A New Year!
By: Kathryn Beaney
New changes come with a New Year.
Wherever I go I see too much plastic being used. Going back home for the holiday season, I am reminded
that in my home country we all use re-useable shopping bags as any plastic bags need to be paid for. A
small step, but think of all of those plastic bags we are preventing from going into a land fill site or ending
up in the sea.
Just popping to the shop this lunch time I see the man in front buy a small plastic bottle of milk that goes
into a large plastic bag for him to carry home - I am left thinking, does he really need that bag?
I turn to walk out of the shop and there is a coffee counter, just days ago I was listening to a news report
talking about the amount of plastic waste we have from coffee cups. They may look like paper from the
outside but they have a plastic lining.
If many people make small changes we can have an effect on the amount of plastic and other waste that
ends up in our environment, either on land or in the seas.
Education has a major part to play in reducing the amount of plastic and other waste that we produce. We
are in an ideal position to teach our young generation about the importance of looking after our planet.
The theme of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ provides many learning opportunities.
Reduce – children can be encouraged to bring their drinks in re-usable bottles and food can be packaged in
washable containers rather than plastic bags.
Re-use – plastic bags can be used as bin liners, yogurt pots for plant pots, milk bottle tops for maths games
or art. There are so many games and activities that you can carry out with the children using re-cycled
materials.
Re-cycle – children can be taught about recycling, have paper and plastic recycling bins, start a compost
bin and take old clothes to a charity box.
This theme is also a good way to get parents involved and to help them to think about waste.
Information, ideas and resources are readily available on the internet. Have a look at the ‘Waste education
resource pack for nurseries and pre-school from the Northamptonshire waste education team’.