A SCULPTURE made from single-use plastic bottles has shocked a Leamington school into action.
Pupils at Trinity School collected some 2,000 bottles from waste bins to demonstrate how much people needlessly use and discard single-use plastic.
The ‘precious plastic team’ created the sculpture, which was hung from the ceiling of the canteen, from 11 strings of bottles each between six and ten metres long.
Some 2,000 bottles are thrown away at the school each week.
While the school does provide recycling bins, the project has prompted the team to create clearer labels on the bins to cut the number of bottles and other recyclable waste going to landfill.
Other pupils have pledged to bring reusable bottles while some have called for a ban on the sale of plastic bottles in school.
Teacher Simon Hill said: “Most significantly we felt that recycling alone was not enough, recycling does not address the main issue, that using something once and then discarding it – even if it is recycled – creates a culture where things are not valued and wastes resources. “We needed to make people aware of the scale of the problem in the midst of the school. Why do we buy water in bottles when clean drinking water is available on tap?
“Staff and students have been amazed by the scale of the installation and the scale of the problem it highlights. Students have reported that they do not know how they feel about it.
“This is also part of a wider drive to encourage students to think about the impact of their actions upon the wider world. Trinity is a school community that cares for each other and the wider world. That care needs to consider how our daily habits shape the future we share.”
