2021 saw a range of successful sustainability initiatives at PBC. We processed more than four tonnes of food waste through our composting machine, generating over 900kg of compost that was used on the gardens here at school, as well as by staff, students, the Southern Beaches Community Garden in Tugun, and the Eco Village in Currumbin. Our composting in 2022 included more than 1500kg of food waste collected through the Community Composting Program at Gecko House on Thrower Drive. We also hosted both Trevor Evans, Assistant Federal Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, and Meaghan Scanlon, State Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef in separate visits to demonstrate the waste reduction and sustainability practices we have already implemented here at PBC.

Our 2022 sustainability goals include investigating new bin systems for separating waste streams, continuing to promote the Container Deposit Scheme collections within school and also through the orange bag drop off on a Wednesday morning, expanding the food waste composting program, growing more produce in the school gardens to be used in the canteen, along with decreasing waste to landfill, increasing what we recycle and continuing to educate students on sustainability and waste reduction.

Students can get involved in recycling by placing their empty beverage container in the blue bins located around the school. This includes all cans, plastic or glass bottles and poppers, with the exception of plain milk containers. Juice, water, soft drink, flavoured milk and sports drinks are generally eligible for the scheme and will each earn the school 10c which helps fund sustainability initiatives.

Parents or members of the local community can also participate in the Container Deposit Scheme by dropping off an orange bag full of eligible beverage containers at the Reds Gate on the oval on a Wednesday morning prior to 9:00am. Most beverage containers between 150mL and 3L are eligible, with the exception of plain milk containers, pure fruit juice 1L or greater, and wine or spirits bottles. A full list of eligible containers can be found here. If the beverage container is eligible, it will also have the 10c refund logo printed on it somewhere.

https://youtu.be/spOU9rvmsUs

If you would like to compost your food waste but don’t have a compost bin at home, you can take it to the Community Composting Program bin at Gecko House (139 Duringan Street, Currumbin - on the corner of Thrower Bridge). All food waste is suitable for our composting machine, including meat, dairy, eggs, fish or chicken, pasta, citrus peel, along with other fruit and vegetable scraps that could be composted in a conventional compost bin at home. The only excluded food items are large bones, oyster shells, scallop shells and oil. Please place the food waste directly into the bin and not in a bag, even a compostable one as they can’t go into our machine.

Please also encourage your child to place their beverage containers into the blue bins at lunch time, dispose of their rubbish in the general waste bins, and sign up for any sustainability activities offered throughout the year, such as Clean Up Australia Day.

#redsgogreen

Tom Pasley, Sustainability Coordinator