From Landfill to Learning Lab: How Woodridge State High School Joined the Circular Economy

There's a principle in LEAN thinking that separates the organisations that transform from the ones that tinker: start with the end in mind.

Not the end of the project. The end of the waste. The end of the skills gap. The end of young people leaving school with no connection to the industries that need them most.

That's exactly where Climate Action Schools started when we partnered with Woodridge State High School.

We built the whole thing first

Most pilots test a concept. We tested a complete system.

Climate Action SchoolsJules McMurtrie17 September 2026Divert and Earn, Woodridge SHS, Live operational environment, industry partnerships, Student PathwaysComment

The Circular Revolution is here — and it's already working

Two Queensland schools quietly did something remarkable over the past 18 months. They stopped sending money to landfill.

One of them — Woodridge State High School — diverted 76% of their waste from landfill, saved $27,000 in waste costs and earned $6,000 in circular income. When their business manager Andrew left over 12 months ago, they were sitting at 56% diversion. Without him, without a champion pushing it, the number didn't fall. It climbed. They're now at 76% and still improving. That's not a pilot program result. That's a system working exactly as it should. Andrew recently shared these learnings at the School Business Managers Conference on the Gold Coast.

Climate Action SchoolsJules McMurtrie15 September 2026Divert and Earn, Aluminium cans, white paper, recycling, Circular economy, The cleanersComment