Youngsters bottle top collection will be winner for school team and marine litter
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Children at a Bristol junior school are taking part in a pilot scheme which will help them understand the problems of marine and beach litter whilst giving their netball team a chance to shine on the court with a brand new kit made from plastic bottles!
Filton Avenue Junior School is among the first of a number of schools taking part in the Bottle Champions Recycling Campaign - a partnership scheme between the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Plastics 2020 Challenge, an industry group focussed on diverting plastic from landfill and preventing littering.
MCS Litter Policy Officer, Sue Kinsey, says the initiative is a real first: “We believe it’s first time that the plastics industry and an environmental charity have worked together in this way. The project is a fantastic way to get school children involved in recycling by learning about the dangers of marine pollution and then seeing the benefits of their efforts.”
The campaign will be introduced to youngsters at Filton Avenue as part of the MCS Cool Seas Roadshow, which gives primary aged children an insight into the amazing wildlife that lies beneath the waves. Roadshow leader is Andy Starbuck: “I’ll be telling the children about all the good things our seas have to offer and by introducing the Bottle Champions campaign we can focus on the importance of recycling to reduce the rising tide of plastic litter found in the sea and on beaches.”
Nine national football teams wore shirts made out of recycled plastic bottles at this year’s World Cup, including Brazil, Portugal and Holland. Schools taking part in Bottle Champions pilot will ask each pupil to bring in ten bottle tops - having already ensured that the bottles have been recycled at home. Ten plastic tops per child in the school will result in a new football, rugby or netball kit for the school team. 10 recycled bottles amounts to one sports kit!
Barry Turner of the Plastics 2020 Challenge comments: “As well as being unsightly, plastics litter represents a huge waste of precious resources that could be re used, recycled or converted to create much needed energy. There is no need for any plastics to end up in the marine environment. We value the opportunity to work with the MCS and help to educate kids on the importance of reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill.”
Rachel Thomas is the head teacher at Filton Avenue and she says she’s delighted to be taking part in this recycling campaign with a difference: “Our netball team are playing really well, but their kit is very old. Now the whole school can have a hand in helping them look great on court, whilst really understanding the importance of recycling and seeing an end product as well as learning how litter impacts on what goes on under the waves. This campaign ticks lots of boxes for us.”
MCS Litter Policy Officer, Sue Kinsey, says marine litter is a huge problem: “The only way to solve it is by involving everyone, from the public through to industry and Governments. Plastic litter is a particular problem at sea and makes up over 60% of all litter found on UK beaches. It’s incredibly harmful to animals whether it’s plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish by turtles, or small plastic pieces that are ingested by other marine creatures.”
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Press contacts and information:
There are two schools taking part in the pilot project in Bristol:
(Thursday 16th September)
Horfield Primary School
Business Manager: Chris Green
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