Island School students lead the way with on-campus zero waste initiative

The Zero Waste Initiative, the programme they launched with WANBO, consists of 4 teams: the plastic team, the tetra packs team, the polystyrene team and the food waste team.

The club set up recycling stations at its two campuses in Tai Wai and Sha Tin Wai to collect paper, aluminium cans, polystyrene, food and beverage cartons, plastic waste and food waste.

It's important to sort your recyclables, since everything needs to be processed differently.

With the help of the school’s Design Technology Department, two types of plastics, Type 2 (HDPE) and Type 5 (PP), are collected and put through a process that involves shredding, melting and moulding the remains to produce useful items for the local community, such as lamps and other items used daily.

Additionally, the group works with Mil Mill and Vitasoy to recycle the food and beverage cartons at their school. Mil Mill, who recycles 10 tonnes of beverage cartons every day, helps WANBO convert the cartons into paper pulp and turn them into toilet paper, which can then be used around the school.

The Hong Kong eco-activist who doesn’t even drink water

WANBO also collaborated with the Science Department and Head Of Houses at their school to convert the polystyrene into an adhesive.

“Around 30,400 tonnes of polystyrene ended up in Hong Kong landfills in 2017,” Sam explained, saying polystyrene can have disastrous effects on the oceans and environment on the whole.

Should we rely on air conditioning in the summer?

The recycling process involves dissolving the polystyrene in a mixture of D-Limonene, lecithin and water. After an hour, this is converted into glue, which is then bottled for use around the school.

Moreover, the school’s food waste is collected and converted into compost for the gardening team. In 2018, WANBO participated in The Nature Works Programme, an initiative by the think-tank Nature Conservancy, and won the top prize of HK$5,000. They used the prize money to buy an industrial composter, allowing them to collect food waste and grind it with soil to make compost.

Sean (left) and Sam launched their Zero Waste Initiative as a way to focus on reducing Island School’s carbon footprint and make it a more sustainable place. Photo: Ross Burrough

WANBO also holds an annual Green Week at school, when students are encouraged to bring in items for the Zero Waste Initiative. It’s even an Interhouse challenge on campus, and points are awarded to the houses that bring in the most items.

In the future, WANBO hopes to initiate an electronic waste collection drive by partnering with Crossroads Foundation and collecting computer hardware to donate to less fortunate students.

Additionally, they aim to collaborate with Redress to address textile waste, as well as create a recycling method for metal and paper waste.

Schools in India adopt solar energy to help reach green goals

Through taking part in this initiative, WANBO students have gained valuable personal insight into the issue of environmental protection and have had the opportunity to meet experts from the Clean Air Council and Plastic Free Seas, giving them more insight into different environmental issues.

Sean and Sam both say that being involved in WANBO has given them the opportunity to engage in issues they care about.

Resources to help you learn more about climate change

“If we take small actions to make the planet a better place, we can all be the change,” Sean said.

“We feel like we are all taking small steps towards the larger picture: a future for environmentalism,” Sam added. “Everyone out there who is seeking [to make a change] or who has this dream, this endeavour to make things happen, can use their power to make it a reality.”