Environment and Climate Change
November 18, 2016
The following is being distributed at the request of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board:
Supporting Programs that Benefit the Environment and Build Sustainable Communities
Minister Announces Launch of Recycle at School Program in Central Newfoundland
The Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) today announced the launch of Recycle at School, a program that provides schools in the central Newfoundland waste management region with the resources required to participate in the region’s mandatory recycling and garbage program. The Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister Responsible for the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board, made the announcement with students from St. Paul’s Intermediate School in Gander.
Through the program, MMSB and NLESD are providing 43 schools with recycling bins, as well as French and English educational resources, to help students and staff properly sort paper, mixed containers and refundable beverage containers.
“Sorting waste as part of our daily lives is an important step toward achieving sustainable waste management and fostering a culture of environmental change that will protect our environment for generations to come. By participating in the Recycle at School
program, students can share this message at home and throughout their communities to reinforce that we can all do more to divert waste from landfills.”
- The Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister Responsible for the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board
The Recycle at School program was informed by key learnings from the Recycle at School pilot program, which launched in September 2014 and has been implemented in nine schools in the Eastern Waste Management Region. The pilot identified the potential for schools in Newfoundland and Labrador to divert approximately 50 per cent of their daily waste from landfills.
“The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is pleased to participate in the
Recycle at School program. By educating and empowering students and teachers to recycle more at school, we are fostering environmental stewardship among our future leaders that will have an immediate and lasting impact on the health and well-being of our schools and, in turn, our communities.”
- Darrin Pike, CEO and Director of Education, Newfoundland and Labrador English School District
In Newfoundland and Labrador, schools lead the way in environmental initiatives, providing creative learning environments that empower youth to make positive efforts to reduce their waste.
“The students and staff of St. Paul’s Intermediate School are excited to take part in the
Recycle at School program. Teaching our young citizens about environmental stewardship reinforces a personal and shared responsibility that is critical to achieving a sustainable future in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
- John Goobie, Principal, St. Paul’s Intermediate
MMSB and NLESD are committed to exploring further opportunities to expand the Recycle at School program to schools in areas with access to recycling services.
QUICK FACTS
- Recycle at School will launch in 43 schools in the central Newfoundland waste management region that are required to sort waste as part of the regional authority’s mandatory garbage and recycling program.
- Schools will receive green bins for beverage containers; red bins for mixed containers; and blue bins for paper-fibre.
- The Multi-Materials Stewardship Board is providing schools with French and English signs, classroom posters and bin labels and a video tutorial to help teach students and staff how to properly sort their waste.
- The Recycle at School program has the potential to divert approximately 50 per cent of daily waste generated in schools from landfills.
- 30 -
Media contacts:
|
Chrysta Collins Media Relations Manager Department of Environment and Climate Change 709-729-5783, 690-4436 ChrystaCollins@gov.nl.ca |
Ken Morrissey Director of Communications Newfoundland and Labrador English School District 709-758-2371, 730-0798 kenmorrissey@nlesd.ca |
|
Jill Thomas Myrick Director of Communications, Multi-Materials Stewardship Board 709-757-3696, 689-4795 jmyrick@mmsb.nl.ca |
2016 11 18 10:40 a.m.