It’s Plastic Free July, the global movement helping people be part of the solution to the plastic pollution. A great way to get inspired is to learn from others. Belinda Goodwin, Council’s Waste Minimisation Educator, uses workshops to teach people how to recycle right and reduce waste to landfill.
There’s nothing like seeing the scale of Hamilton’s recycling for yourself, to really understand the impact we have on the planet.
Goodwin holds sustainability sessions at the Te Rapa-based Enviro NZ Education Room, sharing fun (and shocking) facts, while teaching the community how to reduce waste to landfill and recycle correctly. The room overlooks the Materials Recovery Facility, where Hamilton’s recycling is sorted and separated before being sent away to be recycled around the country.
“You get a close-up view of the sheer volume of recycling created by Hamiltonians as well as an understanding of the successes we have had with recycling and issues created when we don’t recycle correctly,” said Goodwin.
“You can see the staff sorting through all the recycling, from our yellow lidded bins, by hand. They remove a lot of non-recyclables such as food scraps, medical waste, used nappies and other items that don’t belong in recycling bins.”
Goodwin tailors each session to her audience, whether that’s pre-schoolers, students or teachers wanting to use the room as a learning resource or organisations looking to implement more sustainable practices.
Goodwin also takes her sessions on the road and visits schools, retirement villages and organisations around Hamilton.
“I just want to get people inspired to get involved in reducing waste, offer ideas and solutions and support people to fight the landfill.”
Goodwin said a common misunderstanding about waste reduction is it’s hard, too complicated or time-consuming.
“Part of my sessions talk about starting small. You can adopt something simple like washing your recycling or switching to a reusable cup or container for takeaways. From there, you can make more changes as you feel comfortable.
By the end of a session, most people have pledged to make one change.
“There’s a famous quote ‘it’s just one disposable cup, says four million people’ which goes to show how each decision we make, no matter how big or small, can make a big impact.”
For Goodwin, being a waste minimisation educator is more than just a job.
“As a former teacher, I’m passionate about learning and sharing knowledge. Waste reduction is an exciting topic because it’s something everyone can get involved with at home, work, or school,” she said.
“Quite often we lead by example by just doing our own thing. You never know who you might inspire.”
Sessions at the Enviro NZ Education Room are available through booking only and can cater for up to 30 people at a time. Book at fightthelandfill.co.nz.
To arrange for Belinda to visit your school or organisation, email wasteminimisation@hcc.govt.nz