We created an action plan from the results of our audit, deciding to focus initially on the amount of stationary used in our classrooms. Children commented that when a pen has run out or is broken, it is thrown into the main waste bin in the classroom. Our audit results show a high amount of stationary is being used on a daily basis which equates to a lot of plastic waste. We had used Terracycle in the past for a crisp packet recycling scheme and decided to look into whether they could recycle stationary - they can! The children wanted to set this up straight away.
Another problem we face is the glue used in classrooms. Although the glue container is refillable, the plastic container itself is not recyclable. The rubber roller on top of the glue also breaks and then the container can't be used. We have no way of recycling these. The children would like to research a better solution and will speak to the Headmaster about cost implications in the first instance.
In addition to this, although it wasn't part of the audit, many children had noticed that there was more litter around the school grounds because children were eating their 'lunch box' snacks at breaktime. This led to a discussion around how to tackle this and an action plan for that was discussed! We need more bins around the site and the children would like to buy our own equipment for litter picking (currently we borrow equipment from the Parish Council for our termly litter picks around the village).
