Plastic waste is a BIG problem...
...can we make it a thing of the past?
We all know the problems that plastic waste can cause - single-use plastics (which we use once and throw away) can cause lots of serious environmental damage, which is something that we all want to stop!
In your schools, and at home, you might have already started to do things that will help with these problems...BUT - there is still a big problem to solve...
Meet the Menace of Plastic Waste!
The Menace is very good at causing problems - and in particular, it is very good at hiding in places were we might not find it! This means that whilst you might be working hard to stop plastic waste, there is still a lot of hidden plastic waste escaping into our waste bins, and ultimately, into the environment!
The Menace of Plastic Waste hides in items of single-use plastic that you might not even know that you can recycle - what about this yoghurt pot? Would you always put it into the plastic recycling bin along with plastic bottles?
For example, you will probably already be recycling plastic bottles at school and at home - have a look in any recycling bin, and chances are that it will be full of these!
So, we need YOU to become ULTRA DETECTIVES, hunting down the Menace of Plastic Waste, finding out where it is hiding, and seeing what sort of problems it's causing your school, and the environment!
DID YOU KNOW?
One of the biggest problems that the Menace of Plastic Waste causes is the loss of money - did you know that it often costs much less money to recycle single-use plastics, than to send them to the landfill site?
In fact, if we managed to save just £4 per pupil in each school by finding the Menace of Plastic Waste, we could save about £1 million in Northern Ireland, and over £45 million in the UK!
That's a LOT!
You can find out more about the Menace of Plastic Waste, and how you can help your school to get rid of it by joining the Plastic Reduction Organisation’s Ultra Detective Programme (P.R.O.U.D.) - just watch the video below!
If you want to help to get rid of the Menace of Plastic Waste, you're not alone - your teachers will be able to help you with this, and you'll be able to find lots of information on this website that can help you too!
You might be able to learn some tips and tricks from our very own computerised detective, Robot Holmes - read more about his adventures in our comic book - just click the image below to read more!
Now that you know lots more about the problems that the Menace of Plastic Waste is causing, we have a question for you:
If you are, get started by asking your teacher to fill in the form below!