Sustainability is important at Altona North Primary School. The school runs a comprehensive program which carries the key message of waste minimisation and strives to instil in its students positive social behaviours and habits regarding the environment and an understanding of the importance of conservation.
The program has been operating and expanding since 1996 and includes:
Recycling of food and vegetable scraps from all classrooms, staffroom and canteen, through the use of worm factories. Marketing of liquid worm castings. Compost bins for waste that is not suitable for worm factories.
Paper product recycling.Aluminium / steel cans and plastic bottle recycling. Environmental monitors at individual classroom and whole school level.
The use of worm factories to compost waste has also led to the development and sale of the liquid worm casting (plant fertilizer) to Plant Nurseries throughout Melbourne.
To ensure that this product did not further impact on the environmental resources, the 'liquid' is bottled in recycled wine bottles and corks and named 'Wormitage Estate'.
Funds from its sale are used to support and develop the School’s Environmental Program and the establishment of an 'Environmental Education Centre' which houses all parts of the program and is a resource learning centre for students and teachers.
