Pupils join in plastic pick up campaign
PUPILS from a primary school in Widnes showed their shared commitment to their plastic pledge.
Supported by staff members from the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust, children from Lunt’s Heath Primary School, along with parents and teachers, have been collecting plastic waste and other rubbish washed in by the River Mersey tide along the Widnes Warth salt marshes.
The ambitious pledge, devised by the School Council, includes the desire to cut the school’s use of single use plastic by 50% in one year. They also want to help educate families and members of the comminuty of the global damage being inflicted by plastic pollution.
By raising awareness of this issue, the school hopes to encourage other children and school’s to join forces with them in making a differece.
Headteacher Andrew Williams said “This is a real life problem that demands the attention of everybody. For us to collect a skip full of plastic within 45 minutes from right on our doorstep is hugely concerning and clearly demonstrates the extent of the problem facing us. Our aim today is to begin changing a culture by saying that plastic is no longer cool! By spreading awareness of plastic pollution and how it is affecting the food chain we are trying to empower our children.
For the sake of our future it is essential we understand that the production and consumption of disposable plastic is not sustainable and that it will be impossible for them to grow up enjoying all that the world can offer if we sit back and do nothing.
“So when we heard of ● Mersey Gateway’s community collections to protect the local environment, we were only too keen to play our part. The extent of the problem has revealed itself today; it has been a real shock and eye opener for us all.”
Annie Hesketh, a pupil at Lunts Heath said: “I was surprises how much rubbish we found in one small spot and how much rubbish there mst be around the whole of Widnes.”
Andrea Drewitt, biodiversity manager at the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust, said: “Our Plastic Resolution project has been running the since spring 2017. So far, with the help of local schools and businesses, we have cleared a total of 74 cubic metres of waste of the salt marsh in the Mersey Estuary.
It is great to see schools like Lunt’s Heath Primary School being so proactive in their pledge on plastic and it was a pleasure to invite children, their parents and teachers out onto the saltmarsh to help us make a difference. By working together with our community the trust is able to highlight the effects and benefits that a small amount of time spent on activities like these, and with the enthusiasm of children and adults, we can make a long-lasting difference to our environment.”