24 April 2025
Students at Dalwallinu District High School have stepped up their successful sustainability efforts from 2024.
Last year, Year 5 students got involved with the WasteSorted Schools program with help from their teacher and school sustainability coordinator, Ms Ford.
Dalwallinu District High School students have been taking school sustainability into their own hands.
After completing a waste audit, the students identified areas of improvement and began work on waste reduction projects.
This included swapping out general waste bins in classrooms for paper bins and organic waste tubs, and student teams collecting and sorting the waste. These efforts reduced the school's general waste collection from nine bins a week to just five.
By saving food scraps for composting, they are also helping the school garden thrive.
Their efforts even turned over a small profit.
Garden produce sold to the school canteen and community brought in more than $100, which was used to help fund an excursion where more seeds were bought for future growing projects.
“It starts with the little things, like knowing what can be recycled and what can't,” Ms Ford said.
The students enjoy learning about the environment.
“I like that we reduce food waste by using scraps from lunch boxes and crunch and sip in our compost which feeds our garden."
The same students, now in Year 6, have carried that momentum into 2025, with plans to build shade for the garden, install orchard netting, and bring onboard the school’s high school teachers and students.
Reflecting upon the project, one of the Year 6 students, Callum, shared his thoughts.
“I think that having a waste sorted school is a good idea,” he said.
“I like learning about the environment and helping the school be sustainable and reduce landfill.”
To learn more about the WasteSorted Schools program, visit their website1.