Educational tours and resources
Environmental Leadership Program Green Innovation Awards Early childhood Waste Education Water and Wastewater Education Resources Frequently asked questions
Tweed Shire Council offers some educational opportunities and speaking engagements for Tweed schools, learning institutions and community groups. They range from tours of Council facilities to talks about various projects, programs and local government.
Schools can also get involved in various competitions and events, which will be listed here when available.
Environmental Leadership Program
Program postponed
Outward Bound Australia programs are currently cancelled. Once a new date for the program is set, Year 10 Tweed Shire school students will be invited to apply for the free 4-day Outward Bound Australia learning adventure at Kunghur, funded by Tweed Shire Council.
Participating students will complete a wilderness adventure, designed to inspire students interested in environmental sustainability to take a leadership role within their school and community.
The program will involve outdoor activities such as hiking and navigating, abseiling and canoeing, camping and bush skills. Participants will be encouraged to try new things, to step out of their comfort zone and discover and develop their leadership potential.
The program is designed to inspire, build confidence, communication and collaboration skills in participants to assist them to lead a future initiative or get involved with a local environmental organisation.
Opportunity for students - Call for entries
Proudly funded by the NSW State Government, the Green Innovation Awards (Northern Rivers) encourage children to develop a passion for the environment by asking them to invent, develop, and present solutions for greener living.
Primary school and high school students are asked to demonstrate their innovative ideas in Waste Management, Water Management, Building and Packaging materials or Biofuels and Renewable Energy.
Furthermore, the Awards aim to show students that their contribution is valuable and to educate them that we all have a part to play in looking after our world.
For further information, visit www.greeninnovationawards.com.au
Early childhood
The Nothing Goes to Waste booklet(PDF, 6MB) is suitable for preschools, early childhood centres and early primary aged students.
Waste education
Tours and visits
Material Recovery Facility
Book a group tour (15 to 50 people) to the private recycling facility at Chinderah also known as the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) to see how your recyclables from the yellow bin is sorted. A viewing room and overhead cameras set up through the facility enables participants to see how these items are sorted and baled before being sent away to make new products. Groups larger than 25 will be broken up into 2 groups with each being supervised separately. Bookings are requested and will depend on the availability of the MRF and Education Officer. Visit is for 1 hour and only available Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Transportation to the facility is arranged by the school or group.
Stotts Creek Resource Recovery bus* tour.
Book a tour to Stotts Creek Resource Recovery at Stotts Creek to learn how your waste is sorted and processed to reach our community’s goal of less to landfill. Find out what else can be recycled and what can be dropped off to Stotts for FREE. Groups are accompanied by an experienced officer who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. Transportation to the facility is arranged by the school or group and an officer will join the group on the bus for the guided tour.
*Bus with good ground clearance needs to be supplied by school / group. Smaller buses are preferable to access all areas, however if a larger bus is used it must have a microphone for use. Tour is for 1 hour.
Education officer visit
Book a waste Education Officer to come to you! Topics such as the 3 bin system, what goes in the bins, waste collection services, the waste hierarchy and reduction of waste to landfill can be presented on your site.
Please note tours and visits are not offered to Early Learning Centres at this time.
Bookings dependent on availability and information school/community group can provide on how they are currently or aim to save waste from landfill. Please give details on what you are currently doing or aim to do with the Best Practice Project Plan(DOCX, 24KB) which will help guide your school/group with measurable outcomes.
DIY waste-wise programs
Waste-wise Program Kit
Our Waste-wise Program Kit outlines a simple method of setting up a cost-effective waste management system that incorporates recycling and composting/organics.
Litter Free Lunch Program
The Litter Free Lunch (Nude Food Lunch) Program can be run as either a stand-alone activity or as part of the Waste-wise School Program. ‘Litter Free Lunch’ days are a great way to get children to begin to think about ‘Rubbish’ and what they are throwing into the bin. Children bring a ‘litter free lunch’ to school and learn how they can reduce their waste by avoiding pre-packaged items and instead buying in bulk and using re-useable containers. Conduct your own waste audit before and after your Litter Free Lunch and send these audit sheets to Council for further support. Council will provide a report and suggestions on how to create a waste reduction action plan for your school.
For bookings or to receive a DIY waste program phone Tweed Shire Council on 02 6670 2400 or email resourcerecovery@tweed.nsw.gov.au. Please include your Best Practice Project Plan(DOCX, 24KB) prior to booking a tour or visit.
Water and wastewater education
COVID-19 restrictions
The following guidelines are to be observed for tours, in line with the NSW Government COVID Plans:
- Only schools will be allowed to participate in tours of the treatment plants, as children are considered in the low risk category.
- Any students/ teachers participating in the tour must be double vaccinated. This needs to be verified and confirmed by the teacher prior to confirming the booking.
- Any students/ teachers participating in the tour must wear a mask at all times.
- Tours will be capped at a maximum of 30 students. The students will be split into 2 groups of 15 and do a tour of the treatment plant and a tour of Clarrie Hall Dam if requested.
- If the school has a bigger group than 30, only 30 students can participate in the tour on one week and then the other 30 students can participate the following week.
- Only one group booking can be made per month.
- An alternative to the tour is to offer to post a copy of the current DVD of the Bray Park Water Treatment Plant Operation.
All Water and Wastewater tour requests can be emailed to wateradmin@tweed.nsw.gov.au or call Tweed Shire Council on 02 6670 2400 for further information.
The urban water cycle
From catchment to tap
Join a plant staff member for a tour of the Bray Park Water Treatment Plant and learn how we treat our water to a standard that is safe for drinking. Be guided through displays in the education centre, check out where your water is filtered on the viewing platform and watch an educational DVD to see some of those ‘behind the scenes’ processes that you would not see through the tour.
This tour can be catered to mid to upper primary, year 12 chemistry / tertiary groups or adult community interest groups. Specialist speakers can also be arranged to talk about the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program, outlining the differences in how we treat water compared to Kenya and the work that has been done by staff through this program. Suited for Primary Stage 2-3, High School, Tertiary and Adult Groups. Tour is approximately 1 hour.
Waste water treatment
What happens to the water that disappears down the plug hole or toilet? Do you know which Waste water Treatment Plant your household is serviced by? Knowing where your waste water goes is an important part of being a water wise Tweed resident.
This guided tour available at the Kingscliff or Banora Point Waste Water Treatment Plant will take you through a local facility, where you will learn how the water is treated so it can safely be reused or returned to the environment. Suited for Primary Stage 2-3, High School, Tertiary, Adult Groups. Tour is approximately 45 minutes
Resources
Be fantastic, use less plastic
Plastic free waterways
Frequently asked questions
Can Council officers come to our school to speak to students?
Yes. Council Officers may be able to attend schools and give talks on the Natural Resource Management, Waste and Water units however it is subject to availability and project workload.