Information for schools
Mackay Regional Council provides education officers who are able to provide tailored presentations or sessions with students in the areas of water and waste.
Water
School Group Visits
The Water Education Program is a free, fun and interactive program that can be delivered in the classroom. The program provides students with an insight to our local water story, the water cycle and the journey water takes to reach our taps. It also provides students with valuable information on water conservation practices around the home and at school. It is the perfect way to start, extend or culminate a classroom unit!
Water Savers School Auditing Program
The Water Savers School Auditing Program is designed to help your school identify the areas where water is being wasted by performing a water audit. The audit is a great way to get your entire school community involved in water monitoring and saving. The program also encourages schools to commit to reducing water consumption through the development of a water savers plan. For more information on the auditing progam contact council's Water Education Officer.
Mackay South Water Recycling Facility Tours for High School Students
Tours of the Mackay South Wastewater Treatment Plant are available for high school students from years 8 – 12. At the Wastewater Treatment Plant students will learn about the process involved in treating the city’s wastewater to produce Class A recycled water for farm irrigation. The tour can also involve viewing a 2,200ML recycled water storage dam.
To make a booking contact council's Water Education Officer.
Resources
There are many great resources available to compliment your classroom unit. The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) 'Water: Learn it for life' package is a comprehensive curriculum resource incorporating lesson plans, activities and background information for teachers. It is also accompanied by a range of great resources.
Waste
Recycling Education Centre
The Recycling Education Centre provides fun, informative and first-hand recycling education for school and community groups and is a free service provided by Mackay Regional Council and Veolia.
Visits to the centre are an interesting and interactive learning experience for both school and community groups.
The recycling education centre is located at the Materials Recovery Facility in Paget. This is where the recyclables are processed once collected through Mackay’s recycling kerbside collection service (the yellow lidded bins).
Visitors to the centre get a first hand look at the recycling process, making the learning experience far greater than in the classroom. Visits to the centre are an opportunity to learn more about recycling, simple steps to recycle right, and the long term benefits for the environment and the Mackay community.
School Group Visits
The half hour visit starts with a discussion about the importance of recycling and what materials can and can't be recycled through Mackay’s kerbside collection service.
Following the discussion, students will learn about the recycling process and how the Materials Recovery Facility operates through viewing a series of closed circuit television cameras located around the facility.
Students will then be taken to a viewing room, where they can see first hand through large glass windows the facility in operation.
To maximise the students experience it is suggested to schedule your visit between 10am and 3pm.
To organise a visit, or for a free copy of the Recycling Education Centre promotional brochure contact council’s Environmental Education Officer.
Community Group Visits
The experience for community groups is similar to that of the school group visit, however depending on the time of day arranged for the visit, the group may request to take a walking tour through the facility.
To organise a visit, or for a free copy of the Recycling Education Centre promotional brochure contact council’s Environmental Education Officer.