Kenmore Park Kindy & Cardboard Capers on Channel 10

Recycling waste materials is not a new concept, however re-purposing and recycling with a product stewardship commitment forms the basis of the Cardboard Capers concept.

The children have been immersed in sustainable practices at Kindy this term and have teamed up with QUT architectural students to collaborate on a cardboard recycling program.

The QUT students have been designing and creating interesting pieces using 100% recyclable cardboard. The idea was the brain child of Mark Thompson, a passionate advocate for sustainable practices.

He wanted to see cardboard reused effectively prior to it being recycled, and offered the design ideas to his QUT students. the pieces are then enjoyed by our kindergarten children to be used in our play. Already the forces of gravity and friction have been discussed following the upright pin ball machine made entirely from recyclable cardboard… the children experimented with different sized and textured balls and tested them as to which ball would be the fastest,the most successful on the run… They tested these predictions and found the lumpy ball held to the track much more successfully than the smooth sleek ball!

These Sustainable Solution objects were ” road tested” at Kenmore Park Kindergarten on the morning of July 19th under the supervision of Childcare Director Annie Kelly and recorded by Channel 10.
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The Cardboard Capers initiative is developing a program to ensure all cardboard provided is retrieved and recycled once the children have enjoyed (and potentially destroyed) the temporary cardboard objects.
The intention is to continually supply new cardboard elements to provide educational and play benefits for the children. By intervening with the usual waste disposal process, additional value is achieved in the life of the cardboard before it is finally redirected for recycling. This intervention has the following benefits:

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design students get the opportunity to create new designs and experience first hand knowledge how their designs are received by clients (children!)
the cardboard is re-purposed and it’s product life and value is increased by fulfilling another function prior to recycling
kindergarten children learn to understand that waste products are valuable and they actively participate in the recycling chain process
the waste collection costs at the car repair shop are reduced as lessor quantities of waste are processed.
the cardboard is recycled by ” cardboard capers” and not potentially contaminated as may happen in the Car Body shop waste skip.
the process is an example of ” product stewardship” where materials are responsibly managed and disposed of with minimum environmental impact.
the process is intended to be an example of practical sustainability implementation and to provide community leadership to encourage others to find better uses for waste materials. It is hoped that the Cardboard Capers initiative will be developed and expanded to other Brisbane preschools and kindergartens.

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