Packaging producer compliance scheme Wastepack has partnered with two Essex schools to help children tackle plastic waste and improve their recycling.
Pupils at Forest Hall School in Stanstead – where the compliance scheme is based – are hoping to reduce their plastic consumption.
Pupils and staff at Richard de Clare Community Academy with their new general waste and mixed recycling bins
Wastepack has funded reusable water bottles for all the students, which has halved their single-use bottle sales.
Along with water fountains and bottles of fruit squash in the canteen this has saved around 2,400 bottles a month.
An audit by the secondary school’s eco-club showed that their recycling was often contaminated because students were unsure what could and couldn’t be recycled. New signs are being developed to teach the children how to recycle correctly.
WEEE
Wastepack has also provided the school with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) bins and is encouraging both students and their families to bring small waste electrical items to school for recycling, such as broken toys, old kettles or electric toothbrushes.
A student from the eco club said: “I think it is important to cut down our single-use plastic use for the survival of the planet and future generations”.
“I don’t see what the dolphins did to us, why should we make them literally be bottle-nosed?” added another.
Forest Hall School have signed up to the Plastic Clever School campaign, which was developed by the charity Kids Against Plastic led by Ella and Amy Meek, aged 13 and 15. Wastepack announced it would be supporting the charity in June this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Richard de Clare Community Academy in Halstead is also becoming more sustainable with Wastepack’s help.
Recycling
“The children are delighted with their new bins, showing affection for the cute characters. This is bound to be a great start in keeping them fed with rubbish”
Its new residual waste and mixed recycling bins have been sponsored by the company – the school hopes the bins will encourage pupils to recycle in the playground the same materials they would recycle at home.
Richard de Clare is already proactive in its efforts to engage students with recycling. The school composts any food waste, provides recycling bins in classrooms and is part of BIC and TerraCycle’s pen and pencil recycling scheme.
Sarah Donnelly, head teacher at Richard de Clare Community Academy said she was delighted to work with Wastepack to provide fun and practical waste solutions.
She added: “The delivery of the bins marks the start of our work together to educate and raise awareness of environmental issues.
“The children are delighted with their new bins, showing affection for the cute characters. This is bound to be a great start in keeping them fed with rubbish”.
Both schools hope that Wastepack’s help will allow them to move towards Schools Secretary Damian Hinds’ target for all schools being free of single-use plastic by 2022.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
