One of the key objectives of Moray Waste Busters has always been to deliver environmental education in a way which engages the listener and leaves them with an abiding memory of what we are about. We have had great success in the past, hosting visits from over 40 schools from as far afield as Kiltarlity in the north to Grantown in the south and many points in between.

Our Environmental Education programme has been a popular feature of Moray Waste Busters since 2004.  We have received many complimentary comments from teachers and children alike and are constantly striving to improve and develop what we can offer. 

The most recent feather in our cap has been a visit from Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education as part of their inspection of Moray’s educational resources.  We were given a special mention and highlighted as an example of Good National Practice.  This is quite an honour, especially as it is rare for them to mention an organisation which is not part of a council authority.  As you can imagine we are all very chuffed but this does not mean we can sit on our laurels!  It has made us all the more determined to continue to offer the best service we can.

So what can you expect when you book your class or group on a visit to Moray Waste Busters?

Below is a breakdown of a typical two hour visit.  This can obviously be adapted according to the age/interest of the visitors but by and large it will follow this format:

1. Welcome visitors to Moray Waste Busters.  Show parking facilities or pick-up point for transport.  Explanation of fire and safety procedures, toilet facilities, etc.  
2. Tour of the adjacent Moray Council Recycling Centre explaining what items can be recycled and what happens to them once they leave the site
3. Tour of Moray Waste Busters site including
• reuse-reclaim facility, showing what happens to household and garden goods when they are donated, through checking, weighing in, cleaning , pricing and putting out on display for re-sale
• woodwork products made on site from reclaimed timber
• solar panel heating water for our kitchen sink
• workshop area where our Supported Training programme takes place
• willow tunnel and “fedge”
• can crusher where everyone who wants to can have a go at crushing a can
• “Good World, Bad World” mural, created by local artist Carola and sponsored by Baxters Food Group – how many “good” habits and “bad” habits can you spot? 
• bird feeding area
4. Snack and comfort break – visitors are encouraged to bring a healthy snack such as fruit or vegetables so they can feed the waste to our living breathing compost machines in the wormery
5. Now for the science bit – a short story, talk or discussion on the 3R’s or a relevant topic requested (in advance, please!) by the visiting class or group.  The content and duration of this section is tailored to the age and attention span of the listeners.
6. The last hour of the visit is usually given over to some kind of hands-on activity, typically paper-making or tile mosaics.  We find that, particularly with the younger visitors, after all that listening, they appreciate getting their hands dirty and this part of the visit is proving to be the most popular.  It gives everyone a chance to do something practical and also engages them in thinking about what they could do with items at home which they have previously just thrown away. 
7.  At the end of the visit the visitors will be given their craft items to take home and the teacher/ group leader will be given an Evaluation Form to be filled in and sent back at their convenience.  We really value your comments and suggestions as we are always looking for ways to keep this programme as interesting and exciting an experience as possible. 
8. This is also the point at which the dreaded invoice is produced.  We feel we offer very good value for money at just £2 per head and we wait until the visit to see how many of you have turned up before calculating the bill.  Because of time and resources used and the fact that we do not receive any funding for our Environmental Education programme we do have to impose a minimum charge of £20 per visit but that only comes into effect for classes or groups of less than 10 people.

The comments and letters which we receive after the visits bear testament to the fact that children have a great capacity for retaining information when it is presented in an absorbing way. They then go home and educate their parents and other family members, thus spreading the message into the wider community.

Now that we have a brand new building in which to host the visits they can continue all year round, whatever the weather. We are currently taking bookings for the Spring term and places can fill up quickly.

If you think your school or group would benefit from a visit to our site, contact Kay Ford at kay.moraywastebusters@btconnect.com for more information.

HISTORY

"We have learned a lot about Reusing, Reducing and Recycling. I am going to tell my mum and dad to start recycling more things and stop throwing away."

- Becky, Primary 7

"It was the best trip I ever had. It was really fun, thank you."

- Martin, Primary 7

"I think other schools would like this trip as much as I did because it is very interesting and you learn about how important it is to look after the world's resources or we will run out of them in the future."

- Fiona, Primary 7