Dear Head of School,
Last year, the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR)
in Malta saw the involvement of 17 schools which have
practiced the reduction of waste in different ways - from the
reduction of fruit and vegetable waste by preserving it into
used jars, to the set up of paper banks in various areas of the
school, to the promotion of reusable containers by young
students to the general public at a local market.
Every action was interesting in its’ own way and served to
educate the children and the general public about the
importance of waste reduction in our society. The action
carried by St. Clare College Secondary School, was the finalist from the Education
Establishment category in Malta. The winning action participated in the European
finals, along with other selected actions carried in schools within the territory of the
23 participating countries. More information is found on our website:
www.wasteservmalta.com
Next edition of this week is due this year between the 19th and 27th of November.
Malta’s participation will once again be organized by WasteServ Malta Ltd. We
would like to see more involvement from schools during this edition. Since the
closing date for schools who wish to participate will be set during mid October, we
are encouraging the Head of school to bring this circular to the attention of a teacher
in charge of environmental activities. This will enable one to have more time to think
about the possible involvement of the school during this week. The more original the
idea is, the better!
So we encourage you to think about how students and your school can help in the
reduction of waste, and thus reduce the carbon footprint on the environment. Also,
this year every participating school will receive a certificate of participation.
We would be happy to assist you at a later stage to help you trim your ideas and fill in
the application form. In the meantime, we are including below some information sent
to you during last edition of the EWWR to remind you what this activity is all about:
What is this EWWR?!
The EWWR is a 3-year project supported by the LIFE+ Programme of the European
Commission. It aims at organizing multiple actions that raise awareness about waste
reduction across Europe during a single week.
Why participate?
The EWWR offers you the opportunity to promote your initiative/action in waste
reduction. Additionally, it allows you to join other organisations and mobilize the
general public in this area.
How can you participate in the EWWR?
Participating is EASY – either come up with an idea of waste reduction that your
school wants to implement during this week, or simply enter an activity or process
that is already in place and promote the main waste reduction concepts to other
people. The actions presented can fall under one of the following themes:
a. Too much waste – actions to raise awareness about the urgency for reducing waste
production e.g. organize a waste reduction day at your school – e.g. ask all students to
bring lunch in a reusable container, and fruit instead of packed snacks …, and
compare the difference to the volume of waste produced on any other day.
b. Better production – actions to raise awareness about the measures taken up by
industry to reduce waste during production or industrial process e.g. if your school
produces diaries for students make sure that no extras are printed and implement ecodesign
measures; avoid any packaging waste when selling uniforms.
c. Better consumption – actions that aim to make the consumer think carefully about
his/her choices e.g. adopt a double-sided printing policy only in your school.
Encourage reuse of old files and half used copybooks. Avoid the use of file covers
unless they are essential.
d. A longer life for products – actions that seek to remind the public that products
can have a second or an extended life e.g. organize a donation activity of reusable
goods (including old computers, furniture, clothes, school books etc.) or a car boot
sale aimed at raising community funds.
e. Less waste thrown away – actions that demonstrate different solutions to avoid
throwing away so much waste in the bin e.g. start practicing composting on the school
grounds and dedicate some days where students can get organic food from home to
put in the compost bins.
For more information, please visit the European Week for Waste Reduction website,
www.ewwr.eu or contact Wasteserv on freephone 23858234.
Best regards,
EWWR team
