Recycling workshops and events

About our recycling workshops

Are you looking to boost recycling in your school, community group, or business? We offer a variety of free workshops and events to help you meet your sustainability goals. 

Email environmentaloutreach@belfastcity.gov.uk to learn more or book a session.

Community initiatives

We can visit community groups, businesses and other organisations to provide waste and recycling workshops, including:

• engaging recycling talks and seminars.
• cookery demonstrations showing how to reduce food waste.
• informal coffee morning chats.
• information stands at local events.

We can also create tailored sessions for your group based on your requirements. 

Email environmentaloutreach@belfastcity.gov.uk for more information or to book a visit.

School recycling education programme

We offer a comprehensive, curriculum-linked recycling programme for schools—completely free of charge. Our sessions support the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award and can be adapted to your school’s goals.

Key stage 1

Our programme includes:

• Outdoor environmental games - using games and activities to learn about litter, recycling and nature (30 minutes).
• The story of paper - a recycling talk with a specific focus on paper (30 minutes).
• Dig for Victory - compares recycling and food waste issues today with those during World War II (30-45 minutes, and can include an optional planting activity). 

Key stage 2

Our programme includes:

• Environmental trail – outdoor session with pupils, in groups, working their way through 14 rhyming clues and working out the answers as they go, followed by environmental games (45 minutes).
• General recycling talk (30 minutes).
• Paper making workshop - turn your classroom into a paper recycling factory (60 minutes).
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle quiz - interactive recycling quiz (45 minutes).

We can also adapt programmes based on your requirements, for example, to focus on a particular material or waste-related issue. 

Key stage 3

Our programme includes: 

• Let’s talk rubbish - a debating workshop where pupils get the chance to air their views on a range of current litter and recycling issues.
• Designing the Circular Economy (aimed at technology classes in year 9 and 10). Students learn more about the circular economy and, working in groups, design their own new product or service that must adhere to circular economy principles, including ease of repair, durability, materials used and recyclability. 

Further and Higher Education

We also offer sessions for students and staff in colleges and universities.

Email environmentaloutreach@belfastcity.gov.uk to book a session.

Free wormeries for schools and community organisations

Turn food waste into compost with a free Worm Works wormery, available to schools and community organisations in the Belfast City Council area. 

Each wormery kit includes:

• a wormery,
• one kilogram of composting worms, and
• a digital information pack about how to set your womery up, what to feed the worms and answers to common questions.

The design of the wormery makes it easy to use, to see what the worms are doing and to extract the finished compost.

How to apply

There are a limited number of wormeries available on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. Applications are only open to schools and community organisations in the Belfast City Council area. This scheme is not open to individuals or households.

You can apply by emailing environmentaloutreach@belfastcity.gov.uk