Hay Park School’s action on waste was rewarded on 31 August as they graduated from Auckland Council’s WasteWise Schools programme and were presented with a special ‘Proud to be WasteWise’ sign.

The school has been involved in the WasteWise Schools Education for Sustainability programme for two years, undertaking a range of activities to reduce waste and in turn, their ecological footprint.

Hay Park, led by the ‘Triple R Team’, have established paper and recycling bins, a worm farm and compost. They are also leading the way by using special lunch boxes rather than using packaging and wraps. These new initiatives have helped Hay Park reduce waste by 9 kilograms per day.

Auckland Council WasteWise Schools Coordinator Katie Buller says, "Hay Park has been a fantastic school and has really grasped the WasteWise idea". She also congratulated their principal, Margaret Aikman, and the key WasteWise teacher, Maxine Curtis, and the students for their dedication and support of the programme.

Schools sign up to the WasteWise Schools programme for a minimum of two years and are expected to complete seven essential elements of the programme, which is aimed at empowering students to find solutions to reduce waste and encourage them to transfer knowledge and skills back to their home and everyday life. Currently there are 66 schools in the Auckland region involved in the WasteWise Schools programme.