By Jonty Ralphsmith
Berwick Fields Primary School and Narre Warren North Primary School both took part in the Schools Clean Up Day on Friday 4 March.
The students gained an understanding about rubbish that is deposited in the environment and the significance of sustainability.
Berwick Fields Primary School were given different zones around the school to clean for 45 minutes to an hour and environmental science teacher Hayley Adie said it fitted in well with the mantra the school tries to instil.
“The kids definitely see clean ups as a positive,” Ms Adie said.
“Their mindset is so enthusiastic to want to make a difference.
“They want to take responsibility for the rubbish even though they’re not the person causing the problem – that’s embedded in a clean environment beyond just the day.
“It’s built into our regular school expectations – doing our bit to care for environment and keep it clean and healthy and safe for everyone.”
The students audited their waste after it was collected and learned about the most littered items, determining how closely their pile correlated with the trend.
Berwick Fields students also wrote persuasive letters directed to nearby businesses about items that could by replaced by those that are more environmentally friendly, such as replacing plastic wrap with wax wrap – a student-driven initiative.
Both schools watched a clip about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, with environmental co-ordinator at Narre North Primary School, Douglas Rankin, highlighting that it is something tangible that the students can relate to and offers incentive to clean up.
“It helps explain why we have to clean up Australia and why Clean Up Australia Day is so important,” Mr Rankin said.
“The kids came up with some really good ideas about how to make sure the ‘garbage patch’ doesn’t get any worse.”
On top of the ten minutes of cleaning at Narre North, Douglas said the discussion and awareness was significant for the students.
The Schools Clean Up Day has been run annually since 1992 and is promoted as a fun and engaging way to teach young Australians about the responsible disposal of rubbish, resource recovery and repercussions of rubbish dumped irresponsibly in the environment.
