We are very Eco friendly at Dalry

Paper Recycling

Paper re-using

Envelopes & stamps

Plastic Bottles

Compost Bins

Switch Off

The Garden

Cardboard

Cans

Saving Water

Paper Recycling

We are really very committed to recycling at Dalry. Right through the school we save paper in special 'bins' which we put in every classroom and office. Every week a group of P5/6/7 pupils go round the school with Lorna (the janitor) and we collect the bins, and take them out to our paper recycling bin outside. It takes a long time but we think it is worth it to know that we help the environment. Back to top

Paper re-using

Some paper is shredded because it is confidential. We collect this paper and put it into bags and give it away free to anyone who has pet mice, rats, guinea-pigs or rabbits. Mr Brown even takes some for his duck shed!
Another way we re-use paper is to make booklets out of sheets of paper that have only been used on one side. We give these to Lorna to use with the wee ones at wet-playtimes.
Lauren, Emily and Flora came up with a really good idea too. They have started making Sudoku booklets on recycled paper. Now that's cooool! Back to top

Envelopes & stamps

We never throw out anything if we can help it at Dalry. The stamps we collect are sent to Oxfam by Mrs Duncan. We collect envelopes and use them over again in the office. Sometimes we stick a label over the old address. Back to top

Plastic Bottles

If we get plastic bottles we clean them out and put labels on them and give them to children to fill with water. We are allowed to drink water at any time during the day. Cups can be knocked over and spill water onto jotters so we use bottles instead. We have a special tap for filling them. It cools the water too. Back to top

Compost Bins

Our most unfavourite job of the week is to collect the compost bins from all the classrooms and the offices and staffroom. People put banana skins and apple cores into them. Three P5/6/7s go round collecting them, then we empty the contents into the outside compost bins; then we have to get on the rubber gloves and wash them out - otherwise they smell. It's not a job we like very much but we think it is very important.
The bins are not so full these days because Miss Harrison takes the banana skins home to her pigs! Back to top

Switch Off

We are getting really good at switching off lights in school. In fact quite often people work in rooms without lights on, or only half the lights on. We like it better that way!
We never leave computers switched on. We turn off the computers at the wall so no stand-by lights are on. Back to top

The Garden

We have a really cool garden, and as well as using it as an outside classroom there is a garden club. It is every Tuesday from Easter to Serptember. Usually Mrs Porteous is in charge with a couple of mums and loads of kids. In the garden and around the school we have bird feeders and areas for mini-beasts to hide (like log-piles).
Thomas made an enterprise company and built 19 bird feeders. He sold them filled with nuts for £2.50. We put 4 in a tree in the playground and now we can observe birds through the windows. We get lots of blue-tits and great-tits. Thomas is going to count them. Back to top

Cardboard

We have recycled cardboard now for over 3 years. Liz (secretary) keeps a log of how many tonnes we have saved from landfill. We collected so much cardboard, which Mrs McCall took in her car to Castle Douglas that Oakbank Services gave us our own skip. They come and empty it whenever Liz calls them. Back to top

Cans

We collect cans from the local hotels and pubs. The phone Liz when they have a few sack fulls. Liz or Lorna goe round with some pupils to collect them. The 'can-man' comes to the school and gives us trees to plant in the school in exchange for the cans. Back to top

Saving Water

We started being an eco school 4 years ago when Mr Simpson first came to the school. He went round all the taps and toilets in the school with pupils. They took a note of every dripping tap or running cistern and Mr Simpson had them fixed. Before they were fixed there was even a hot tap in the kitchens that was dripping - that was wasting power as well as water. Mr Simpson had that fixed too.
Every year we check the taps to see that they don't drip.
This year (2005-6) we hope to get a water butt in our garden - that will save using mains water. Back to top