A team of intrepid environmentalists at Sherburn High School have set up a steering group to address the issue of plastic waste at the school. In their bid to make the school lead the way with plastic recycling, they have today presented their research findings to the Head Teacher Maria Williams. The group of Year 7 students, who have met every week for the past two months to discuss plastic waste and carry out relevant research, have named themselves ‘The Ocean Rescue Team’ and with the help of their Geography teachers Mr Sladen and Mr Featherstone, are determined to change how the school uses and recycles plastics.
Through their research, they have discovered the devastating effects that plastics are having on the World’s oceans and more disturbingly, that we are consuming the fish that consumes the plastic; they are worried where this will end, not only for the planet but also humanity. On a more positive note, they found out that the food retailer ‘Iceland’ is the first to pledge a plastic-free aisle, with all their own products packaged differently to reduce the ‘scourge of plastic’. This has inspired the group to take action in school, they have asked the Head Teacher to provide plastic recycling bins and will be talking to the catering manager to see what can be done to reduce packaging used for sandwiches etc.
After listening to the presentation, the Head Teacher tasked the group with finding out how much special recycling bins would cost and carrying out a survey to find out if students think we have enough water fountains and filling stations for them to access drinks throughout the day.
A spokesperson for the group, Bobby McNicholas commented:
It’s extremely sad to see so much wildlife in our oceans dying and knowing that we contribute to this. We are determined to help put a stop to this; we want to come away from this knowing that we are the best plastic aware school in the area!
Ben Featherstone, Geography Teacher commented:
After watching Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2 on the BBC, we were all shocked and saddened to see the devastation our addiction to plastic is causing to our oceans. It is refreshing to see such dedication from the Year 7 Sherburn Ocean Rescue Team in their attempts to make Sherburn High School more “plastic aware” and they have some great long-term plans to look forward to. Their enthusiasm is inspiring for all of us and it was great to hear such positive feedback from Mrs Williams after their presentation and I’m sure the Ocean Rescue Team will use her advice to ensure huge successes with their efforts.