Stakeholders and Partners
The incentive led primary school campaign is based around the concept of recycling textiles in exchange for access to science education resources.
Textiles often end their life in landfill or by being incinerated. In an age when changing fashions and access to cheaper clothes makes textiles more disposable it is important that recycling is promoted as an alternative option.
A change in mindset begins with education and the ‘Science into Schools’ campaign provides resources to help pupils understand that unwanted textiles have a value, can be recycled and don’t have to end their life in landfill or be incinerated.
Wastebuster helps set-up textile recycling collections within schools and in return provides ‘free’ high quality science education resources to improve science education delivery into schools.
Wastebuster developed a training programme for volunteers in corporate businesses that wanted to support the recycling rewards programmes, including Science into Schools.
Volunteers were trained from EDF Energy, Hogan Lovells, DHL, University of the Arts London and H&M to deliver assemblies and workshops in participating schools, local to their businesses. Volunteers also took part in an ‘eco-fashion show’ with 20 London schools, culminating in an exciting event with over 250 children, teachers and volunteers celebrating textiles recycling and sustainability.
The training programme placed over 120 employees and feedback included staff saying they felt the programme had inspired them and made them feel they were really making a difference. Schools that received the volunteer assemblies felt their pupils had found it exciting and inspirational and they very much appreciated the support.
