Pupils push for green solutions

Recyling in Stirling’s schools and nurseries could be boosted within months say council environmental bosses.

Stirling Council’s audit committee heard that there was a huge appetite for environmentally-friendly initiatives and more recyclables in educational establishments at all levels.

However, pupils especially were anxious to see changes sooner rather than later, with just one school estimated to be using 50,000 single use plastic bottles annually.

The council’s sustainable development manager David

Hopper said his officers were doing “considerable” work, particularly in response to the recent schools’ climate change strikes, and were working with officials in children’s services and facilities staff to improve recycling in schools.

He added: “I’m confident we will start to see the necessary infrastructure put in in the next two to three months. We are targeting primaries, high schools and nurseries.

“We declared a climate change emergency in October and have been thinking about how to engage with the schools and young people. We will come back to council on March 5 to detail how we are taking forward climate emergency planning.

“Front and centre of that is youth. They will carry the burden of the future. We have actually had a number of schools come directly to us suggesting things.”

Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache said ending single use plastics in council buildings was just one topic which was already “hot on the agenda” in schools.

And Tory councillor Martin Earl said he had attended a meeting at McLaren High School in Callander where one suggestion raised was to hold a summit for all the senior pupil teams of the high schools.

“Something else that was raised,” said Councillor Earl, “was the difference between the PPP built schools and the council schools.

“What senior pupils took away was what can and can’t be done directly by the local authority and what has to be negotiated with others. They took away any information about what was actually in the power of the council. There’s a lot of momentum and goodwill out there with the young people but they sometimes don’t know who has the mechanism for what they are asking for, who to contact and who to lobby in some cases. That would be very useful to them.”

Following the meeting, Councillor Tollemache said: “It’s good that there will be a range of initiatives by which the council is looking to reduce Stirling’s carbon usage. I look forward to these being fleshed out and brought before the full council in March.”