Once a fortnight, Sara Bak meets with a small group of Lauderdale Primary School students to find ways of reducing waste.
Waste Warriors will save us
“When my son was in Grade 4, he and I went to a free workshop put on by the Hobart City Council,” said Sara. “Different school groups were talking about waste, and what they do to reduce it. It got us thinking, why doesn’t Lauderdale have a group like this? That’s how it started.”
The students came up with the name Waste Warriors, and the group has been going for five years, with a turnover of members each year.
“My goal is to go in with a positive attitude,” said Sara. “I see it as an opportunity to use our imaginations. Rather than just throwing things out, what can we do with them?”
The group hopes to inspire other children, teachers and parents. Their projects have included turning butter containers into lunchboxes, making bags out of old T-shirts, and selling secondhand books to raise funds for a recycling centre at the school.
“We like to involve the whole school,” said Sara, “so we present in assembly and play games. I want to make it fun.”
She uses the group’s mascot, Wally the whale, to set classroom challenges. “It might be to remember to turn the lights off, or to compost all the fruit and veggie scraps for a fortnight. At the end of that fortnight, the class can nominate a new class with a new challenge.”
Sara also brings other people in to help. “A friend who works at the Tasmanian Talent Agency gave the children tips about how to speak clearly when they are presenting in assembly, and what to do if they are nervous.”
The group is currently following the story of Sam McLennan, who is building a raft out of marine rubbish to sail from Tasmania to the mainland. “I’m hoping he’ll come in and talk to the children,” said Sara. “We also want to do a microplastic survey in Ralphs Bay.”
The teachers at Lauderdale Primary have responded positively to the group’s activities. So have many of the parents. “Quite a few of them have told me that they’ve made changes at home, using ideas from the Waste Warriors. That’s a really rewarding thing to hear.”
Sara works for KPMG and is studying for a degree in sustainable development through Murdoch University. She and the Waste Warriors have been chosen by Clarence Climate Action as this month’s Climate Champions.
Eastern Shore Sun, November 2022, page 12