Environment and Sustainability

Last May the Eco Committee coordinated a week filled with various activities for students across the school to get involved in, including a Year 7 climate change workshop, life education lessons and assemblies based on sustainable living and activism, eco gardening where lower school pupils harvested vegetables and lichen testing for both upper and lower school where we managed to spot ‘pollution-hating’ lichen demonstrating our good air quality around the school site. There were also various competitions running throughout the week which included photography, a house step count competition seeing Marlborough go the extra mile and take the win and spot prizes for those travelling to school sustainably. The catering team also put on a carbon-neutral menu throughout the week for all to enjoy and to reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Actions in the school to support environmental action and awareness are led by the Eco committee whose core aims are: 

• Educating pupils and staff to be as green as possible 
• Work collaboratively with different stakeholders to reduce the ecological impact of our school operations  

An Environmental Review was completed by members of the Eco Committee in March 2022 using the criteria stipulated by the Eco Schools Green Award.  

This led to the creation of the following ten objectives to help the School achieve the aims identified above: 

• Environmental Awareness: To increase awareness in Emanuel Community of the environment and our role within it  
• Curriculum: To embed environmental education across all key stages and within each subject 
• Waste: To reduce waste sent to landfill and to increase waste recycling 

• Biodiversity: To increase awareness of biodiversity within Emanuel and to create opportunities to support wildlife and habitats 
• Energy: To reduce the energy consumption in the school and work towards becoming carbon zero 
• Litter: To reduce litter in and around the school 
• Transport: To reduce the ecological footprint linked to travelling to school and promoting action travel 
• Trips: To reduce the ecological footprint of school trips and incorporate sustainable tourism 

• Supplies: To consider environmental sustainability in purchasing of educational and operational resources as well a commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle the resources used in the day to day running of the School 
• Construction: To implement sustainable construction techniques across all new building projects 

• Twice a year the eco committee runs WasteLESS week together with the catering team with the aim to encourage less food waste at lunch time.  
• In October 2021 Emanuel held its first Environmental Conference led by the captains of the school with contributions from pupil speakers throughout the school. The aim was to shine to light on the UN conference in Glasgow, COP26, and to encourage community action.  
• Pupils in the Lower School have launched an environmental awareness campaign, undertaken surveys, lichen analysis and hosted a ‘bike-it-breakfast’ so that we have earned the TfL STARS accreditation.  
• The committee has driven forward an initiative that now sees participants in all school trips that involve significant travel being encouraged to make an optional contribution to a carbon offsetting scheme.   
• Meat Free Monday is now a regular occurrence at lunchtime. This encourages pupils to recognises the significant contributions that eating meat makes to adverse emissions.  

• The committee has written and resourced Life Skills Environmental Education lessons for Years 7 to 9. 
• Emanuel has signed up to the Let’s Go Zero pledge to reduce the carbon footprint of the school and we are also working with the Woodland Trust and Eco Schools. 

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The committee has driven forward an initiative that now sees participants in all school trips that involve significant travel being encouraged to make an optional contribution to the Emanuel Ecologi platform to help offset the carbon emissions created. If you would like to be part of our mission to reduce our carbon footprints, you can do so by planting trees or funding green energy projects here.

GENERAL WASTE

Waste arrives at the Energy from Waste facility (EfW).

Waste is fed into the combustion chamber, where the waste is burnt at around 850°C.

The ash created in the chamber known as IBA (Incineration Bottom Ash) is taken for recycling, where this can be used as for road surfacing.

The flue gases are treated to remove toxins and then removed off site.

The power and steam generated is used to power the plant, which in turn generates green electricity which is distributed to the National Grid.

ENVIRONMENTAL MIXED RECYCLING

Waste arrives at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Materials are hand picked and sorted, removing contamination and nonrecyclables.

Card and paper is separated.

Metals are removed by large magnets.

Aluminium cans are separated out.

Glass bottles and jars are separated and finely crushed.

The remaining plastics are separated and baled accordingly.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GENERAL WASTE AND RECYCLING IS COLLECTED ON THE SAME VEHICLE?

If there is an occasion where the general waste and recycling waste is collected from site on the same vehicle, this will get transported back to the transfer station.

This is then either manually sorted before entering the MRF (Mixed Recycling Facility), or picked via the facility (depot dependant).

The MRF has the ability to process large variety of wet and dry materials using innovative technology.

The waste is then processed as the normal process.

FOOD WASTE

Waste arrives at the Anaerobic Digestor and is loaded into the plant.

Waste is then macerated in oxygen free tanks.

Biogas is created from the food waste which is broken down by microorganisms.

Digestate is created and sent out to farmland.

Biogas is cleaned and reprocessed to power the plant.

WOOD WASTE

Waste arrives at the Anaerobic Digestor and is loaded into the plant.

Waste is then macerated in oxygen free tanks.

Biogas is created from the food waste which is broken down by microorganisms.

Digestate is created and sent out to farmland.

Biogas is cleaned and reprocessed to power the plant.

GLASS WASTE

Waste received at MRF Gets pre-treated and removes any paper, plastic and metal.

Gets sorted by colour.

Waste is then crushed, melted and moulded into new products.

Glass does not degrade through the recycling process so it can be recycled again and again.

CONFIDENTIAL WASTE

Confidential waste is collected from site, in a secure vehicle and transported to the shredding facility.

The material is shredded in accordance with GDPR Regulations.

The materials is baled and tied and sent off to be repurposed into new paper products.