Witchford Village College recently welcomed Jon Crisp from Amey, at Waterbeach. He held an assembly with our Year 8 students about recycling and reducing waste. He informed them about the waste that goes to landfill and how long it takes to break down. He then gave them information about recycling and waste reduction.
Jon was also here to launch a pilot project with fifteen of our students who went on to visit Amey’s Waterbeach site and see first-hand how waste is dealt with. Students then chose a small item of wooden furniture from the recycling centre and returned to College with it.
Workshops were then held over two days for students to up-cycle their furniture using recycled materials. They were shown how to apply the paint, use stencils and re-upholster chairs by Nikki DiGiovanni, a local artist who specialises in upcycling and reusing. They used fabric scraps and recycled paint from CCORRN, Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network at March.
The project culminated in an assembly where furniture was displayed for all Year 8 students to see what their peer group had achieved. Parents of the students involved were invited and the Managing Director of Amey, Paco Hevia told the students how impressed he was with the outcomes. He presented the fifteen students with certificates and an Amazon voucher for their efforts. The furniture will be put up for sale on our website.
The scheme has been set up to show students how easy it is to recycle everyday household items and that a profit can be made. It is hoped that Year 8 have gained a full understanding of the waste and recycling issues the country faces and now have ideas that they can put in place at home and at school.
Press release from Witchford Village College
