Minimising waste, preparing and sorting recyclable goods for collection and implementing small eco-friendly changes in day-to-day living are all in a day's work for the pupils of Montessori Children's House Wanaka.
With the help of Education For Sustainability facilitator Simon Williams, children at the Montessori house are on a mission to become more sustainable and after only a few weeks, the practices involved in achieving their objectives are already becoming second nature for the youngsters.
In order to embark on a waste reduction plan, it was necessary to first assess how much waste was being generated at the Montessori house, chief executive Tina Haslett said.
A waste audit was carried out and various steps have been taken to progressively reduce the amount of waste in weeks to come.
Ms Haslett said every day after lunch the children, with the help of their teachers, sort their rubbish into nonrecyclable food wrapping, yoghurt pottles, plastic and food waste.
‘‘They know it now and it was easy to get them to embrace it,'' Ms Haslett said.
‘‘It's such a simple thing to implement and the children are really loving it.''
Ms Haslett said the children are so receptive to the ideas that have been introduced they are starting to spread the message.
‘‘It has quite a neat ripple effect.
‘‘Some of the kids are going home and saying to their parents, ‘don't wrap my lunch in plastic today Mum'.
‘‘If it can translate into the home environment then wow, what an effect a preschool can have.''
She said it was difficult to get parents to make the right choice though, such as providing their child with home-made yoghurt in reusable containers rather than a regular pottle of yoghurt in a throwaway container.
A dedicated project champion, teacher Gemma Thompson, and a display board out front of the Montessori house that includes waste audit results, helped to educate parents about the project.
‘‘Only when you demonstrate it, can we ask parents to make a choice.''
The Montessori house plans to hold ‘wrap-free food' days and will be starting a worm farm soon.
Lunch boxes with multiple compartments are being encouraged to save using plastic wrap to separate food.
‘‘At this age children are so absorbent, all you have to do is show them a way to do things and they will pick it up and then they're set.''
