Eco Educate Newsletter Nov 25

November 2025

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hau

“He mātai whakaōhio, he kaiako i te ara whakamua”

“Be a learner, a teacher on the pathforward”

Classroom Packages & Resources for 2026

We have a ‘Rethink Journey’ package which can be personalised for each school & preschool to work at their own pace as part of their sustainability curriculum.

Education on Recycling, Water Cycle, Worm Farming, Rethinking Waste . . .

School Visits

Active Explorers, Kaiapoi

This term, we returned to this preschool, and it was wonderful to reconnect with such enthusiastic young learners. The children explored howprecious our water resources are and discovered simple ways they can help protect them every day. They planted vegetables at their Kaiapoi Food Forestand learned that watering can be a challenge so together, we createdwatering can lids to help them use water wisely.

We also showed them how to reuse wool packing as a natural garden resource and how to weave cabbage tree leaves into mulch mats tohelp plants retain moisture. Through these hands-on activities, the children learned about watering wisely, caring for their plants, and understanding that every drop counts. A favourite activity was making their own mini watering cans, which theycan proudly use to give their seedlings just the right amount ofwater.

Seed Saving for a Greener Future!

We loved being part of the Waimakariri Libraries seed saving workshops, turning old magazines into seed envelopes and using truly biodegradable paper pots. Together we’re helping reduce plastic waste and grow a moresustainable community!

diverted

Community/School Events

diverted

85% diverte November/ December

He WakaTapuWhanauDay

Ashburton Domain 82% diverted

Light up the night – East Street 85% diverted

Please remember to bring your own cup, plate & utensils to events

New Zealand Clean Up Week 19 – 25 September

It’s always a privilege to be a part of thisevent. This year approximately 15 volunteers collected 100 kg of rubbish/litter in just 2.5 hours.

Lovely helpers at the litter clean up at Ashley River. Environment Canterbury Regional Parks

Hope Community Trust for the food

Thank you everyone

New Education Space

We’re thrilled to acknowledge The Hope Community Trust for our new Education Space. On the 16th of October, they held their garden opening and invited us to help prep some new edibles! Together, we installed raised beds with a clever water-retention system using plastic containers, broken tiles, and old cotton sheets to keep soil moist for longer. There’s been a lot of progress in the garden since then.

Workshops like these are all about rethinking waste, building skills, and having fun as a community. We’re so grateful to Hope Community Trust for making this possible and for helping usgrow not just gardens, but stronger community connections too.

Going forward, we’re excited to continue hosting eventsand education sessions in this space, sharing hands-on learning opportunities for all ages.

Want to hear about our next events? Message us with your email to join our mailing list and stay updated!

Community Speaking

We can provide education and entertaining speakers to groups and are funded by our district councils. So, cost you nothing in Waimakariri and Ashburton districts. Get in touch and book us please.

BOOK TODAY!

Test Your Knowledge – Take The Quiz

In the last email we shared information about the ‘Great Date Debate’.

Good News!

There are 15 $100 grocery vouchers to be won! Entries close 30 November 2025, however, the quiz will live on indefinitely. Scan the QC code to take part. Learn more at Love Food Hate Waste

Snap Send Solve

Roaming stock, potholes or an overflowing rubbish bin are just some of the issues you can tell the Council about, using Snap Send Solve.

Simply take a photo of the issue, write a note and send it all to the Council. The location is automatically identified using the phone's GPS data. Just make sure you send the photo straight away, rather than waiting until you gethome. Snap Send Solve will provide Ashburton District Council with your email address, along with the type of incident, notes, address of the incident, photoand your contact details.

Snap Send Solve | Ashburton DistrictCouncil Download: Apple | Android

Myth Buster

Kerbside bins should be placed at least 50cm apart from one another to be collected,and the same distance away from trees, poles, cars and other obstructions. Hint: you should be able to stand between your bins

Myth:

Flattening cans and plastic bottles create more space in my kerbside bin.

TRUE, BUT PLEASE DON’T

Items are optically sorted on conveyor belts. With elevators traveling in multiple directions, shaking machines, blowers, cogs etc, it is clear how contamination like soft plastics, for instance, could create havoc.

The staff are kept very busy removing all the contamination that they can but as hard as they work sneaky items can slip through.

A flattened plastic bottle (left) and loose can lid (right) were mechanically sortedinto the paper stream and ended up in the paper bale

Let’s make their job a little easier by not flattening cans or plastic bottles before itgoes in the bin.

The Ashburton Eco-Education Centre – Drop-in Day/Times

Come in for a chat & a wander around. Check out our new additions.

Open Tuesdays

10:30am to 11:30 & 3:30 pm to 4:30pm

In addition, when you see these flags out across from resale shop at Ashburton Resource RecoveryPark, pop in and say “Hi”.

Range Street - Gate 2.

Would you like to see our worm farm set up?

This is where the compostable items (mostly cardboard boxes & paper napkins from food vendors) that we divert from events goes. Lovely worm juice travels out the tap onto the garden or can be collected.

Recycling Reminder to Everyone!

Recycling must be clean and dry! If possible, store your bin in a sheltered area and secure with only one lid strap.

Clean paper (flat paper and larger than an envelope) (Paper towels and tissues are rubbish as their fibres are too short for recycling, and commonlydirty.)

Clean cardboard (flat cardboard and larger than an envelope). Clean tin cans.

Clean aluminium cans.

Clean hard plastic 1, 2 and 5 (larger than a small individual yoghurt pottle and up to a 4-litre container).

ALL lids are rubbish - that is small lids off bottles and flat lids from margarine/ice cream container lids and tin lids. Leave bottles and cans in their natural shape - please do not flatten them.

Download the full list of what can go in your bins 20867-Bin-itRight-list-update.pdf from the Ashburton District Council website. For Waimakariri District Council Sticker-RethinkRubbish-Bin-Lids-2023-Q4-Update-A5-Recycling_WEB.pdf

Stay safe, keep in touch, and we will see you soon.

manager@ecoeducate.co.nz mob:027 272 1368 www.facebook.com/ecoeducate

www.ecoeducate.co.nz