Compost at School

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Congratulations to Harbour View High

Harbour View High School and its enthusiastic Green Team have reached a very important milestone.

The school diverted more than one tonne of waste from the landfill by composting at school.

Harbour View High School introduced its composting program in the Spring of 2006. Students, administration, and teachers supported the idea. Many had been composting at home for a while.

'We think it’s important that this practice is carried through to the school,' said teacher and Green Team advisor Nancy Butler. 'In Environmental Science class, we stress the importance of reducing our impact on the environment, and we really needed to be practicing the same behaviour we were preaching.'

To launch the program, the Green Team was responsible for educating the school. They began a campaign called 'Get Caught Composting' where students would have their name put in a draw for a t-shirt if they were caught composting. They also put composting posters up in all of the classrooms, so people would know what could and could not go in the bins. The Green Team has been monitoring the amount of waste going into the compost each week and has also gone through some of the garbages in the cafeteria to see what kinds of items are not making it to the compost bin, so the issue can be addressed.

Classrooms have a little green bin (the ones you have in your kitchen), and the classroom teacher or students are responsible for emptying it. Staffrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, and cafeterias all contain larger compost bins. The custodians are responsible for emptying these bins.

'I’ve also been extremely impressed with the commitment from the school’s Green Team,' Mrs. Butler said. 'They’ve really taken ownership of this program and are working hard to ensure that it continues to be successful.'

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