Coles and Planet Ark fund 20 schools for sustainability projects

👟 Sustainability in Action!🌍 A great note From Pitlochry High School Our P5 class had an inspiring visit from the Sustainability Academy to support their project on recycling shoes. Pupils learned about different types of fabrics, including mono-materials, which are easier to recycle, as well as natural vs. man-made materials. They explored key concepts like circular recycling and cradle-to-cradle, discovering how products can be reused and repurposed instead of ending up in landfill. The session also highlighted the challenges of recycling shoes — did you know less than 5% of shoes are recycled? Pupils reflected on how every step we take can make a difference through the 10 Rs of sustainability. It was a fascinating, hands-on experience that inspired our young learners to think about how they can make a positive impact on our planet. Receiving stickers for being Sustainable Earth Stewards... we look forward to seeing P5's ideas for sustainable shoes for the future Reduce reuse recycle! #DYWTayCities The Sustainables Academy https://lnkd.in/esCHGqmi

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐙𝐨𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 🐘📈♻️ Since partnering with Bristol Zoological Society 12 months ago, we have seen a dramatic increase in their recycling rates from 35% in 2024 to 52% so far in 2025. Jonathan Timney, Director of Estates at Bristol Zoological Society, said: “At Bristol Zoological Society we have a comprehensive set of sustainability ambitions and targets as part of our overarching sustainability strategy. Significantly enhancing our recycling rates and eradicating the use of single use plastics has always been a key part of that. When we partnered with Grundon we had a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve, and they have helped us on our way towards that. “The key to the success of our recycling initiatives has been our close relationship with them, their attention to detail and stringent monitoring of progress. Our own staff on the ground at the zoo have been instrumental in this too, from our maintenance to visitor experience teams. “We have more plans for increasing the recycling rate at the zoo over coming months and are looking forward to our productive partnership continuing.” 👉Read on here to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eBtNU9St Daniel Peacey

On November 18 (1PM AT / 12PM ET), Climate Reality Canada and the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) are thrilled to present the third session of our Innovation Speaker Series featuring Paper Trail, a student-led social enterprise transforming discarded paper waste into sustainable energy! Created by students at Enactus Okanagan College, Paper Trail gives new life to materials that can’t be recycled, using natural beeswax to produce clean-burning, long-lasting fuel bricks. The initiative has already diverted over 0.63 tonnes of paper from landfills and avoided 1.93 tonnes of CO₂e emissions. Don’t miss this session on how circular economy thinking and student ingenuity are fueling sustainability, brick by brick! 🔗 Learn more and register here: https://loom.ly/X1opDDw

♻️ We are running out of “afterwards.” For years, we’ve talked about recycling like it’s a nice thing to do. A bonus. A good intention. But look around. Plastic isn’t just on beaches anymore. It’s in rivers. In rainwater. In the air. In us. Every bottle we don’t capture now becomes tomorrow’s microplastic — in the soil that grows our food, the oceans our children swim in, the bodies they will inherit. And here’s the part we don’t like to say out loud: There is no clean-up operation coming. There is only what we choose to do next. In 2027, the UK will launch the Deposit Return Scheme — the biggest shift in recycling behaviour our country has ever seen. It is our chance to change the outcome. But it won’t happen by accident. Reverse Vending Machines aren’t sitting in warehouses waiting to be rolled out. Infrastructure needs to be built. Sites need to be secured. Machines need to be ordered. Habits need to be formed. We have less than two years to turn awareness into action. At Regen Enviro, in partnership with EcoVend, we are doing this now — with councils, stadiums, retailers and venues who understand that: If we wait, we lose. If we act, we lead. This isn’t about bins. It’s about responsibility, courage and legacy. The question isn’t: “Should we adopt RVMs?” The question is: “What will we say we did while we still had time to change the story?” If you believe your organisation should be part of the solution — say it below. Let’s see who is ready to lead — and who is still waiting for someone else to go first. #RegenEnviro #EcoVend #DRS #CircularEconomy #Leadership #Sustainability #TimeToAct

♻️ November’s edition of *Material Matters* is out now!  This month, the Illinois Recycling Foundation highlights big sustainability wins across Illinois — from textile reuse in Chicagoland to statewide stewardship programs for batteries and paint.  Inside this issue:   • Member Spotlight: Chicago Textile Recycling & Wipeco’s work keeping 2.5 million pounds of textiles out of landfills each year   • Feature Story: The Feed the Cart campaign — Illinois’ largest-ever recycling education initiative   • Updates on new statewide stewardship programs for paint (launching Dec 1) and batteries (public comments now open)   • 2025 IRF Award Winners and community highlights from Rockford to Urbana   If you care about circular economy leadership, sustainable materials management, and the partnerships driving change across Illinois — check this out.  Read the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gcMRyDmT #IllinoisRecycling #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #FeedTheCart #RecyclingEducation #CommunityImpact #TextileRecycling #BatteryRecycling #PaintCare #EnvironmentalStewardship

