Author: Xiaowen Zhang, Foundation for Environmental Education

Story shared by Casey Ware, Medina Primary School

Everyone knows Meatless Mondays, an international initiative promoting healthy eating habits, but how about Waste Wise Wednesdays?

In Australia, as part of the Alcoa Eco-Schools Warming, Waste, Watts, Water and Wildlife (W5) Project – funded by Alcoa Foundation – the entire Medina Primary School is involved in Waste Wise Wednesdays, where students are encouraged to bring waste-wise lunches. This action has highlighted the importance of achieving waste reduction by taking daily actions in the school context.

Two hundred students from Kindergarten to Year Six participate in the initiative. Their parents are working closely with the school, to ensure that the lunchbox that they prepare is not only free of disposable plastic materials but also that their children get proper portions and are able to finish their meal without wasting food. Students are then handed certificates and "CARE" slips individually by their classroom teachers. This reward has encouraged more commitments to waste-wise actions every day and leaves positive long-term life impacts.

"It is amazing to see students’ lunchboxes changing. Parents are adding some more variety and even involving their children in making their lunchbox.”
Jessica Parsons, Year 1-2 teacher.

Students learn about the impact of waste at school by linking to several projects in the town of Kwinana. Waste Wise Wednesdays is an important initiative that aims to help build a better understanding of waste management among the community and create a collective movement towards sustainable development.