Waste education just got a lot more interesting with the official opening of Noosa Council’s ‘The Ed Shed’ today, an interactive waste and recycling education hub.
The Ed Shed, perfectly situated in the Reviva recycling shop at Noosa’s resource recovery centre, is an interactive space that explains the problems waste is causing around the world, and the importance of us all trying to reduce our consumption.
“It’s hard to imagine what the inside of the landfill looks like especially when you see a hill with grass on it, so the 3D landfill display in the Shed is like a part of it has been cut away, it shows exactly layer by layer what’s inside.” Cr Joe Jurisevic said.
“There’s also a 3D compost bin and worm farm, which gives an inside look at the inner workings of what happens when your food scraps start to break down inside your compost bin.”
While it is not open to the public yet due to COVID restrictions, Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie said over 660 local school students have already been through the Shed in the last three months.
“It adds a real hands-on element to the learning that was already taking place,” Cr Wilkie said.
“The students get a talk at The Ed Shed from our Waste and Sustainability Officer, Emma Menzies, about the problems plastic is causing in the environment, why it’s important to reduce our waste and learn what can and cannot be recycled.
“Ms Menzies then takes them on a tour of the landfill to see what happens to the waste and all the other things that get recycled.”
“The wonderful men at the Noosa Men’s Shed made a conveyor belt out of recycled material. When the students come through, they sort out the contamination from the recycling on the belt and get a better understanding of the process.
“The mats the students sit on are made from plastic taken out of the ocean and turned into carpet mats, so they get a real sense of what can be achieved from recycling.”
And it’s not just for school kids. The Reviva recycling shop will also use the Shed to hold different types of upcycling workshops in the future.