It’s @Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, and a perfect time to share the final article in our series on accelerating Australia’s transition to a circular economy. We’ve already explored why harmonised policy and innovation are critical. Now, we turn to the third priority: inclusive policy, education and infrastructure that enable everyone to play their part. Out-of-home recycling rates lag far behind at-home rates — and without easy access to collection points in public spaces, workplaces and venues, we won’t achieve our circularity targets. We’re calling for policy that increases out-of-home collection points and uses regulatory levers to shift commercial behaviour. Globally, Norway shows what’s possible with return rates over 90%. And we’re walking the talk: this month, we opened our first consumer-facing Reverse Vending Machine at our Moorabbin site, with more to come nationwide. For our teams, it’s simple: Made here, returned here. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gt9ShUFh

National Recycling Week kicks off today and it is a reminder that small, consistent actions at home, at work and in our communities can make a big difference. For educators, it’s the perfect time to focus on how the Australian Curriculum: Science and Technologies supports students to learn about materials, designed solutions and sustainability. Students can investigate recycling, understand how everyday choices impact the environment, and take meaningful action toward a more sustainable future. Discover these resources from STAY TUNED TO OUR PLANET aka STTOP to explore how e-waste impacts the environment. https://brnw.ch/21wXlmc #NationalRecyclingWeek #Sustainability #JoinTheCycle

Happy America Recycles Day! ♻️ Today’s the perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come with our sustainability efforts – and much more we can achieve together to strengthen recycling across the country. Through Every Bottle Back, now in its sixth year, America’s beverage companies continue to make data-driven investments that deliver measurable results. In 2025 alone, we’ve announced around ten new community investments totaling over $2 million across eight states to expand recycling access and modernize infrastructure. This summer, we celebrated a major milestone: one million recycling carts delivered nationwide. That’s one million more opportunities for bottles and cans to be collected, remade, and put back to use – just as they were designed to be. We’re proud to continue this work alongside The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners – and we’re not slowing down. Together, we’re building a recycling system that works better for everyone.

I've just had my first read of Scotland's draft Circular Economy Strategy. Released on 21st October, the Sottish Government has set out a vision for a thriving economy that meets societal needs and is based on circular economy principles, that reduces the negative global impact of our production and consumption. Fantastic to see that Scotland is showing leadership, progressing this strategy with a commitment to taking less and wasting less for reducing resource use for the benefits for all. Done right, there is huge potential for action on social equity, climate, pollution and biodiversity. There is a lot to like, including the upfront recognition of the impact of consumption beyond geographical boundaries, but on first look my thoughts are that it could be strenghtened in terms of : - enabling the co-benefits of social equity, poverty eleviation and community cohesion. - product stewardship from a consumer perspective e.g. durability, right to repair, sharing economy. - ensuring that the onus is on shifting economic ecosystem for business so that the right choice for consumers is easy. Friends of the Earth Scotland has identified a failure to consider how the circular economy can reduce the health impacts of harmful materials such as microplastics, heavy metals and forever chemicals. The consultation is open till January so plenty of times to read and respond. #circulareconomy #climateaction #circulareconomystrategy #leadership #zerowasteisclimateaction #consumerrights #zerowaste https://lnkd.in/gxatV-CF

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH: What the 2025 Data Reveals About Sustainability in ECEC It's likely your service has a beautiful garden. Recycling systems are sorted. Nature play is happening. So why does something still feel incomplete? Project Sustainability Collective has just released data based on 300+ Australian ECEC services in our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 It reveals that 88% of services focus mainly on environmental sustainability, while social, cultural, and economic dimensions remain largely unseen. The good news? The environmental work you're already doing doesn't need to change, it needs to deepen. When children share toys, they're learning fairness. When they notice water running down the drain, they're thinking about community needs. When they play with natural materials, they're connecting to place and culture. These aren't separate lessons. They're the fuller picture of the work you're already doing. The EYLF 2.0 Sustainability Principle calls for exactly this: interconnected environmental, social, and economic understanding, embedded throughout practice. Ready to broaden your approach without adding extra work? 📖Read the full article: Why 'Green' Isn't Enough 🔗https://lnkd.in/gfxckG6J Or download our free EYLF Principle Decoder to see how the three domains show up in your daily program. 🔗https://lnkd.in/g2tYjhwV #SustainabilityECEC #EYLF 2.0 #Embedded sustainability #Earlychildhoodeducation #SustainabilitySnapshot2025ECEC #ProjectSustainabilityCollective