Plastic Free Penrice 

With the introduction of plastic-free aisles in supermarkets, three of our reporters were interested to find out Penrice’s role in plastic usage.

We feel that the school should cut down on plastic that the students and teachers use and help protect the ocean and the environment. As a school, the canteen is where a major proportion of plastic is used. Over the past year, they have been in the process of cutting down the plastic that they use.

We interviewed Paul the chef/catering manager and Sam, one of the cooks. They agreed that plastic is a problem and we need to improve the usage here in Penrice. Some of the questions we asked them were:

How do you think in the canteen we could help solve the issue on Plastic?

“We could recycle, utilise waste, change the way we work, bring in wooden and cardboard packaging. Also, we chose to buy water from a company that are reducing the amount of plastic in their bottle by 50% and the actual bottle itself is 100% recyclable.”

How could we help this issue in the future?

“The school could provide the canteen with a compactor to compress the cardboard so that it can be recycled; there could also create a recycling station and educate them on how to use it probably.”

One of our ideas, as students, was to sell reusable water bottles with the Penrice logo on it so everyone can stay hydrated and not waste plastic. We went around the school interviewing many of Penrice Academy’s year 7 students, asking them about plastic bottles. 90% of the students we asked agreed that this would be an amazing idea to include here at Penrice Academy.

We also spoke to Head of Year 7 Mrs Taylor

It is estimated that, even with people using plastic responsibly, by 2050 the weight of plastic will be greater than the weight of fish in the ocean. If we do not contribute to this problem soon then the ocean well end up being a big rubbish dump.

Awareness on this issue is paramount. David Attenborough’s Blue Planet is one way that perspectives have been changed; making the whole world aware of the plastic problems that lays deep in the sea.

Penrice Academy has been lucky enough to receive a visit from the producer of Blue Planet Two and has informed the school on the problems beneath the ocean and as students we want to help overcome this dilemma.

Overall plastic is a problem but one that Penrice are trying their best to address through raising awareness and acting as a role-model to other schools in being plastic-friendly.

By Matilda, Ellie, Freya

Picture: Freya