After learning the basic principles involved in the composting process, the students were divided into four teams, with each team responsible for collecting food scraps and wastepaper from around school or home. They then had to use their skills and knowledge to turn the waste into nutrient-rich compost to be used to improve soil quality, appropriate for gardening.

A Positive Contribution

To add some friendly competition, each team has been weighing all the waste that goes into their compost pile, with the team who composts the most to win a special lunch next term. A prize is also on offer for the best quality compost – to be judged by the Cedar groundskeepers.

To date, the four teams combined have composted over 300kg of waste which would have otherwise been destined for landfill! It has been a fun and practical way to learn about a simple, yet highly effective way in which we can all make a positive contribution towards taking care of the environment.

Below are comments from some of our students, about what they learnt during the process:

Throughout the semester we have collected food waste and used papers from the provided bins. Our aim was to recycle them into nutrient-rich soil (compost). The task was an enjoyable experience for everyone, and throughout the task, we achieved a better understanding of recycling food waste. Personally, I enjoyed the team effort in making compost. I believe the task will encourage students to adopt composting at home. – Tushar

Composting has been a great experience. We have been able to learn and understand how composting works and we feel extremely lucky that our class specifically has been given the opportunity to do so. My composting group enjoys seeing the result of food scraps and waste paper being transformed into rich, dark soil. – Amber & Sukhmani

Mr Daniel Thorpe, Year 9 Humanities Teacher