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The next generation of recyclers make a start at Kurri Kurri Preschool
At Kurri Kurri Preschool, sustainability and creative recycling are part of the culture.
Director Nicci McDowell says they began using Return and Earn in response to their family events for parents and grandparents. They often had food and cans of soft drink available, which meant lots of cans to recycle after each event.
“This evolved into collection crates becoming part of these events and families depositing empty cans knowing we would recycle them at the Return and Earn deposit point across the road the following day,” says Nicci.
The children are involved in the trips to return cans where possible, and the preschool teaches them about why its important to recycle.
“We encourage children to care for the land, and a large part of this is the concept of rubbish, recycling, and sustainability,” says Nicci. “Our children are very aware of sorting rubbish and we have bins at the preschool to reflect the council rubbish and recycling system used in our local community.”
Funds raised from returning containers through Return and Earn go towards the preschool’s general fundraising pool, which at the moment is focused on their outdoor areas.
“We’ve revived our worm farm, purchased new worms and invested in books and resources to support this system,” says Nicci. “So far, we’ve collected lots of ‘worm juice’ and it’s making our veggie patch look very healthy and our gardens look magnificent!”
Nicci explains that at the preschool they believe it is important that children are connected to nature, and for that reason they work to utilise their large, natural playground to its full potential.
She adds that when children are involved in recycling and reuse at the preschool, they often take that knowledge into their homes and wider communities.
“The children enjoy talking about sustainability – they like to reuse and repurpose everyday items in their play, such as tyres, boxes, and pipes,” Nicci says.
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