Students from two secondary schools in Huntingdonshire have visited a recycling plant in preparation for activities during 'Plastic Free July'.  

As communities across the country pledge to go plastic free for July, students from St Ivo and Ernulf academies have been able to gain a unique insight into the world of recycling.

Plastic Free July is a global movement from the Plastic Free Foundation which encourages millions of people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution. 

The Year 7, 8 and 9 students, specially selected to attend because they are on the eco-committee at their respective schools, learnt about the journey of recyclable waste.  

Clad in high-vis jackets and hard hats, students were able to view the plant, before having sessions with representatives from Cambridgeshire County Council, and the RECycling Of Used Plastics charity.

The Astrea Academy Trust has signed up to the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ pledge, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions across its schools by 2030, and has established an eco-committee at each of its school. 

Rachel Yorke, geography KS3 coordinator and Eco-Ivo coordinator, at St Ivo Academy, said: “Eco-ivo members are already a formidable group of problem solvers.

"The day at the waste centre motivated them to further expand our current initiatives and develop an information campaign based on the waste hierarchy. 

"They were particularly interested in the employment and STEM opportunities that the ‘plastic problem’ provides. The journey back to school was non-stop planning and excitement about the chance to work with RECOUP on package design using a professional design brief and resources aimed at transforming the way we use plastic."

Cheney Payne, assistant principal at Ernulf Academy, said: “Our eco-committees are already fired up about the importance of recycling as a way to tackling climate change, but after the trip to the plant, they are buzzing with inspiration.

"They have already begun work on an action plan to improve recycling at school, including a “dead pen collection pot” and a battery recycling station.”