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Plastic Clever Challenge Status
| Challenge Status: Level 1 | Date joined: 2024-10-29 | |||||||||||||||
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Plastic Clever Badges
| Challenge Status: Active (Round 1) |
| Plastic Clever Badges Awarded |
| Not yet completed |
Competitions
Details of a new competition are coming soon.
Evidence Uploaded
Video – why we would like to be a plastic clever school
Two students explain why Westerings Primary Academy would like to become a plastic clever school!
Level 3 – photo of our campaign in action
In each of our classes, we discussed ways we could reduce or completely remove single use plastic from our school day. We few this back to our school councillors. Have a look at our video evidence for Level 3 to see what changes we made!
Level 3 – which items we have replaced with re-usables
See an excerpt from our action plan. It shows which items we focused on replacing and how:
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Plastic wrapping on packed lunch items |
Input from parents to reduce pre-packaged snacks and the kitchen team to explore alternative options for in-house packed lunches. |
Raise awareness through newsletters, assemblies, and workshops for parents. Suggest eco-friendly packaging alternatives. |
A noticeable decrease in plastic wrapping in lunchboxes and the school kitchen uses less pre-packaged plastic. |
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Single-use cutlery in the canteen |
Approval from leadership to purchase reusable cutlery and additional help from the kitchen team for cleaning and maintenance. |
Transition to metal or compostable cutlery. Install washing stations to make cleaning more efficient. |
Single-use cutlery is eliminated, and the school successfully maintains reusable cutlery without issues. |
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Single-use water bottles |
Support from staff to promote the use of reusable bottles and permission from leadership to stop providing bottled water at events. |
Encourage pupils and staff to bring reusable bottles. Install water refill stations around the school. |
No single-use water bottles are seen on site, and everyone is regularly using refillable bottles. |
Level 3 – celebration video 1 (reusable bottles)
This video shows our school councillors explaining how we no longer have any children using single use plastic in school to drink water. All children bring in a reusable bottle and they are also able to get a metal one with the school logo on it!
Level 3 – celebration video – no more plastic cutlery and bags for lunch
Here, the school councillors are showing our cutlery, which is metal and reusable now. We also use special bags. Don’t be fooled by their appearance, they aren’t plastic, they are fully compostable so they don’t cost the earth! Save our seas!
Action Plan
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, our school completed a comprehensive plastic pollution project, aimed at raising awareness about the impact of plastic waste on our local and global ecosystems. Pupils engaged in an investigation of the types of plastic waste present in our school environment, using interactive tools like the Plastic Waste Audit. This activity enabled students to identify key problem plastics and think critically about how they could reduce their use and impact. They also learned about the wider issue of plastic pollution through educational resources, such as factsheets on the effects of plastic on marine life and the 5 Gyres.
Building on this knowledge, the pupils worked collaboratively to create action plans that focused on reducing and preventing plastic waste in school. They were encouraged to consider the 6 Rs—Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Rethink—as they developed their campaigns. This project not only equipped the students with practical skills to tackle plastic pollution but also empowered them to make a tangible difference in their school community, reinforcing the importance of sustainability and collective action.
Audit evidence
Plastic Pollution Project: School-Wide Plastic Audit
To address single-use plastics in our school, we carried out a thorough plastic audit with input from pupils, staff, and key teams such as catering and senior leaders. Using a straightforward audit tool, pupils identified where single-use plastics are being used by observing the school environment and gathering information.
This practical activity not only highlighted areas for improvement but also gave pupils the chance to develop leadership skills by engaging with staff and collecting data. With guidance from the audit tool, they took an important step towards reducing plastic waste in our school community. 🌍♻️
We also carried out the audit class by class, paste this link into a search engine to see our results – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J8AAo_ySvqe2gWQ7Wb5jjIC0nMA1ZyfVqdMFWe2NUJk/edit?usp=sharing
Audit evidence
Plastic Pollution Project: School-Wide Plastic Audit
To address single-use plastics in our school, we carried out a thorough plastic audit with input from pupils, staff, and key teams such as catering and senior leaders. Using a straightforward audit tool, pupils identified where single-use plastics are being used by observing the school environment and gathering information.
This practical activity not only highlighted areas for improvement but also gave pupils the chance to develop leadership skills by engaging with staff and collecting data. With guidance from the audit tool, they took an important step towards reducing plastic waste in our school community. 🌍♻️