Pupils take part in the Big Plastic Count

Pupils at Beech Hill Community Primary School, Wigan, have been finding out how to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics within their community as they participated in The Big Plastic Count to find out the plastic footprint of their homes and were concerned about the amount of waste that ends up in landfill and in oceans.As a result of their work, some children were invited to a Youth Empowerment Day in Westminster led by Greenpeace, where they learned about the United Nations’ drive to protect the environment, with175 nations agreeing to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution policy. This would be a major step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use and disposal. The children spent the afternoon discussing environmental impact issue with MPs and asking the UK government to sign up to the Global Plastic Treaty by the end of the year.Back in school, other classes have been exploring the ethics behind plastic waste and recycling. Pupils designed posters, created items from plastic waste and read inspirational stories about plastic in other countries. The whole school has enjoyed working on ideas for not only raising awareness of plastic pollution but how to reuse and repurpose plastic for the greater good.