Surrey schools challenged to tackle plastic problem, 5 June 2019

This June Surrey school children will be meeting plastic pollution head-on as they compete to learn about recycling plastic and pester their parents to help.

The Surrey Primary Schools Plastic Challenge, organised by Wastebuster on behalf of the Surrey Environment Partnership, takes place between 3 and 30 June.

Schools will use a range of resources, including short films, assembly guides, homework sheets and letters to parents, to inform and inspire pupils to watch a short film and take a quiz about plastic recycling in Surrey. Kids will then encourage their parents to make a pledge to learn more about the issue by visiting the Surrey Environment Partnership website, surreyep.org.uk.

Schools will compete to have the most pupils completing the quiz and the most parents who pledge. Winning schools will scoop fantastic prizes including a live interactive assembly with Captain Busta, the Wastebuster monkey on a mission to save Earth from waste, cuddly Captain Busta mascots made from recycled plastic bottles and achievement certificates.

By pledging, parents can win prizes for their kids too – green science packs, a Wastebuster top trumps game and Captain Busta mascots.

The challenge comes at a time when plastic pollution is at the top of the environmental agenda, mainly due to the BBC TV show, Blue Planet. It is hoped that it will help educate and inspire children in Surrey and their parents to recycle more and to understand how they can help to build a sustainable future.

Schools can access the challenge by visiting the Surrey Primary Schools Plastic Challenge 2019 website.

Surrey residents can learn more about how to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use by visiting the Surrey Environment Partnership website.

ENDS

Editor’s notes

For further information and images, contact comms@surreyep.org.uk.

Surrey Environment Partnership

The Surrey Environment Partnership is made up of Surrey County Council and the 11 district and borough councils in the county. It aims to manage Surrey’s waste in the most efficient, effective, economical and sustainable manner.

The 11 district and borough councils are waste collection authorities (WCAs) and are responsible for the collection of Surrey’s municipal waste which includes waste from households. The county council is the waste disposal authority and is responsible for the disposal and treatment of Surrey’s municipal waste collected at the kerbside and waste and recycling from Surrey’s community recycling centres (CRCs).

To find out more, visit surreyep.org.uk.

Wastebuster

Wastebuster is a non-profit environmental education programme provided free to Surrey primary schools by your local council and Surrey County Council. The Wastebuster website provides access to lessons, assemblies, films, toolkits and campaigns to support cross-curricular teaching of 5-7 and 7-11-year-olds. Wastebuster also helps schools reduce waste, recycle more and work towards all levels of Eco-Schools accreditation.

To find out more, visit wastebuster.co.uk.