These Tipperary pupils are leaders in the race against waste

Mary Moore and the Sixth Class Eco Team in Clerihan National School are on a mission to eliminate waste from their school community.

Each year, the Sixth Class members of this team identify a problem that they want to explore. Last year, they looked at biodiversity and native trees and ran a successful Plant a Planet campaign in conjunction with other schools around the country.

They have now turned their attention to waste production and this year’s project is called Replace your Waste. The pupils want to look at the types of waste we are producing, both in school and in the wider community, and are looking for ways to replace these products with more sustainable alternatives. Their motto is ‘Don’t stop, just swap’.

“We want everyone to have fun and not to think that being environmentally friendly means having to give things up,” says Ben, the team leader for this project.

One example of how the team are doing this is the recent launch of their Sustainable Party Box. The pupils met with members of the Parents Association to find out about waste production in the wider school community.

One parent said that there is a lot of waste produced at children’s parties and that many people spend a lot of money on disposable items like plates, cups, napkins and tablecloths. She said that she would love it if she could rent these items and return them afterwards.

So the eco team decided to create their very own sustainable party box for rent. This box contains colourful, high quality plates, cups, bowls and cutlery along with napkins, bunting, tablecloths and more.

Members of the school community can rent this box for their parties and return it to the school for cleaning when they have finished.

Clerihan National School is a member of the Irish Schools Sustainability Network and this is a project that they would like other schools to consider trying.