—Schools Tackling Plastic
Schools are a great place to harness young people's enthusiasm for having a positive impact on the environment. If you're a pupil, parent, guardian or teacher, check out our Eco-Schools NI website with information on projects or check out quick access resources below. You can also add your Plastic Promise and motivate others to do the same.
Looking for more inspiration? Read up on case studies from the 90+ schools that have already made a Plastic Promise ...
Willowbridge School, Enniskillen - Willowbridge is Tackling Plastic!
St.Colm's High School, Draperstown - St.Colm's is Tackling Plastic!
St. Patrick's PS, The Loup - St. Patrick's is Tackling Plastic!
Schools Pointless Plastic Guide
This free resource asks senior leaders in schools to swap items such as plastic bags, straws, bottles and food packaging out in favour of sustainable alternatives.
Follow five practical steps so that your schools can cut down on the amount of plastic that is used inside and outside of the classroom, helping to create a cleaner, greener environment.
More tips for schools
- Make reusable water bottles part of school culture: fill your bottle up as part of your morning routine and it keep it in your school bag. Make sure your school has a refill station and that pupils know where to locate it.
- Ban single-use plastic straws: if pupils need a straw, encourage metal, paper or bamboo alternatives
- Switch to reusable plates and cutlery: use ceramic plates and metal cutlery instead of pointless single-use plastic. Bring a reusable lunch box to school and ask the canteen manager if it can be filled up instead. This will save the school money in the long term
- Bring reusable lunch boxes or sandwiches wrapped in beeswax wraps: cling film isn't currently recycled in NI so get creative with alternatives!
- Have a reusable party kit: avoid spending money on disposable cups and plates for parties in or out of school. Ask the school to purchase a reusable party kit, use it in school and encourage parents to use it for after school birthday parties
Quick access resources
Marine topic: asks schools to look at all aspects of our diverse marine environment: what lives in our seas, why it is important to us, what threats is it under and how can we help protect it?
Know your plastics infographic
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - football template: use this to encourage students to think about the SDGs that link to plastic, issues and the potential solutions. Ask students to add drawings or words in the blank hexagons to show connections and learnings.