The Last Straw: Harold Hill pupils save 277 straws from landfill and swap single-use plastic for refillable bottles
Pupils at St Ursula's Catholic Junior School have embarked on a major project to reduce their use of plastic. - Credit: Archant
By 2050 it is estimated there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
Pupils at St Ursula's Catholic Junior School have embarked on a major project to reduce their use of plastic. - Credit: Archant
Students at St Ursula’s Catholic Junior School in Straight Road, heard this news during an assembly and decided to embark on a major project to reduce their use of plastic and become more environmentally friendly.
Out of 240 students, 236 - 98per cent - are now using refillable bottles instead of single-use bottles.
Lianne Claydon, music and science lead at the school, told the Recorder: “We are really proud of our achievement and the enthusiasm shown by our children.
“By joining the #OneLessBTL campaign we made a serious pledge to reduce our use of plastic.
Pupils at St Ursula's Catholic Junior School have embarked on a major project to reduce their use of plastic. - Credit: Archant
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“As of last week we have got of all of the children using refillable water bottles with is a huge achievement.
“The whole school has really got on board with the project.”
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Since September 2018 the pupils have taken part in a number of projects, including creating posters about protecting the environment to be displayed in local shops, litter picks in Harold Hill and letter writing to KFC and Capri Sun asking them to reduce their use of straws.
A letter was also sent to Sir David Attenborough, and Sea World in Orlando as the centre inspired the children to do a straw count.
Pupils from Year 4 did a straw count and managed to save 277 straws from ending up in landfill in a week.
With the help of Michaela Edgar from Keep Britain Tidy and Mrs Nightinghill, the pupils turned the straws into a piece of plastic art which they called The Last Straw.
Michaela also helped the students deliver workshops to their parents about recycling plastic and other materials.
Mr Ashburn, deputy headteacher, said: “This eco initiative has helped develop in our students a desire to take responsibility for their impact on the environment around them.
“Nothing does more to encourage our children to be eco-friendly than for them to see at first-hand the litter being left on the streets of our local community and the large quantities of single-use plastic being thrown away.
“The staff of St Ursula’s Catholic Federation are extremely proud of the efforts made by our pupils.”
The school’s next move is to share their work with other local schools to encourage more people to join the #OneLessBTL movement.
