Asda aims to inspire school pupils in Barnsley to become ‘plastic investigators’

PRIMARY school children are being encouraged by ASDA to become ‘plastic investigators’ and help the fight against plastic waste.

In a collaboration with the National Schools Partnership, pupils are being invited to take part in a series of interactive activities to learn about plastic use and recycling.

It will also include a tour of their local Asda store with their community champion, in a bid to encourage them to use less and recycle more plastic.

The activity is part of Asda’s commitment to use less and recycle more plastic. In March, the supermarket announced it had removed 6,500 tonnes of plastic packaging from its own brand products in 12 months.

It also plans to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable by 2025.

The teaching materials, which have been endorsed by WRAP – a world leading resource efficiency organisation – and Leeds Beckett University, provide facts about plastic, fun activities and a poster competition for the pupils to take part in.

General Store Manager at Asda Barnsley, said: “As well as using less and recycling more plastic ourselves, we want to help our communities to do the same.

"Learning about different types of material and how to recycle them at a young age will help create a lifelong habit and ensure we look after our communities for generations to come.”

David Moon, Head of Business Collaboration at WRAP, said: “Education plays a critical role in providing citizens with the confidence and ability to recycle more material, more effectively.

"WRAP welcomes Asda’s activities to inspire local communities and future generations so that they can contribute to a world where resources are used sustainably”

The poster competition, which will select regional winners as well as three national winners, aims to encourage pupils to think innovatively about finding solutions to the problem of plastic from what they’ve learnt in class and store.

Winners will be announced in September and prizes include Asda vouchers for individual winners and three cash prizes for the schools of the national winners.