HomeFree waste education for schools and community groups
Our waste education team offers trips and visits to all schools and community groups in Belfast.
These visits are free, and they can be tailored to suit any age or type of group as necessary. Community groups include church groups, senior groups, youth groups or alternative education groups.
All of the trips and visits focus on our Reduce, Reuse and Recycle theme and the work of our waste management team.
You can choose from the following education packages:
1. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle talk
The talk covers general information about why we should recycle, recycling rates in Belfast and current recycling schemes in operation in Belfast.2. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle quiz
This quiz uses Qwizdom remote voting equipment and is a fun and interactive way of learning about our Reduce, Reuse and Recycle message.These sessions usually last between 30 and 45 minutes.
3. Trips to our recycling centres
Visits to our recycling centres at Blackstaff Way, Palmerston Road, Alexandra Park and Ormeau show how our waste is managed and give information about where our materials go to be reprocessed or recycled.The sessions usually last between 30 and 45 minutes.
All groups must arrange their own transport to the recycling centres.
4. Craft sessions with recycled or reused materials
These sessions are aimed at primary school age children.Various recycled crafts can be created, including cards, hats, pencil holders and pompoms.
These sessions usually last between 40 and 60 minutes.
5. 'Pairs' game
A fun, energetic game in which teams have to discover the matching bags in a grid of 32. Each bag contains a recyclable object.Find the pair, decide where you can recycle it, and win points for your team!
6. Show and tell
Our education officers bring some items to your group that have been recycled. Can you guess what they have been made from?7.Summer schemes
We also run summer scheme activity sessions during the months of July and August every year.These fill up very quickly so early booking is recommended!
8. Mr Rat's recycling roadshow
A simple and fun introduction to the topic of recycling for younger children using a story, pictures, examples and a 'Mr Rat' puppet.These sessions usually last between 20 and 30 minutes.
9. Composting and recycling
This classroom talk focuses on composting (nature recycling) and the link with household recycling. The session covers how to reduce food waste, home composting units, wormeries and can include a mini-beast hunt in the school grounds for composting mini-beasts.These sessions usually last around 60 minutes.
10. Rainforest drama
Classroom workshop focusing on aluminium, the damage caused to the rainforest by the extraction of aluminium (bauxite) ore and the benefits of waste reduction and recycling. Pupils participate in a drama, making their props from waste materials, with a performance ending the session. Participating classes keep all the props made and classes are encouraged to perform the drama for the rest of the school as part of an assembly.These sessions usually last around 90 minutes.
11. Paper recycling workshop
Turn your classroom into a paper recycling factory! This workshop takes the group through the entire recycling process, with each pupil making a piece of recycled cardboard from old newspapers. Suitable for a wide range of abilities and is a very 'hands on' activity.These sessions usually last around 60 minutes.
Book a free waste education session
Email wasteeducation@belfastcity.gov.uk to book a session or call our waste education team on 0800 032 8100.We can also deliver our waste education programme in areas that are serviced by black kerbside boxes.
If you would like a visit from our officer for this area, phone 028 9026 9956 or email education@nienergyagency.org.
