Waste

Merici holds accreditation from ACTSmart Schools in the Waste category, acknowledging our commitment to making our waste management as sustainable as possible. Current waste management initiatives on campus include:

• Waste reduction: our canteen has no single-use or disposable packaging so meals served to students are zero waste (apart from bulk packaging for ingredients). There are no vending machines on campus selling individually packaged goods and drinks.
• Recycling: three-stream waste separation (co-mingled, paper and general waste) indoors and outdoors.
• Composting: we collect organic waste from the Staff Common Room and the canteen/restaurant. This represents about 22% of the total food waste in the College.
• E-waste: We have just partnered with WV technologies, an Australian Social Enterprise supporting disadvantaged people to return to work, to implement a school E-waste program. E-waste can be dropped off by parents, students and staff at location.
• Other waste reduction programs
  • We partner with Planet Ark to recycle printer cartridges from our IT and Photography departments.
  • We collect soft plastics in the Soft Plastics bin near the SAM noticeboard. These are taken to local supermarkets which distribute to plastic recycling companies Replas and REDcycle.

• We accept pens and pencils at the box in the IC which are recycled thanks to TerraCycle.