West sussex County Council

In partnership with Wastebuster, West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex Waste Partnership has worked to empower students, teachers, and families across the county to adopt sustainable practices and reduce environmental impact. Through bespoke school and community programmes tailored to local priorities, we have delivered measurable results, including a 10% reduction in annual energy usage for participating schools.

Schools now benefit from robust Climate Action Plans, improved recycling initiatives, and a comprehensive suite of over 1,000 curriculum-aligned resources. By leveraging cyclical national campaigns and targeted engagement strategies, we have strengthened participation across the academic year. Detailed reporting tools have enabled schools to track environmental impact, carbon reductions, and financial savings, fostering a culture of sustainability that supports both schools and the wider West Sussex community.

Key Achievements Include:

• Over 84% of schools actively engaged in using the programme resources every term.
• From taking part the West Sussex Planet Protector Challenge, 68 schools have reduced waste, saved energy, increased recycling, reduced water consumption and their carbon footprint.
• As a result of Wastebuster West Sussex schools engagement, over 10,000 West Sussex residents signed up to the pledge for plastics campaign.
• Schools taking part in Switch Off Fortnight have saved an estimated average of 10% off their energy bills.
• Over 46,800 pupils benefited from environmental education on responsible consumption in 2023/24 - reaching an average of 19,500 households.
• Secondary schools students that won the Climate Enterprise Award have created a food waste guide that is supporting all schools across West Sussex to adopt food waste collections or on site composting or community fridges using the guide and campaign resources.
• Over 56 WS schools took part in Wastebusters Recycle to Read Toys campaign with Tesco and they and West Sussex families got over £6,000 of books for schools.
• Tonnes of textiles and batteries have been recycled by WS schools.
• All 234 WS primary and 41 secondary schools have access to support to create climate action plans that integrate resource efficiency using the Wastebuster programme and have accounts to measure the difference they make in environmental and financial savings via statements.
• Children and families in WS can access online reuse and recycling crafts and activities and competitions to promote environmental activity such as recycling right in West Sussex to reduce contamination and improve the quality of recycling in WS.
• Eco-teams can drive change with a pupil led localised West Sussex Planet Protector Challenge and measure the difference they make in their own website and in their hard copy achievement poster. They are also provided hard copy posters and signage to ensure the whorl community is aware of what they need to do to help their school use less energy, save water, travel more sustainably, reduce waste, recycle more and reduce their carbon footprint.
• Schools in West Sussex have earned over £10,000 in recycling rewards value - in both money to assist them in purchasing much needed resources and actual items such a books.
• A rewards and recognition system actively encourages and incentivises schools and families to engage in environmental activities and awareness raising communications to engage their whole school community.
• West Sussex schools benefit from exclusive opportunities linked to industry supported national Wastebuster campaigns such as waste week, switch off fortnight, water week and recycle to read in trials and case study work plus access to hard copy packs and news before schools nationally.