Pupils make waste collection count
HUNDREDS of pieces of plastic were collected and catalogued by children at St Wulstan’s Primary School in Great Harwood through the UK’s largest ever plastic survey, The Big Plastic Count.
Students had been tasked with collecting an entire week’s worth of their household plastic waste during their recent holidays.
MP Sara Britcliffe joined the 30 students as they sorted through, studied and recorded data on their wide range of soft and hard plastics.
The school was one of the first in the UK to take part in The Big Plastic Count.
They joined more than 60,000 households and nearly 1,200 school classes nationwide who have pledged to take part in the challenge.
The citizen science project launched by Greenpeace UK and non-profit organisationEveryday Plastic encourages individuals, households, schools, community groups and businesses to count their plastic packaging waste, record the different types they throw away and enter their results into the campaign website.
Headteacher Fiona Hadfield said the children have thoroughly enjoyed developing their understanding of their responsibility to protect our common home.
“They know that in order for the Earth to be protected for their own
and future generations, we have to do all that we can to conserve the beauty of our planet and
they have worked very hard at looking at ways that they can help,” she said.
She continued: “This has included making eco-bricks, eco-benches, eco-animals, crisp packet blankets, planting apple trees, speaking to our local MP and much more.”