Gwent Schools Set To Receive New Sports Kits Made From Plastic
27th October 2010
Youngsters bottle top collections will be winner for school teams and marine litter
Children at schools in Gwent are taking part in a pilot scheme which will help them understand the problems of marine and beach litter whilst giving their sports teams a brand new kit made from plastic bottles!
The schools, from Caldicot, Pontypool, Abertillery, Newport, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire are among the first schools in the UK to take 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 the 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 Gwent youngsters 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 Andy Starbuck says: “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.”
Hannah Jones, Education Services Team Manager at Careers Wales Gwent says: “We are delighted to be working with primary schools across Gwent alongside the Marine Conservation Society and Plastics 2020 to promote the Bottle Champions Recycling Campaign. Students will have a unique opportunity to learn about an important environmental issue in a fun and stimulating way”.
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.”
-Ends-
Press contacts and information:
Schools in Gwent taking part in the pilot launched with a visit from the Cool Seas Roadshow are:
Rogiet Primary - Caldicot, George Street Primary – Pontypool, Ystruth Primary – Abertillery, New Inn Primary - Pontypool, Millbrook Primary – Newport, Trellech Primary – Monmouth, Thornwell Primary – Chepstow, Shirenewtown Primary – Chepstow, Durand Primary- Caldicot, Deri View - Abergavenny
For MCS:
Dr Sue Kinsey: Litter Policy Officer
Tel 01989 561585
ISDN 01989 561660
For Plastics 2020
Helen Roache
Helen.roache@ppsgroup.co.uk
Tel: 020 529 1700
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. MCS campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, and protection of marine life. Through education, community involvement and collaboration, MCS raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to protect the marine environment. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk), the Good Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org on sustainable seafood, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as MCS Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark Watch.www.mcsuk.org
MCS Cool Seas Roadshow – is part funded by the Save our Seas foundation and visits primary schools in the UK taking the secrets of the seas into the classroom revealing the amazing wildlife beneath the oceans
The Plastics 2020 Challenge
The Plastics 2020 Challenge commitment is to lead the UK in diverting plastics from landfill by 2020 in order to reduce climate change impact, address the energy deficit, and achieve a step change in efficient use of resources.
Plastics 2020 made this founding commitment at their launch, which took place at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 7 July 2009. The founding members are the British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and the Packaging & Films Association. Together they represent 5,000 small, medium and large enterprises that employ approximately 186,000 people across the UK. The industry’s exports are worth £4.6 billion a year and the UK remains dominant in worldwide markets.
The Founding commitments of the Plastics 2020 Challenge relate to the 4 Rs of the waste hierarchy as follows:
1. REDUCE
Reduce wastage and environmental impact by continuous innovation of lightweight, high performance plastic materials and products.
2. REUSE
Develop new solutions and designs to increase the reuse of plastic products.
3. RECYCLE
Double plastic packaging recycling rate by 2020 through working in partnership with the whole value chain and all levels of government to facilitate and promote effective markets, technologies and infrastructure.
4. RECOVER
Support high efficiency energy from waste techniques for end-of-life plastics where recycling is not an option.
Full details can be viewed at www.plastics2020challenge.com
Source: MCS UK http://www.mcsuk.org/press/view/323
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