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Waste Management: Useful links

Earth Day Action Toolkit – for all year round!!!

Every April 22nd people from around the world come together to advance sustainability and climate action in commemoration of Earth Day. In the below links you will find loads and loads of actions that can be taken by individuals, communities, businesses, schools, families, home owners… in short everyone.

The psychology of fast fashion – Driven to shop

Fast fashion is new, trendy clothing sold at a low cost and designed to be worn just a few times. With fast fashion, consumers can see an item of clothing worn on the runway or the red carpet and then purchase it online at lightning speed. One of the most prominent names in fast fashion today, adds an average of 6,000 new styles to its site every day, giving consumers an endless stream of new items to shop for. Consumers can now purchase clothing faster, cheaper, and more conveniently than ever before. So what’s the issue? Behind the glitzy and brightly colored clothing found on these sites, there is a much darker and uglier story. Fast fashion poses significant threats to the environment and the human labor it employs.

A Closer Look into the Material Drivers of the Clothing Industry

Today, clothing manufacturers are paying more attention to the chemicals and materials they place into our wardrobes. This is no coincidence. Their awareness is due to upcoming legislation such as The Fashion Act and the European Union Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles that aims to reshape the retail industry through stringent requirements. The age of profit over people, rapid industrialization, and endless consumption must end now.

Maggots in Compost Pile: What it Means & What To Do

Maggots are often associated with death and decay, and their small, squirming, wiggling appearance does little to offset the unpleasant impression they give. So encountering them, especially when that encounter is a completely unexpected surprise, can be off-putting. Unfortunately, one of those places a chance encounter might happen could be in your compost pile. If this happens to you, the first thing to do, or not do rather, is panic. Maggots in your compost are indicative of a few different things, and can be handled in a few different ways. While it is ultimately a matter of personal preference and comfort level, it doesn’t have to be an entirely negative experience. Here’s what the presence of maggots in your compost pile means, and options for how you can handle that presence.

St Michael School EkoSkola Newsletter April – June 2022

Aħbarijiet mill-kumitat tal-EkoSkola tal-Iskola St Michael, Santa Venera… A T T I V I T A J I E T M I L L – K U M I T A T Air quality Webinar Presentation Green Flag evaluation Xogħol fuq Serra Ħidma fIl-Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk Mobility Presentation Eko-Parlament Rovigo Erasmus Training F ’ D I N I L – Ħ A R Ġ A Editorjal Clouds Marine Litter (Esperjenza) Alien Species in Malta Globe Project (Air quality) Readings Electricty / Solar Panel Ritratti

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

In a world where our resources are finite, it’s important we recycle whenever we can. Recycling involves the process of gathering and processing materials (such as bottles and cans) that would be otherwise discarded and converting them into something new and useful. Recycling is vital for cleaning up the environment and keeping our communities clean. By reusing recycled items to produce new products we reduce the impact we have on mother nature. Also, it doesn’t hurt that you can also make a little bit of extra money by recycling the right types of items. Read more in the link below.

A Consumer’s Guide to Reducing Pollution

A surprising amount of pollution starts at home. The car you drive, the household and personal care products you buy, the chemicals and equipment you use to keep your lawn and garden in shape all contribute to water and air pollution. But there are consumer choices you can make that will reduce your environmental footprint. Click on the link and refer to subtitles below… How to Prevent Air Pollution: The Car You Drive Household Products Energy Use Preventing Water Pollution: Pesticide and Fertilizer Alternatives to Prevent Water Pollution Reducing Landfill Waste 25 Things You Can Do to Reduce Pollution (with infographic)

Mediterranean Environmental Learning – Free online training courses

Several self paced online training courses are available in this catalogue thanks to MIO-ECSDE. You just have to sign up for free and choose the courses you wish to do. Catalogue includes various topics such as marine litter, odour pollution, wetlands, waste management, pollutants, waste water…

Creating the Best At-Home Composting System

With landfills filling up and this planet crying for help, there’s no better time than now to start giving back to Mother Earth. One great way is to start a home composting system. Instead of pitching your kitchen waste in the garbage can and forgetting about it, why not recycle it into soil for your yard? You’ll reduce the amount of landfill waste and turn that biodegradable waste into nutrient-rich compost that you can use as free fertilizer for your garden or flowerbeds. It’s like turning your garbage into gold. Composting isn’t just for serious gardeners anymore. We have some great tips to get you started on your own easy, at-home composting routine. Composting is not only an eco-friendly family project, but it also reduces your carbon footprint. Composting isn’t complicated, and your plants – and the Earth – will thank you. for more info follow the link below…

