Cutting back on plastic is high on the agenda for primary school pupils
Flitch Green Academy's school parliament and members of the Great Dunmow Round Table celebrating the official opening of the water fountain. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: Archant
Primary school pupils at Flitch Green Academy are leading the fight against plastic, having banned single-use water bottles from their school, revamped the waste system and secured a new water fountain.
Head teacher, Nathan Lowe, officially opening the new fountain. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: Archant
Last year, a team of 12 pupils and a teacher, who form the school parliament, decided to reduce the amount of plastic used in school and increase the amount recycled.
Head teacher Nathan Lowe said: "Many children from the school watched Blue Planet on television and were upset to see the devastating effect our plastic has on the world around us. The children's primary concern was protecting the environment, especially animals."
Significant targets met by the school parliament include working with a milk company to provide the school with reusable cups and recyclable milk bottles, writing to parents and explaining ways to reduce plastic in school lunches after calculating the amount of plastic produced if no changes were made, and running an assembly to encourage their peers to choose options with less plastic for their lunches.
With the help of teachers, the children planned a recycling day, set up litter pick teams and removed waste general bins from the playground, encouraging fellow students to throw away food waste in designated bins.
Children queing up to use the water fountain for the first time. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: Archant
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The parliament also introduced a ban on single-use plastic water bottles, after calculating that 16,580 bottles would be used in a year at the school. Thanks to a donation from Great Dunmow Round Table, an outdoor water fountain and bottle filler was installed on the playground before the new school year.
Mr Lowe said: "We are grateful for the support from the round table in helping our school parliament to install the fountain. The children work hard to make a difference to the school community and this is a striking example of this. Reducing plastic waste is high on everyone's agenda, so it's wonderful to see the youngest members of our community making a difference."
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Great Dunmow Round Table chairman, Joe Hancock, said "This is a great initiative and it's fantastic to see ideas like these that have been driven by young people at the school."
