Making this scheme successful are Education and Outreach Officers who, as part of this project visit each school and provide the children with an assembly explaining the benefits of recycling food waste and also spend a lunch time with the school showing the children and dinner staff how to use the service.
One of the first schools to benefit from the scheme is Grange Primary School. Eithne Murray a teacher at Grange Primary School said, ‘The waste collection scheme has been working wonderfully in our dinner hall. All the children are engaged and are enjoying helping the environment every day. The aim is to reduce the amount sent to landfill and hopefully this message gets carried home too’.
Maria Akintokun is an Education and Outreach Officer for Veolia said: ‘After spending a lunch time with the children showing them how to use the service, I have come back today and I’m proud to see how the children have taken to the scheme so quickly and seem to really enjoy the fact that the food they couldn’t finish will go on to be recycled’.
A council spokesperson said: "Food waste is a big issue across the country so this scheme is a good way to get kids thinking intelligently about recycling. I would urge more schools to get involved in the scheme to help make Southwark a greener place to be."
If you are based at a school in Southwark and have your refuse collected by Veolia you can be placed onto this scheme, either call 020 7525 2000 or email [email protected] a customer service representative and express you interest.