Sustainability Week colours the schools of Hafnarfjörður

European Week of Waste Reduction in full swing

European Week for Waste Reduction took on a fun twist at the Norðurberg nursery school this morning when staff members turned up in each other's clothes. A pink jacket was given a new lease of life when the nursery school's head teacher, Anna Borg, took it in.

„Yes, the jacket will remain part of the circular economy by extending its lifespan,“ she says. The week began at this staff clothing market. Then they got parents on board and invited them to take part.

„We actually always have a clothes swap for the children in the nursery school's entrance hall,“ says Anna Borg, describing how they set up such a clothes market after the crash, as there was a real need for it.

„Then we did this in collaboration with the Red Cross, which provided boxes and clothes/shoes for children. Then the project became self-sustaining; parents take things out or put things in the boxes,“ she explains.

Now, from the 16th to the 24th of November, the European Week for Waste Reduction The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to reduce unnecessary consumption, make better use of things and thus reduce the generation of waste.

The Norðurberg nursery school is not the only one taking part. Engidalsskóli is also involved, weighing food from the canteen for the next few weeks and also holding a clothes swap for staff.

The theme of the year is food waste under the slogan There's a bitter taste of food waste!

Exchange market and packaging savings

„Yes, we started with a clothes swap market, then we pushed parents on packaging and against food waste,“ says Anna Borg.

„I personally take the boxes off, for example, the Cheerios packet and squash them down in the shop and leave them, letting them dispose of it as most shops have sorting,“ she says. „Why are we choosing vegetables in packaging when we can avoid it?,“ she asks.

The first Green Flag Nursery School

Anna Borg says that work to combat food waste has long been underway at the Norðurberg nursery school.

„We have been composting food since 1998; we have 7,450-litre bins on the grounds. We make sure to combat food waste by putting less on our plates and eating smaller portions more often. Unused vegetables are made into soup and leftover, untouched fish is turned into fishcakes, for example,“ she mentions.

„We are the country's first Green Flag nursery school,“ she says, describing how the school campaigned to take part in the project, which led to Landvernd realising that the project was suitable for nursery schools as well as for primary schools.

Anna Borg is very environmentally conscious herself. „The boss has to be the driving force,“ she says. „This is my passion; environmental protection and sorting, all consumer habits, traditions and culture. It has been with me my whole life.“

Her mother, who came from the countryside, was her role model. She then lived in Sweden for eight years. „The Swedes were far ahead of us in sorting and flea markets when I moved back home. That's when I saw the light. It was brilliant.“

Yes, the nursery school at Norðurberg is a fantastic example in environmental matters. The Environmental Agency encourages companies, local authorities, institutions, schools and the general public to do their bit to combat food waste by making use of leftovers.

Everyone is encouraged to take part.

The Environmental Agency, together with others involved in the project Together against waste, including the city, has prepared simple promotional material and ideas for those who want to take part, which are free for everyone to use, see here.

„We encourage everyone taking part in this year's Efficiency Week to share it with us on Waste Not page on Facebook or Instagram, “by tagging us or sending us a message and we'll share it on," says the Environment Agency's call to action.