Independent school leads city drive to zero-waste policy

Staff at Bootham School are pursuing the groundbreaking waste policy, which is due to be launched at the end of next month.

Rubbish will either be recycled or sold to waste companies to save as much as £6,000 a year by avoiding landfill taxes. Any remaining rubbish will be taken to energy-from-waste plants to produce green electricity.

The school’s residential services manager, Graham Atkin, said: “There is a lot of talk among different organisations about their green credentials, but I really wanted to prove that Bootham School is doing its bit for the environment.

“We are one of the first schools to look into this, and it really is exciting. Hopefully it will build some momentum and other schools will come on board.”

The school has once again obtained a Green Flag status from the Eco-Schools charity after securing the accolade in 2007 for its work in protecting the environment.

Initiatives have included a ban on plastic cups – saving the use of 160,000 cups each year – and introducing a carbon off-setting scheme to counterbalance UK school trips.