One Bag Zero Waste, the third UK campaign from association ‘A Future Without Rubbish’ (AFWR), has launched last month in primary schools, bringing environmental education to young people and their local communities.
Following the successes of the DEFRA-endorsed and Westminster Council supported ‘#StirCrazy’ and ‘500ff’ campaigns, AFWR with Clear Public Space, Queens Park Community Council and Westminster Council have now launched the “One Bag Zero Waste” pilot campaign, in Westminster schools on the 13th and 14th February, 2020.
The campaign involves schools and households, a design competition, a recyclable bag made from recycled plastic and local businesses. It encompasses the wider community through events, incentives and support around recycling and reusing plastics, benefitting everyone.
Already pupils schools have chosen the campaign logo, and they have entered their designs into a competition in which the winners will be included in the design of the bag. The judging panel, chaired by Councillors and the Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, will decide the final schools’ winners.
Queens Park Community Council’s chair, Gilly Fitzhugh: “If we are to improve recycling rates, achieve our sustainable development goals on responsible production and consumption, create sustainable cities and communities and are serious about climate action, every school in every council in every country should be encouraged take up the ‘One Bag Zero Waste’ campaign, and other parts of the A Future without Rubbish project – it is good for education, good for recycling, good for local businesses and great for the local and planet’s environment.”
smart
Headteacher of Wilberforce Primary School, Claire Macfie added: “It is important to us at Wilberforce Primary that children understand the part they have to play in their local as well as the global community.
“A Future without Rubbish’s new campaign ‘One Bag Zero Waste’ is an excellent example of how we can educate school children about the circular economy and provide economic incentives for our local community at the same time. Superb!”
The Head of Queen’s Park Primary School, Mrs. Killip, added: “This is a fantastic project for our pupils to be involved in to encourage them to understand recycling from a young age and really see the benefits. What is not to like about saving money and saving the planet? They can also help to educate other generations in their families, to realise real behavioural changes in our community for the future.”
Securing support
We are excited to have Defra and Environment Minister Rebecca Pow’s support, and the councils of Queens Park Community Council and Westminster Council.
Thank you to Let’s Recycle, Green World and Wilberforce Primary School/United learning for their media support and taking our message to their readers.
Cllr Andrew Smith, Westminster Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways, added: “Increasing recycling rates and reducing unnecessary waste is a top priority in Westminster, and as a city that is addicted to plastic, we need to be making changes across the board to address this. Clear Public Space’s ‘a Future without Rubbish’ project is already undertaking excellent work in some of our schools, encouraging pupils to reduce their use of single-use plastic and promoting behaviour change amongst our city’s young people.”
What’s next?
Next week we are judging the pupils’ designs and the judging panel included Environment Minister Rebecca Pow MP, local architect Jonathan Tuckey and Queens Park Community Council’s Gill Fitzhugh. The winning artwork from each school will be announced in April through social media. Then, the bag will go into production, so watch this space.
We are already working with several local businesses, but there are still opportunities available to get involved if you would like to see your logo on the One Bag.
Our aim is to roll out the campaign to schools and Local Authorities across the UK and beyond, so we are busy talking to organisations in Oxford, Scotland and Germany.
How can you get involved?
- Support us on social media @clearpublicspace #onebagzerowaste #AFWR #Reuse #Recycle
- Sponsor us and have your logo displayed on the bag as an official campaign supporter (conditions and sponsorship levels apply)
- Donate to support the day-to-day running of the campaign
- Volunteer your time to join us at event
Contact us at info@clearpublicspace.org for more details.