5 to 12-year-old students from the Perce-Neige school of the city of Pierrefonds, located in the region of Quebec, Canada, took part in the W5 project with the objective of improving recycling and composting within their school.
When returning to school after the COVID-19 lock-down, the teachers and students wanted to revive good recycling and composting practices at the school. They had observed that some students were putting everything in the green bins and therefore wanted to make everyone more aware of their daily waste production, to understand the recycling systems, and to act more responsibly.
To start off the project, the school contacted the Regie régionale de gestion des matières résiduelles de Portneuf - RRGMRP (the municipal organisation that manages the residual waste of 23 municipalities). RRGMRP helped install waste recycling stations throughout the school and conducted a number of workshops to promote waste reduction at source, improve the waste management, and to explain how waste is connected to CO2 emissions.
Posters were made by the children to help staff and students understand how to sort their waste. Their sorting skills was put to the test during a Community Action Day when all students, along with their friends and families, were invited to do a litter-pick around the school and to dispose of the waste in the right bins.
"Who put a mask in the compost bin?” - Student from the Green Squad.
The project helped students gain more confidence and a sense of responsibility by empowering them individually and collectively. Staff and students improved their knowledge of the different waste items that can be recycled, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, and organic materials, thanks to the standards provided by the RRGMRP and the awareness raising activities.
In collaboration with the RRGMRP, the school will compare the tonnes of general waste, recyclable, and compostable materials collected between September 2021 and June 2022. This will give them a clear idea of the CO2 produced and the materials diverted from the landfill – setting a baseline that can be improved even more in the future.
The Alcoa W5 project activities at Perce-Neige school support the following SDGs:
