Plastic Amnesty – The Eco-committee

Current affairs School Science and tech eco, geography, oceans Adam Warren November 7, 2018 0 Comments

The eco-committee, made up of 28 members representing all boarding houses has relaunched for 2018. Sub-divided into three teams we aim to focus our year on promoting cleaner, greener and more sustainable uses of energy, waste and plastics. Team energy and waste will soon launch their own campaigns but today we are here to launch our fight against single use plastic.

We hope that the negative impacts of our plastic hungry nation on the environment are not new to you. Plastic does not biodegrade, meaning we share our planet with every piece of plastic that has ever been produced. With a total of 8 million tonnes of plastic making its way into our oceans each year and the startling fact that by 2050 our oceans will contain more plastic than fish we all need to take individual responsibility for our purchase, use and awareness of single use plastic.

We see the difference, turtles don’t!

So what is it? Single use plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, water bottles and most food packaging. Many of these items are not recyclable, and those that are require the use of harmful chemicals. Plastic waste thrown away is usually sent to landfill where it is buried or finds its way into our oceans. Here it breaks down into tiny particles releasing toxic chemicals which make their way into our food and drink. Latest research suggests these plastic toxins can now even be found in our own bloodstream.

We produce hundreds of millions of tons of plastic every year, and the RHS community contributes to this. It is obvious that we need to use less plastic and move towards using more sustainable products. But how much do we really use? And what can you do?

Next week the Eco-Committee’s Plastics Team is hosting a Plastic Amnesty. We want to know how much plastic does RHS use in a week? We want you to give us all your plastic waste, from baggy meals to co-op purchases. Large labeled bins, will be stationed all around school and in each boarding house for you to hand in your plastic waste. The plastic will then be sorted and displayed around school in a series of ways, including a 14ft RHS plastic Christmas Tree to demonstrate the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling and demonstrate how much plastic waste we produce in a single week.

This is your chance to make a difference and we hope the whole school will be on-board. Eco-reps will be leading each initiative in house, but day students are encouraged to collect their plastic from home as well.

If you have any questions, or are interested in joining the eco-committee please contact Mrs Izod-Miller.

Thank You.