Waste Management in Education

A large contributing factor to this problem is the lack of awareness of waste management in the general public. WAME seeks to change this by equipping educators to integrate waste management into the current National Curriculum Statement (NCS). 25-40 educators per workshop are trained how to integrate waste management with their existing WCED Learning Programmes and Work Schedules. These include forward-focused lesson planning activities to make WAME part of their everyday teaching and not a once-off, stand alone focus. Crèches are also targeted and waste management is integrated into learning Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills. The waste management principles of Reduce, Re-use and Recycle are implemented in the curriculum. District and Local Municipal Officials are also exposed to the NCS, and are trained to conduct follow-up evaluations and waste audits at the schools. The last target sector is the Municipal Waste Collectors and they are trained in what their role should be in the waste management chain. The project has been implemented in Educational Management Developmental Centres (EMDCs) that fall outside the Cape Metro, which are better resourced than many of these areas. They include the municipal areas of West Coast District, Breede River District, Central Karoo District and Eden District. The partnerships between the DEADP, WCED, Gateways/SA Teacher, Eden District, and other municipalities and recyclers assisted with funding, training, and developing resource materials and course content for the workshops.  

Innovation

WAME’s innovation lies in their radical reshaping of environmental education by incorporating it into learning areas not traditionally associated with environmental issues like maths, languages, arts and culture. This mainstreams environmental awareness in communities where waste management is not a reality.   

Effectiveness

A total of 280 schools have been reached with 330 educators having completed the required training. 40 departmental officials and 100 municipal workers have been trained in the Eden District Municipality that has taken over the running of the project in their area. 30 educators from crèches in this district have also been trained.    

Poverty Impact

The project targets schools in areas that suffer from poor waste management, which are predominantly poverty-stricken communities.  

Sustainability

The total cost of the project for 2007 is R100 000. This is solely funded by the DEADP and used for the printing of materials, venues, and activities for training. Funding is secured until 2008. WAME is largely self–sustaining because schools are left with the materials to continue without additional resources.

Replication

The City of Cape Town has opted to implementing the project within the Metro and this demonstrates the need for and relevancy of a project like WAME in South Africa.

Partnerships

• Department of Environmental Affairs and Developmental Planning
• Western Cape Education Department
• Gateway/ SA Teacher
• Eden District and other Municipalities