About SCRAP

SCRAP (School Communities Recycling All Paper) Ltd is a Public Company Limited by Guarantee - that means we are not listed on the stock exchange and we are non-profit. Any money we make is put back into helping schools and other non-profit community bodies improve their environmental programs and to create jobs.

SCRAP began around fifteen years ago when three teachers (including John Burn our current Deputy Chairman and Peter Carroll our Company Secretary) decided they had seen enough paper thrown out with the garbage to last a lifetime. They approached the big paper recycling companies to organise a proper system for paper recycling in schools.

Starting with just eight schools in 1991, SCRAP grew quickly, reaching 100 schools within eighteen months of starting.

Today, SCRAP's membership has reached around 1500 active, recycling educational bodies including schools, colleges, child care centres and universities and 1000 other non-profit and government bodies and businesses. SCRAP covers around one half of all schools in NSW and the ACT.

SCRAP does more than just recycle paper, it also helps schools and other organisations to understand more about helping the environment. Some of our other programs include:

• Green Waste Reduction
• Solid Waste Auditing
• Cartridge Recycling
• Recycled Product Purchasing - Green Buys
• Sustainable Schools Program

See the Programs section to find out more about these programs.

Just what does SCRAP believe in?

SCRAP is based on the idea that by starting with issues that everyone can take action on, we can do something to improve the environment and save the planet. Many environmental issues seem so huge that some people feel it is useless to try to change anything.

We don't think this way.

We would like people to realise that by doing their bit they can help to change the way things are and, most importantly, they can change themselves - become empowered, understand how things work and how things can change. In the words of the writer E.F Schumacher "Small is beautiful".

When we started with paper recycling it was not because we thought paper recycling would change the world but because in schools paper is the most wasted product. Before the 3R's (Reduce - Reuse - Recycle) came along, schools used to throw out virtually all their paper products. Paper accounts for about 30% of the whole wastestream in most schools and up to 70% in many offices! Nearly all of it can be reused and/or recycled.

SCRAP therefore started out to develop a reliable system for recycling paper and then moved on to other areas of waste reduction and to other environmental aspects including energy, water and biodiversity. We are convinced that if students understand the importance of recovering useful resources, rather than treating used items as rubbish, they will change their habits. This seems like a small adjustment to make but it is really major!

We have found that in most schools this adjustment can easily take a year and in many cases several years, before students, teachers and the rest of the school community actually change their habits. It is about a change of attitude really - a shift from the "Throwaway Society" to the "Conserver Society". But it requires having a system in the school (or the home, workplace, club, wherever) which is reliable and integrated.

What do we mean by this? Well, first the system has to be easy for everyone to use, with the right sort of collection boxes, storage and a method of collection both inside the school and to take it all away from the school on a regular basis for recycling. That is where the 'integrated' part comes in. It is vital that the school teaches everyone how to do it and makes sure that the methods of doing it are part of the normal routine of the school.

SCRAP is also about expanding the viewpoint. We have always tried to be holistic (well-rounded, covering the range of issues). Therefore, when we talk of recycling paper, we also recommend using recycled products, especially recycled paper. In our Green Buys Catalogue section you can find a large range of environmentally-friendly products and services which schools and individuals can purchase. We keep costs as low as possible to help people obtain these items.

We don't just talk about buying, we also talk about those other two "R's" in the 3R's - Reduce and Reuse. What do they mean?

To reduce means to actually use less. In the wealthy countries of the world people use massive amounts of resources. We have an opulent lifestyle (rich living) compared to most people in the world. For example, the average Australian uses around eight times as many resources as the average person in Africa. As a result, the world is running out of resources very quickly. We need to cut down. By reducing our consumption, buying environmentally-friendly products and services, reusing everything which can be reused and recycling the remainder we can make a difference. We can leave a healthy planet for future generations to inherit - BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

If you want to join SCRAP or find out about joining or getting involved with us please refer to the Membership section.

Environmental Savings
In 15 years SCRAP members have recycled over 60,000 tonnes of paper products which has saved around 240,000 cubic metres of landfill, over 780,000 trees, around 150,000 barrels of oil, 1,900,000 mega litres of water and 246,000 megawatts of energy!

Contact Details: School Communities Recycling All Paper Ltd ABN 40 079 741 227 C/o Holsworthy High School, Huon Cr., Holsworthy 2173 Ph: 02 9825 1062 Fax: 02 9825 6972 Email: support@scrapltd.com.au