Talk to the head teacher, teachers, school council and parents’ association to get their interest.

Put up a visual display for everyone to see, with photos from other projects, WEN composting in schools posters and a space for pupils, parents and teachers to give their views on the new idea of a composting scheme.

Teachers could plan the launch of the composting scheme to coincide with specific aspects of the curriculum or the school’s environment week.

Schools are exempt from any waste licensing regulations provided the materials for composting are produced at school and the resulting compost is used at the school.

So all you need is: outdoor bins, indoor buckets, a bit of knowledge and a good rota system.

Choose your outdoor bin. Start by contacting your local recycling officer to see if they can offer composting bins and collections buckets free of charge or at low cost. You could also make your own outdoor compost bin with the help of WEN’s video on building a community compost bin.

Choose your collection buckets (with a lid and handle), that will be lined with newspaper and placed in each classroom or hall or playground and in the staff room. Place a poster or clear laminated reminders on what to compost by each collection bucket.

Staff – can help by collecting tea bags in the staff room and organising rotas.
Students – can help by remembering to save paper towels, fruit and vegetable wastes for the the indoor buckets; and by participating in rotas to empty them into the outdoor bins.
Maintenance staff, premises managers and cleaners - can all be included so that bins stay tidy and uncontaminated by waste that is not compostable.

Composting is the action of micro-organisms and other compost creatures to biodegrade raw vegetables and plant matter to a fine crumbly soil conditioner.

Anything that was once alive will naturally compost in the right conditions of air and moisture.

Compost happens by creating the right conditions of air and moisture and adding the right proportions of brown and green materials (two-thirds brown and one-third green).

Download the Magic recipe and other technical tips (26k Word doc).

The key to keeping your scheme going is to have someone in charge, either a compost coordinator or a green team, or both, and preferably an environmental school policy (see the WasteWatch link below for a sample policy).

A green team is a group of parents, teachers and students who can meet regularly and plan activities around the compost, the school grounds and other environmental issues.

A waste audit would highlight the type of waste produced by the school, and in what quantity. Your waste audit will show what impact the composting scheme can have. It will encourage everyone in the school to use the scheme, as well as motivate you to start minimising other types of waste. Don’t forget, it‘s not just about recycling - reducing what you use and reusing materials are equally important! And there is money to be saved on waste collection services!