools

Exact timeframe and activities tailored to your school's schedule.

For further information or to enquire for the 2025 school year, contact the Resource Recovery team on 6686 1287 or resourcerecovery@ballina.nsw.gov.au

Early childhood centres

The Nothing Goes to Waste Early Childhood Waste Education Program is run by North East Waste on council’s behalf. The program aims to engage, educate and support staff, children and their families in waste avoidance and resource recovery practices.

To find out more about the program, book a visit and download relevant learning resources, head to ‘schools programs’ on the North East Waste website.

Primary schools

Council’s Resource Recovery Education Officer can visit primary students to:

Conduct waste wise talks, supplemented by our waste wise cut-out activity. Download our waste wise cut out activity: Waste Wise Cut Out Activity Sheet (for upper primary students)(PDF, 32MB) or Waste Wise Cut Out Activity Sheet (for lower primary students)(PDF, 32MB)
Understand their recycling and/or organics bins
Work with a class or group (such as an environment group) to do a school waste audit
Work with the school to create a waste reduction action plan (WRAP)
Support creative and tangible actions to reduce waste
Reduce Single Use campaigns
Provide advice on waste wise school grants
Help promote their efforts to the wider community

North East Waste school programs

North East Waste provide fun and engaging school programs on behalf of council about the importance of waste management and sustainability. Programs include:

Recycle Relays

Active participatory relay race that teaches students how to correctly sort common recycling, compost and landfill items into the right bins.

Wipe Out Waste

The Wipe out Waste ‘WOW’ Van is a mobile educational trailer which promotes sustainable waste practices to schools through interactive and fun waste information sessions held by a professional performer. Students will learn how they can actively help their local environment by adopting simple waste-less practices, such as reducing, reusing, composting and recycling at home, school and play.

Compost workshops

Manage food waste and nourish school gardens by learning how to compost effectively at your school.

High schools

Secondary school visits primarily support a group, club or class of students who wish to actively support positive sustainable change in their school and reduce single use items. Visits include:

SRC support to make positive sustainable change through campaigns (such as Reduce Single Use and Recycle Right) and planning/implementation of system changes such as recycling or organics bins and waste reduction action plans
School audit, usually undertaken with a class or group
Canteen audit and support
Activities involved the school or broader community (environmental fairs, clothing or book swaps, litter clean ups, etc)