18+1 IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES WITH STUDENTS ON PLASTIC WASTE

This new educational material for students (in English and Greek) promotes the minimisation of single use plastics and the proper recycling in our lives. The material is produced in the framework of the MEdIES project “Plastic waste? Into the blue bin, away from the blue sea”, and is designed to be used by students aged 10-12 years old. It aims to raise awareness on the state and impact of marine litter, especially single-use plastics, as well as on proper recycling, and to motivate a behaviour shift at a household, school and community level. The material comes to support the educational interventions of MEdIES in schools (designed for late primary & early secondary level) but it can be used autonomously by schools/teachers working on these issues. It is a 48-page long publication available in PDF. Download the material in the English language from here

Eco-Hive

ECOHIVE IS THE LARGEST EVER INVESTMENT IN THE WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTOR THAT WILL DRIVE MALTA TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY. Similar to the dual role of bees both as pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables, and as honey producers, this project will process waste in the most sustainable and resource-efficient way possible while also turning it into precious resources – energy and agricultural compost. Hence, the name ECOHIVE. “ECO” ties to the environment and sustainability, while “HIVE” reminds us of a beehive, constantly active and buzzing with energy. Four new waste management plants will form part of the ECOHIVE project. ECOHIVE KIDS is the section dedicated to students. Make the most of it! There are lots of resources and ideas… Have you ever wondered what happens to the things that we throw away each day? Where do they end up? You might be the one in charge of taking the rubbish bag outside your door…but what happens to it after it is collected by the garbage truck? It comes to us! As WasteServ, all waste is processed, treated and turned into resources at the complex facilities. To help us in our mission, the help of Commander Yellow and General Buzz have been engaged. With fierce determination and focus, our superheroes are committed to fight the Garbage Monster. Read their stories to find out how!

Trash Hack Campaign

Trash Hacks are small actions to reduce waste which can lead to big ideas for the planet. Join UNESCO to Trash Hack your life, neighbourhood and the world with Education for Sustainable Development. Be part of the solution When it comes to tackling the world’s waste, it can be hard to know where to start. But by making small changes to your life, you can reduce your negative impact, increase your understanding and start to see how you can be part of transforming the world. Trash Hacks will be different for each person, depending on their lifestyle, location and situation. Start by asking yourself: how can I Trash Hack my life? Look for ways you can start to act in your life by asking questions like: how much trash do I use? Where does my waste go? Where does the trash in my neighbourhood come from? More details and resources below…

Glass and recycling

For centuries, glass has served as a universal packaging container, holding precious commodities like wine and olive oil. Today, manufacturers use glass to hold everything from soda to perfume. The glass in many items, from your soda bottle to your computer, can be recycled over and over while retaining its strength.

A Comprehensive Recycling Guide

This content was brought to you by Public Record Reviews. We are strong supporters in going green and being friendly to the planet by recycling. Our goal is to educate the public about recycling, how it benefits the world, the environment, the ocean, the people in general, and more! While it is common sense that recycling is a good thing, some myths around recycling continue to persist. Many of these myths are around the idea that recycling is a “business” that tells people that recycling is good, in order just to make money. The other common myth is that recycling doesn’t do that much for the environment. Both of these are not backed up with facts. Below we will review the facts regarding why you should recycle, how to recycle and what should never be recycled.

How and why you should recycle…

The average American creates about 4.48 pounds of trash per day. Currently in the US, 262 million tons of trash is accumulated every year. Knowing these numbers makes it even more clear how vital recycling is to protect the environment and conserve more of our resources. While it is common knowledge that recycling can help the environment, there is a good chance that you’ve heard some myths and rumors about how and why to recycle that are not completely true. As we go over some general guidelines about recycling, remember that the options and rules regarding curbside recycling could change depending on where in the country you live. There are various websites that will allow you to research what is allowed in your area, so be sure you look to see what applies to you and the curbside services in your city or county.

