In a school you will be able to collect a large amount of recyclable items which you can sell for fund raising activities.

Practice 3R in your class room first. Get yourself organized as a work group and introduce the system to the school.

Have a recyclable collection station at your school. Try to give some incentives for the students bringing recyclables. A point card method will work well or have competitions among the classes.

Arrange a waste fair/auction at the end of each term of year. Get the support of your local authority in getting contacted with recyclable buyers.

If you do not hope to sell recyclables but still hope to dispose them in an environmental friendly way talk to your local authority. Discuss with them to get your recyclable items separately.

If your school is located in the western province of Sri Lanka, and you think your school need a school awareness programme write to Western Province Waste Management Authority.

Some simple tips to practice 3R at School

REDUCE

1.    Avoid bringing  lunch packets in polythene, instead use a lunch box

2.    Use empty cleaned plastic or glass bottles as drinking water bottle

3.    Use washable plates and cups instead of disposable ones made of paper and plastic

4.    Talk to the caters of your school about catering food with less packaging

5.    Rather than starting a new page for each piece of work, rule off below previous work and continue on the same page.

6.    Cut down on photocopying. If you do need to photocopy, do it double-sided whenever practical.

7.    Get your print outs on both sides of the paper.

8.    Reduce paper waste by using ICT

9.    If you are a responsible officer in the school combine information into one letter when sending massages to homes than sending several separate letters

10.    Try to use Email always rather than printed letters.

11.    Avoid bringing more food than you can eat

12.    Save money by sharing infrequently used resources with other nearby schools

REUSE

1.    Always use both sides of a paper

2.    Make sure that every classroom has a scrap paper box to keep papers of which only one side has been used. These papers can be reused for rough works

3.    Find an empty card board box from a shop to use as a scrap paper box

4.    Reuse  plastic pots to grow plant in school garden

5.    Always reuse envelopes by sticking a label over the previous address

6.    Arrange a day to raise money for your school to which people can bring old clothes, toys or books for someone else to buy and reuse

7.    Request the teachers to reuse classroom displays if possible

8.    Don't just throw old school furniture. Find out if anyone else  who can make use of them

RECYCLE

1.    The main material thrown away by schools is paper. Set up a system of paper collection for each classroom which can be taken to the main recycling bin at the end of day or week

2.    Set up a composting bin, Jeewa Kotuwa or a worm composter for food & green waste

3.    Encourage your school to buy and use recycled paper and other recycled products