SCHOOLS in Cork city and county are to take part in an innovative waste management scheme - and the local authorities hope pupils will take the lessons they learn about waste at school into their own homes.
The scheme was presented yesterday by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Alderman Jim Corr. The chairman of Cork County Council, Mr Michael Harrington, said: "We want the message to go out from the schools, from the individual pupils and teachers, to their families, to their neighbours, to their villages or towns or suburbs as the case may be - there are right ways and effective ways of managing waste.
"We must all play our part in making this venture a success - it is the least we can do for those who will come after us."
The scheme is loosely based on the ISO 9000 Quality Award for Industry. Schools will carry out an "environmental audit", and those who prove to have an environmentally sound waste management scheme will be awarded a green flag for three years - they will submit a progress report each year. Each successful school will receive a certificate to display on their premises.
It is hoped good practice will spill over into the students' homes, helping the overall strategy in the county for waste management.
The scheme was set up after consultations with principals and vice-principals of schools in the city and county area. A pilot scheme is to be run in nine schools: Boherbue Comprehensive School Christ the King Secondary School, Douglas; Colaiste Treasa, Kanturk; Davis College, Mallow; Kinsale Community School; Sacred Heart Convent, Clonakilty; St Angela's School, Cork; St Brogan's Secondary School, Bandon; and St Vincent's Secondary School, Cork.
The schools scheme involves a special advertising campaign in which a newsletter will be published several times annually and delivered to each household in the city and county.
Meanwhile, an educational video on waste management will be sent to all schools in the area.
Both the local authorities stress the schools initiative is an important part of a new waste management strategy for Cork. They hope it will help ensure the waste management plan into the next millennium is taken on board by the wider community.