Carronshore Primary School
This year we started an Eco Group. We had someone from each class in our group from P1 to P7. The first thing we did was to have a litter picker rota. It was the P2 and P3s who did this. They wear yellow tabards so the other children know what they are doing in the playground. At playtime they use metal pickers to lift the litter and put it in a special sack.
We then decided to have Eco Tickets to be used in the playground at break. We designed blue tickets which are given to children who put their rubbish in the bin. We also have green tickets which the helpers in the playground give out if they see someone throwing their litter on the ground. Three blues gets you a Praise Point; three greens gets you 5 minutes off Golden Time. The children wear green tabards so they are easily seen. At Golden Time assemblies, Mrs Green and Mrs Shuttleworth told all the children in the school about the idea and how it would work. We have even made litter posters on the computer which we will use in the school.
We have done so well at keeping our playground free of litter that we won first prize in the local Rotary Competition.
Easter Carmuirs Primary School
The ‘Lean Green Litter Fighting Machine’ is the Eco School team trying to combat litter at Easter Carmuirs. They have been working for just 2 years and impressed the judges of the Rotary Club of Falkirk Litter Awareness Competition in March 2005 so much that they walked off with first prize. The team have a rota for litter picking every break time and lunchtime and try to encourage pupils to use the bins by awarding house points to those seen using the bins. They even have a waiting list for people wanting to join the team.
Langlees Primary School
Langlees Primary School has a ‘Tidy Team’ with their own special tabards who do litter picks at break times. They have looked at the position of the litter bins and moved them to make sure they are in the best places to be used i.e. not just round the edge of the playground but in the middle too. They were one of the first schools to introduce the idea of rewards for pupils using the bins and penalties for those seen dropping litter – ideas thought of and administered by the children themselves. They are consistently highly placed in the Rotary Club of Falkirk Litter Awareness Competition with a first prize in 2004 and 2nd prize in 2005. The Tidy Team are currently starting to look at the problem of adults smoking outside the school gates and dropping their cigarette butts – hopefully we will hear how they get on soon.
St Mungo’s High School
As part of their Eco Schools activities pupils have been taking lots of action on litter. They have done litter picks inside the school grounds and took part in the Lowland Canal’s Litter Challenge 2005 by litter picking along the nearby canal. They managed to recycle lots of cans and plastic and glass bottles in addition to disposing of bags and bags of litter.
Victoria Primary School
The whole school have been getting involved in lots of different litter activities. Different classes have been doing litter surveys of the school grounds and they have been able to present their results in graphs on a notice board and at assembly to show the reduction in litter since the campaign started. Primary 6 came up with a Litter rap and there was a competition for litter posters and junk models made out of old rubbish. Although they do have rotas for litter picks and class litter picks of more difficult areas, Victoria are really concentrating on preventing litter in the first place.
Wallacestone Primary School
Every pupil in the school took part in a day of action on litter and waste. Primaries 1 to 4 took part in a litter pick of the school grounds and in addition to weighing the litter collected they separated cans and bottles for recycling. Older pupils took part in craft sessions using recycled materials. This day of action contributed to their Eco Schools award and they are now proud owners of an Eco Schools Green Flag – the highest award.