Wastebuster

Wastebuster is a not-for-profit environmental education programme provided free to West Sussex primary and secondary schools by the West Sussex Waste Partnership.  

The Wastebuster website provides access to:

• lessons
• assemblies
• films
• toolkits
• campaigns

More than 80% of West Sussex primary schools have actively engaged with the programme’s resources and campaigns since its launch over 10 years ago. 

All West Sussex primary schools challenges can be accessed via The Planet Protector Challenge. The 10 Planet Protector Missions help primary schools prevent and recycle waste, conserve energy and water, encourage sustainable transport, and boost biodiversity.

Each mission empowers the whole school to take meaningful action against emissions, pollution, and other environmental challenges, contributing to the collective impact of schools in West Sussex. Schools can also raise and save money, earn rewards, and gain recognition for their efforts. 

Missions completed lead to bronze, silver, gold and ambassador status and schools can see how well they are doing via a leaderboard on the website. 

The Recycle to Read programme offers schools and parents the opportunity to earn points a win prizes by recycling old hard plastic toys.  

Drop off your broken plastic toys at one of the recycle to read recycling bins in a Tesco store near you. Scan the bin’s QR code and register your recycling to earn a Planet Care Point for your school! You could also, give toys you no longer play with to friends, family, or charity shops. 

The more points your school collects, the higher your school climbs on the school leaderboard. Top schools win BIG book rewards! Everyone recycling also has a chance to win awesome prizes in weekly prize draws! 

Get involved on the Recycle to Read website.

The Climate Enterprise Award gives secondary school students an opportunity to understand the link between waste and climate change, helping to tackle climate change and learn valuable enterprise skills. 

Students who enter are in for a chance of receiving £500 towards bringing their idea to life alongside mentoring from industry experts. 

You can find out more information on the Climate Enterprise Award on the Wastebuster website. 

The Climate Action Planner is a comprehensive tool designed to assist schools in developing and implementing effective strategies for waste minimisation and energy and water efficiency. The efficiency schools make can be tracked in their Your Savings Account. 

The Climate Action Planner can be found in the main menu of the website on the Climate Action Planner page. First you will be asked a series of short questions, to find out what you would like to focus on.

The planner then provides a structured framework for assessing current environmental impact and points to action plans tailored to specific needs and priorities, which can be undertaken in clear steps. The planner offers a range of resources for teachers to use, plus easy to follow campaigns and includes data analysis tools so actual results can be tracked. 

The Climate Action Planner is suitable for anyone committed to increasing sustainability in schools. Business Managers or Heads may find it useful to create a Climate Action Plan or to hold an environmental review and find ways to reduce waste, energy and water or recycle / reuse more or procure less. Eco Team Leaders may find it helpful to plan environmental campaigns in school.

The Climate Action Planner can be used to create the waste part of a Climate Action Plan and to create a joined-up school strategy on waste. It can also help your school hold an environmental review, providing the steps and resources to support this. The planner can help teachers with Eco Team planning and strategy. 

You can view the Climate Action Planning Tool on the Wastebuster homepage.