4 Steps To A Successful School Clean Up Day
School Clean Up Day is an important event that encourages students to be environmentally responsible and helps keep schools looking their best.
Whilst Clean Up Australia Day is to be held around Australia on Sunday 5 March 2023, schools get in early with Schools Clean Up Day this Friday 3 March.
To make sure your School Clean Up Day goes off without a hitch, it’s essential to properly organise supplies, volunteers, and clean-up resources beforehand.
Follow our four-step guide for a successful School Clean Up Day!
Create a Plan and Set Goals
Before getting started, it’s important to create a plan that outlines the goals for your Schools Clean Up Day. This will help you determine what supplies and volunteers you need, as well as set realistic expectations around the amount of work that needs to be done. Be sure to keep your plan updated throughout the process, be flexible and make adjustments as needed.
If you are lucky enough to have a planning committee for this event, hold a get-together two weeks prior to the event to start putting your plans into actions. During this meeting;
allocate areas of the school to class groups. You will need a school map and a highlighter. Provide this map to each class, informing them of their designated area and the time frame within which to clean it
advertise in the school newsletter to communicate to the community. Announce the event at the school assembly
source bags and gloves
decide upon where the rubbish will be taken once it is collected
allocate a photographer for the day so your clean up can be published on the school’s Facebook page and website. Ask a Year Six student to write a few sentences for an article in the school newsletter
Clean Up Australia is offering a clean up kit to help you get started as well as lesson plans to use in the classroom created in conjunction with Cool Australia so allocate someone to check out their website.
Educate Prior To The Day
Discuss with your class - what is the meaning of ‘littering’? Why is it important not to litter? Why is it important to differentiate between recycling and rubbish? Why should we be trying to minimise our waste?
Watch here about what effect litter has on the environment or here
Discuss having pride in our school and visitors’ impression when they come on the grounds. Also personal responsibility to the environment.
Consider creating informative posters with your class that explain why clean-up days are important and how it benefits everyone in the long run.
On The Day
Gather supplies or ask students to each bring in a plastic bag to collect rubbish. Ensure hats and suncream is applied before going outside. Take a drink of water before leaving the classroom.
Ensure classes know the schedule and their designated area.
Classes may choose to do a litttr audit - after collecting the trash, tally and measure the trash and then again at a later day to measure any changes in littering. Plot on a graph
Classes could reflect on what type of rubbish they collect the most of - chip packets, poppers, paddle pop sticks etc. and make a pledge to help make a difference in the future - to ensure papers go in the correct bin, avoid using straws, use a drink bottle instead of a popper
Consider - Are there enough bins around the school? Do we need different colour bins? Should we have Environmental Monitors?
Follow-Through After Clean Up Day is Over
Your work is not over after the cleaning day is complete. Follow-through is an important part of having a successful clean-up day. Be sure to thank your volunteers and take down the signs you put up. Additionally, report any major tasks that need further action and create a plan for how they will be tackled in the future. This step must also include reporting on the progress made during the day so everyone can recognize how much was achieved through their efforts.
In the future, award students picking up other children rubbish with a ‘caught you being environmentally friendly’ token.
Does your school participate in Clean Up Day? Do you do anything differently? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.
