Awareness and behavioural change are the key words to reduce the flow of residual waste. Our colleagues can be found in the area every day and will be happy to help you with questions and advice.
Our Education Team
Environmental coach Nelleke
Our Environmental coach Nelleke is out and about every day. You can meet her everywhere: on the street, at meetings and events. She gathers ideas, gives tips on how to reduce residual waste and separate raw materials even better and thinks along with you. Environmental coach Nelleke: 'Separating waste makes sense! All kinds of new products are made from separated waste. Reuse and recycling saves raw materials, saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions.'
So don't know something or in doubt? Don't hesitate and ask your question online or when you meet Nelleke!
Put your question to our environmental coach Nelleke
Education officer: raising awareness and changing behaviour among young people
Learned young is done old! Our education officer teaches at Waste Free Schools in the region about resource separation. There are also discussions with managements about reducing residual waste. Raising awareness among young people is an important step towards
a waste-free future. Secondary schools can also get tips, advice, and possibly guest lessons and tours from our education officer.
Education programmes and initiatives
Waste-free schools
We have offered the 'Waste-Free Schools' programme since 2014. This programme teaches pupils that waste consists of valuable resources and gives them the knowledge to deal with it properly.
More and more schools want to make students aware that waste contains valuable resources, such as paper, plastic, food scraps and more. Sustainability is therefore increasingly high on the agenda. A good development. Especially since there should be no more residual waste in the Netherlands by 2050 and raw materials are constantly being reused. Fortunately, more and more pupils take a sustainable mug and lunch box with them. This saves mountains of disposable packets, sandwich bags and aluminium foil. Separate waste collection at school is obvious, but proves difficult in practice. That is where the "Waste-Free Schools" project can help.
But what exactly is a waste-free school? A waste-free school is a school that goes for less waste. The waste that does eventually arise is properly separated. This means that the school has less and less residual waste Kortom, waste separation and waste prevention. In exchange for their efforts, schools do not have to pay for the separated waste collected by Waardlanden.
Some 80% of all regional schools in our region are now waste-free. When parents and carers see how enthusiastic their children are about separating waste and the importance of recycling, they are encouraged to take steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle at home too. Thus, the initiative at school becomes not only a learning moment for children, but also an opportunity to reach whole families and work together towards a circular future.
Become a Waste Free School too? Get in touch with us!
Practical support
Waardlanden offers educational and convenient support to All Waste-Free Schools. We do this through education, making materials available, organising field trips, providing assistance with teaching programmes and by allocate see at waste separation.
Environmental education in schools
Together with Gorinchem Nature Centre (NCG) we provide environmental education at schools in the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Molenlanden. In Vijfheerenlanden we do so in cooperation with The Green Meadow.
Teaching kits
To unburden primary schools as much as possible, Nature Centre Gorinchem and De Groene Weelde have developed ready-made teaching kits to work with in the classroom. Waste-free schools can book these free of charge. A teaching box contains detailed lessons and materials around a theme. Giving your own lesson is thus very easy.
- Questions about Nature Centre Gorinchem's teaching kits?
Mail to educatie@natuurcentrumgorinchem.nl or call 0183-630911 on weekdays between 9am and 5pm. - Questions about De Groene Weelde's teaching kits?
Mail to info@groeneweeldevhl.nl
Guest lectures and excursions
Teaching about the circular economy is one thing, but seeing and experiencing it is two! Some lessons we can also teach at school or in the neighbourhood.
Guest lesson 'Separating waste'
During this lesson, we discuss the different resource flows with the students. Themes will be discussed: buying less, the cycle, repairing, the environmental street, the danger of litter and why separating waste is so important. What belongs in which bin and what can we make with properly separated raw materials? We end the lesson with a fun quiz and hand out up-to-date separation guides. After the lesson, pupils will know all about reducing and properly separating waste and will be able to separate school waste correctly. Because a lot is changing in the world of waste, the lessons are not only interesting for pupils, but teachers also learn a lot.
Practical information:
- The lesson lasts 25 minutes per class.
- Groups 1 to 8 may all be scheduled on one day. The education officer then visits one class in turn.
Excursion: educational trail Ecopark
During this lesson, we will give the group a tour of the Ecopark in Groot-Ammers. The pupils take a look at workshop De Gezel, and 2nd chance building materials. This is followed by an interactive lesson in the education room of the Ecopark, where assignments are made in small groups about waste and valuable resources. Themes covered include textiles, smartphones, electronic devices, batteries and litter. Activities such as 'electronic devices bingo' and 'litter on the clothesline' make the lessons interactive. Pupils thus playfully discover how long nature takes to break down different types of waste. Finally, themes such as sustainability and consumerism are discussed with the group. Partner De Gezel made the furniture for the education room from discarded materials, such as bar stools from old bicycle tyres and tables from old wood. The tour and lesson lasts a total of 1.5 to 2 hours and is free for Waste Free Schools.
Practical information:
- The tour and lesson last 1.5 to 2 hours and are free for Waste Free Schools.
- The tour is suitable for both primary and secondary schools.
Engineering classes
To introduce primary school pupils to engineering, handicrafts and professions in the circular economy, we offer in cooperation with De Gezel, and SitY Academy on-site classes. During these lessons, students will be prepared for the circular economy of the future, with repair at its core.
Want to know more about our guest lectures and excursions? Then get in touch with us!
Schools in action against litter
Clean-ups are fun to do. You get busy and keep our environment clean and beautiful at the same time. We are therefore happy to help schools that want to organise clean-up actions with the necessary equipment and tips. We supply:
- Safety vests
- Rubbish bags
- Prickers
- Gloves
Afterwards, we will come by with one of our collection trucks and dispose of the bags of litter.
Litter picking at school? Get in touch with us!