The WAB community is taking another step toward increasing the sustainability of our operations.

Our new program is focused on improving WAB’s recycling processes and minimizing food waste. WAB Recycles, the product of a collaborative effort among student groups, school administration, and Chartwells food service, will continue to expand across the campus this year.

Implementation began with creating and strategically placing new, specialized waste bins around the school. In line with the Beijing government’s new recycling regulations, we created bins to sort plastic, metal, and glass bottles, as well as food waste, paper waste, and all other waste.

“As a school community, we want to be practicing sustainability in all of our operations and instill those practices in even our youngest students,” WAB’s COO/CFO Michael Christiansen said. “We want to create an easily identifiable and accessible system for everyone on our campus to use, so the new procedure is as effective as possible.”

The new bins were first placed in the school’s common eating areas, such as the Elementary School’s Atrium. One major aspect of the initiative was to partner with our food service provider to measure our food waste and then take steps toward reduction.

The school purchased smaller versions of the bins to use in learning spaces -- first trialled by the students in Grade 4. The next phase is to place them bins in classrooms, hallways, printing areas, and eventually outdoor spaces throughout the entire campus.

“We are working with students, staff, and everyone on campus to educate one another about the new programs,” Michael said. “The idea is to revamp our systems and make WAB practices even friendlier for the environment.”

When you see the bins on campus, remember:

• Yellow is for paper only
• Blue is for recycled bottles only
• Green is for food only
• Grey is for all other waste