RECOUP
School children have embraced opportunities to recycle more and think creatively about the circular economy.
A recycling education programme launched earlier this year has had a positive impact in the school in which it was trialled, with students, teachers and families pledging to recycle more plastics.
Schools in Buxton, Derbyshire, were the first to sample the ‘R-Generation’ packs developed by Nestlé Waters, RECOUP and Wastebuster, which are linked to the curriculum and include content for multi-media interactive assemblies, videos, lesson plans, and teacher’s notes to address the importance of recycling.
The packs have been well received, with primary age children and their families recycling more through pledging to recycle 'one more bottle a week' and secondary school pupils creating innovative ideas for new products that would engage the public to recycle more.
“There are many key areas of the curriculum which can now be used to educate about the benefits to our new developing thinking about circular resources and economies. Engaging with students provides a ripple effect into the community and drives the behaviour change we want to see across our society,” explained Steve Morgan, Technical Manager at RECOUP.
The programme is being trialled in Buxton with a view to being made freely available to schools nationally.
Commenting, Lyn Picken, Communications Manager at Nestlé Waters, said: “I’m delighted that school students across Buxton have had the opportunity to learn about plastic as a material and the benefits of recycling plastic bottles. The new education resources we have developed can be shared so they can be used to bring about a positive impact in other communities.”