Help kids to learn about recycling

Recycling is second nature to many New Zealanders at home and National Recycling Week is an opportunity to take our good habits into the community, to work and to school.

However, most schools and preschools around New Zealand already have efficient recycling systems in place – especially those involved in the Paper4trees programme, which provides schools with an in-house paper and cardboard recycling system free of charge, thanks to local sponsors.

Paper4trees is managed by The Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust (EERST), a not-for-profit, Bay of Plenty-based organisation.

EERST, through Paper4trees, provides schools and preschools with 30-litre green plastic recycling bins for every room where paper and cardboard is generated.

These bins are hardy and easy to use, giving students the opportunity to take charge and often results in more paper and cardboard being recycled and reduced disposal fees.

EERST also provide schools and preschools with an incentive to recycle, free native plants! Paper4trees rewards schools and preschools with one native plant for every two cubic metres of paper and cardboard they recycle or divert from landfill, hence the name, Paper4trees.

Schools and preschools are required to organise how their recycling is collected, EERST simply provides the in- house resources needed to make the system work as well as the incentive of native plants for their school grounds or to donate to a local community project.

Once schools and preschools see how easy it is to start a paper and cardboard recycling system, they often start recycling other materials such as bottles and food scraps.

Since 2001, Paper4trees schools and preschools throughout NZ have recycled and diverted more than 25,500 tonnes of paper and cardboard and saved 200,000 cubic metres of landfill space.

For this amazing effort, they have been rewarded with more than 100,000 native plants!

More than 300 Waikato regional schools and preschools are currently busy recycling their paper and cardboard and will be able to order plants for their 2012 paper and cardboard recycling efforts in December.

So look out for the 2012 Paper4trees order form that will be emailed to you soon!

A huge thank you to current Waikato Paper4trees sponsors, Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd, Fonterra Grass Roots Fund, Rent-a-Dent, Bruntwood Nurseries and the following local councils: Hauraki, Matamata- Piako, Otorohanga, Taupo, Thames- Coromandel, Waikato and Waitomo.

Paper4trees is looking for potential sponsors so think about it. Does your business want to be involved with an initiative that encourages more than250,000 Kiwi kids to get hands on experience in waste minimisation, that enables teaching staff to educate their students about native NZ flora and fauna and that provides the resources schools and preschools need to make recycling a reality? There are many benefits to becoming a sponsor. Contact EERST to hear the options on 0800 727 4873 or email paper4trees@eerst.co.nz.