Recycling waste the theme of workshop
Teachers are urging people to be more mindful of what they consider rubbish after attending a recycling workshop.
A classroom-sized group of Rangitikei teachers were pushed to the edge of creativity at an enviroschool workshop as tutor Ron Fisher guided discussions around recycling waste materials.
Fisher said the intention was to show the next generation it was possible to work with ‘throwaway’ materials.
He said, according to building and construction company BRANZ’s website, about 50 per cent of New Zealand’s landfill waste came from the construction industry.
‘‘That’s 1.7 million tonnes per year going to our landfills from building waste.’’
In a bid to counter this, 13 teachers from Bulls School, Nga Tawa, South Makirikiri, Marton Childcare, Bulls Kindergarten and Feilding Kindergarten came together.
Fisher said the idea to work with construction waste came after a trip to Roslyn Kindergarten in Palmerston North.
He sat down on a sturdy little kids stool and realised it was made from recycled pallets.
‘‘I thought how great it looked and felt and that’s when I realised that it was not out of reach to expect that anybody could do it if we just had the chance to give it a go.
‘‘We’ve all seen the pictures online of all the amazing, innovative ways people are using pallets, but who has actually taken that time to try it themselves?’’
It didn’t take long before teachers were getting stuck in, taking the pallets apart and preparing the timber.
‘‘They even had to remove, straighten and reuse the nails.’’
They could then choose to create one of several simple objects.
Most opted to make a bug hotel - a small house that acts as a habitat for native wildlife.