20 Ways To Go Green At Work

Throughout recent years, more and more people have sought to adapt their domestic lives in order to “go green”. Measures such as reducing home water waste, reducing energy consumption, and opting to buy local produce all have a role to play in helping the environment and have been readily adopted by millions of people. However, while domestic adoption of “green” tactics has been accepted, many businesses have struggled to find ways to “go green” in their business environments. In an effort to remedy this issue, below, we have put together 20 easily-implemented ideas that can help you to bolster your environmentally-friendly activities in the workplace.

My Green Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to an Eco-Friendly Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any home. It’s often the beating heart of a household, where people eat, socialize, relax, and congregate. With such a vital role, it should come as no surprise that your choices, knowingly or not, can have an environmental impact. More and more people are making efforts to ‘go green’ at home. By this, we mean making conscious efforts to make their home more eco-friendly. There are many reasons to so; it’s good for the environment, it can save you money, and it can have positive impacts on your health. From recycling to switching to energy-efficient appliances, you can make your kitchen a sustainable place by implementing a few simple changes. Make your kitchen greener and eco-friendly with a few simple steps. If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, you can choose more efficient ways of running your kitchen. Similarly, if you’re hoping to lead a healthier lifestyle, you can opt to remove toxins from your home. Finally, if you want to reduce your bills and save money, the kitchen is a great place to start. In this article, we cover the details of all three. Ultimately, you, your family, your finances, and the environment can all benefit from going green in the kitchen. The fact you’re even reading this article shows that you’re willing to at least consider it, which is a great start. Stick with us as we outline how you can overhaul your kitchen to be an eco-friendly hub in your home.

My Green Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to an Eco-Friendly Kitchen

Why Go Green in the Kitchen? The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any home. It’s often the beating heart of a household, where people eat, socialize, relax, and congregate. With such a vital role, it should come as no surprise that your choices, knowingly or not, can have an environmental impact. More and more people are making efforts to ‘go green’ at home. By this, we mean making conscious efforts to make their home more eco-friendly. There are many reasons to so; it’s good for the environment, it can save you money, and it can have positive impacts on your health. From recycling to switching to energy-efficient appliances, you can make your kitchen a sustainable place by implementing a few simple changes.

EkoSkola Newsletter – St Michael School, St. Venera – Ħarġa 18

I want to be recycled

Every recyclable item has a life in front of it. Here is an explanation of why they should be recycled and what they can become. This page was suggested by Peyton Vogel and her friends.

What can plastics become?

What happens to plastic bottles once they are recycled? This site offers insight into how things like milk containers can be transformed into playground equipment. One of the things all of us can do to protect and improve our environment is: recycling. Today a plastic bottle may contain juice or water or soda … but what can it become after you use it? Let’s take a look at some of the everyday plastics that you use and what they can become. This site was suggested by Peyton Vogel and her friends.

Composting for kids

Read an explanation of composting as well as step-by-step guides to creating a composting bin and how to use the compost as mulch. This site was suggested by Peyton Vogel and her friends.

Garbology

Garbology by Joshua and Sean We live in Birmingham, Alabama. We know that three ways to eliminate pollution are to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Our teachers are always encouraging us to recycle used paper, but we wanted to investigate more about the other two Rs, reduce and reuse. We got some great ideas from the Southern Environmental Center in Birmingham. We decided to do a study of our own right here at school. Our question: what kind of waste is our school producing, and how can we reduce it? What did we do? Firs we put on our science safety gear—goggles, masks, and gloves—to go dumpster diving in the school trash bin. We couldn’t believe all the waste we saw that was actually recyclable. So we decided to collect trash from 10 classrooms for a single day, just to demonstrate how much waste at our school could be recycled instead of thrown into the dumpster. We weighed the trash and then sorted it into piles of metal, paper, glass, plastic, and true trash (which can’t be recycled). We weighed each category individually to figure out the percentage of each kind of material. What did we find out? We made pie chart art and the data was astonishing! We learned that 86% of the trash from these 10 classrooms was recyclable. When we examined the 14% that was true trash, we discovered that some of this material, such as a perfectly good pencil, could be reused. So we decided to look into starting a recycling program for our school. But first, we took a field trip to the recycling center for the city of Birmingham. There we found out that aluminum can be recycled indefinitely and paper up to seven times before it truly is trash. In the end, our garbology investigation made us realize that the 3 Rs really make sense! What can you do? Many schools have recycling programs, and recycling is good, but sometimes it’s better not to produce the trash in the first place. In order to know what it is you want to reduce, you first need to know what you’re producing. Design a method for collecting, sorting, and measuring the kinds of waste your school produces. Choose categories for sorting. Once you determine what kind of trash your school makes the most of, come up with ways to reduce the amount. Write your ideas in your notebook. One clever way to reuse unwanted items is to turn them into something useful, even beautiful! Do research on how to turn old items into art. Sometimes this is called “found art”, meaning, you find objects sitting around, collect them, and make artworks out of them. The physical properties of the material can help determine how you fasten the objects together, or how durable the artwork will be. Another kind of waste material that can be recycled is yard waste, that is, leaves and grass clippings. Instead of putting yard waste into bags and hauling it away, work …

