How to conduct a school waste/recycling audit

Your audit is intended to examine a representitive sample of your waste and recycling streams over an average school week.

You will need to do separate audits for the garbage and recycling bins in each of the following areas (because the composition usually varies):

• Classrooms
• Playground
• Office/Library
• Canteen

(Indicate on the bottom of the audit form, how many days per week your Canteen is normally open.)

It is not necessary to sort and weigh the material from all bins in each area - but make sure that your sample is typical of the area as a whole.

Note on the audit form, the number of the bins sampled and the total bins in the area. Also note how many days it is since the bins were last emptied.

Preparation

There are a few things you must do before beginning your waste audit to ensure that it will be safely and effectively carried out:

• Obtain parent/guardian permission for any student involved in the waste audit.
• Make sure that you have the correct equipment for the job:
  1. Thick gloves must be worn by anyone handling waste.
  2. Safety glasses must be worn to ensure no foreign objects (i.e. glass) get into the eyes.
  3. Suitable shoes and clothing must be worn to ensure participants don't get cut by broken glass, etc.
  4. Fly spray to ward off flies and other pests attracted to the waste.
  5. Hats and sun block to be worn if waste audit is being completed outside.
  6. Long handled tongs to collect and handle the waste.
  7. Washing facilities with soap and towels for washing and drying hands during and at the end of the collection, sorting and disposal of waste.
  8. Tarpaulins for tipping and sorting the waste.
  9. A rake to spread out the waste.
  10. Scales for weighing the waste.
  11. Clearly labelled bins or collection bags to separate materials in the audit:

Conducting the Audit

• Using the School Waste / Recycling Audit Form, make sure you have sufficient forms to cover each bin or area you will be collecting from.
• Collect and sort the garbage and recyclables separately, allocating roles to each students (collecting, sorting and weighing of material and recording data). Note: Only clean paper and cardboard and empty containers are recyclable. Dirty and part full containers should be counted as contamination (Other Waste).
• Use the results obtained to develop a waste management program for your school.