How do I recycle?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers information on the various items that can be recycled. It also explains how and where some of these items can be recycled. This site was suggested by Peyton Vogel and her friends.

Recycling plastics and what numbers mean…

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation explains all of the different types of plastics that can be recycled and gives examples of where they can be found in the average home. This site was suggested by Peyton Vogel and her friends

Recycling, mainly on clothes recycling, reusing and reselling – UK situation

This link provides ideas about what can be done and what happens with clothes which you have in your wardrobe and haven’t used for over a year or two. Unfortunately these options are not all available in Malta but it is good to know what options exists across the border and what happens to clothes that we ‘throw away’.

Think before you drink: The environmental cost of bottled water

A Kid’s Guide to Reducing, Reusing & Recycling Waste

Have you ever wondered how much waste you create every day? If you’re anything like the average person in America or Europe, you produce about 2kg of waste per day. That’s equal to one big pair of men’s hiking boots in your trash every day! Now, multiply 2kg by the over 500 million people. In America only 0.6 billion kilograms of waste thrown away in America every single day. The planet Earth needs your help! You can take action today to help make a better tomorrow. A cleaner, greener future for our world starts with you. How can you help? It’s easy!

The recycle guide

How to Recycle

Recycling is an important factor in conserving natural resources and greatly contributes towards improving the environment. Below are some helpful hints about recycling in and around the home.

Recycling in the garden, household recycling, recycling in the community, and how to recycle different materials…

The eco-friendly guide to recycling electronic waste

Chapters in the guide include: The Introduction to e-waste; The zero waste initiative; The e-waste regulations for retailers & distributors; Disposing of your household or business WEEE products

Letter to Students from Bishop Grech on the Occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Bishop Mario Grech wrote a letter to children about the Environment on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which Pope Francis wishes to be celebrated by the Catholic Church, in communion with the Orthodox Church, on the 1st of September starting from this year.

MARLISCO educational material on marine litter targeting formal & non-formal educators

Within MARLISCO the educational material “Know Feel Act! To Stop Marine Litter” has been prepared to inform, sensitise and enable European teachers and students to take action to tackle the problem of litter in our seas and coasts. The material has been designed to primarily serve youth aged 10-15 yrs, but can be used also by educators outside the formal schooling system.

Biology Fieldwork – Plastic Oceans and Coastal Fieldwork

The DQSE Biology syllabus indicates the use of diverse fieldworks during the scholastic year. The idea of introducing a coastal fieldwork arose from the need to expose Biology students to the theory and practice of coastal and marine ecosystems.

Food Waste Action Plan for Malta

Following the set up of a food waste working group by the Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate change, a report with findings and proposals has been published.

Consumer Classroom – also in Maltese…

Consumer Classroom is a new collaborative website for teachers about consumer education. It provides free, high quality resources for teachers along with interactive and collaborative tools to help teachers prepare lesson plans to share with students and other teachers from across the EU. Sign Up now on www.ConsumerClassroom.eu

Re-thinking progress – The Circular Economy

There’s a world of opportunity to re-think and re-design the way we make stuff. ‘Re-Thinking Progress’ explores how through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works – designing products that can be ‘made to be made again’…

The Enviromental Effects of Smoking

What are cigarettes made up from?… Air pollution from cigarette smoke… Cigarette related littering… Tobacco hurts people and their environment… Cigarette filters – silent killers… want to learn more? Download the PDF document given below. You will find more information and links about the topic.

Earth Day Carol

Earth Day Carol is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. In the dynamic free app version, Plastic Bottle Scrooge is visited by the ghosts Plastic Past, Plastic Present, and Plastic Future. The app was developed by a diverse group of creators, Torran Anderson, Jack Hunter, Michelle Parker-Rock and Evan Fram, all volunteers, who found a unique way to communicate the important message of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. For ongoing information visit this website www.EarthDayCarol.org often and join in an Earth Day adventure. Contact at [email protected]. There are loads of ideas how to use this app, plus ideas for recycled art, etc.

The Ugly Journey of Trash

This is a poster which depicts in one page what happens to trash, where it goes and how it effects the sea and life within and around. A really sad story… This poster is part of the campaign Project Aware. Click here to download the poster of The Ugly Journey of Trash in PDF format.

EkoSkola f’Tagħna t-Tfal – Ottubru 2012

We are now back in school after the holidays. Are we doing our best to avoid effecting the environment negatively with our actions? Are we taking care to take our lunch in a lunch box, avoiding all sorts of wrapping?Are we using a reusable water bottle instead of a disposable one, throwing it away? Let’s check our actions…

The Earth Dog Story – Earth Dog returns to Save the Environment

The Earth Dog Story, first published in 1992, returns as an app in iTunes and an eBook as part of the U.S. Department of Energy environmental outreach program with Weekly Reader. Earth Dog is a superhero who teaches kids about taking care of the environment.

Tar Creek

This video tells the incredible story of the Tar Creek Superfund site in NE Oklahoma and the massive and deadly remains left by the lead and zinc mines there.

School Compost Programs: Pathways to Success

By Kary Schumpert and Cyndra Dietz, Eco-Cycle This article describes how composting can help schools achieve zero waste and provides the how, why, and steps to follow. After the oft-repeated three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) comes the lesser known, but equally important fourth R, rot, for compost. There are a number of methods that a classroom, school or school district may use for establishing a compost program. The finished product is a valuable soil amendment, adding fertility to local farms, school gardens or classroom plantings. What must be kept out of compost is as important as what should go in. However, much of a school’s waste stream that is not recyclable, and is organic, can be composted. ..

Games Page on the United States Environmental Protection Agency

This webpage contains links to loads of games, videos and quizzes related to the environment, energy, water, mystery solving, science, recycling, waste and much more…

My Garbology

NatureBridge launched this new online game for kids, teachers, and parents to teach users to reduce waste and encourage awareness of their impact on the environment and encourage community involvement. Learn more about this initiative here. Play the game…

Waste Reduction Guidelines for Schools

On the occasion of the European Week for Waste Reduction WasteServ Malta and EkoSkola – Nature Trust Malta joined forces to produce guidelines which offer all interested plenty of information and practical ideas and tips for a whole school approach to reduce waste.

HSBC Climate Initiative Newsletter 6

If we cannot use rechargeable batteries always, at least we should make it a point to dispose of batteries properly. And how about composting? It can be very easy and reduces a large amount of waste that would go to the landfill instead. Reducing waste is always an issue…

Think Ecologically … Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Short advertisement about the three Rs by think eco logically…

Recycle guys – littering is wrong – 30 second clip

The Recycle Guys sing about litter while on a hike. They help you learn that littering pollutes the environment and costs a lot to clean up in this :30 second video! The Recycle Guys were created by SC DHEC.

How to Ban Plastic Bags in Your Community – Young Voices on Climate Change

High-school students successfully campaigned to ban plastic bags in their city of Santa Monica. This was one of the first cities that banned plastic bags in the United States. The entire country of China has banned plastic bags

Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Disposal of Products

Students are surrounded by “stuff” – from blue jeans to the latest cell phone – in their everyday lives. Pique your students’ natural interest in stuff with interdisciplinary, standards-aligned lessons that will build 21st century skills

GreenPak Coop

GreenPak links industry and the community through promoting producer responsibility and recycling education.

Green Skip Services Limited

Green Skip Services Ltd is a family owned private liability company. It started operating in October 1992, and succeeded in giving the industrial and trade waste producers, alternative and more modern, and cost effective services for the management of wastes.

WasteServ Malta Limited

WasteServ Malta Ltd. was established in November 2002. The company is responsible for organizing, managing and operating integrated systems for waste management including integrated systems for minimisation, collection, transport, sorting, reuse, utilistation, recycling, treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous waste.