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Bin It!
Disposal of products
On Thursday 4 November 2021, following a risk assessment, we were able to welcome the Bin It! Roadshow to Deer Park. This energetic small team (of two!) delivered two short and interactive performances in the Main Hall to our Year 7 and Year 8 pupils.
Bin It! is sponsored by Mars Wrigley Confectionery and is one of the ways the organisation educates young people to dispose of their products in the right way. The Bin It! team took our pupils on an interactive journey, providing them with opportunities to reflect on their own behaviours regarding litter and to consider the impact of thoughtless behaviour by everyone.
The show contained statistics around the issues of litter. Did you know...
- Drinks Cans, whilst recyclable, take 200 years to decompose. One recycled aluminium can produce enough energy to run a TV for four hours.
- Disposable Facemasks, are non-recyclable and will take 450 years to decompose. They contain plastic, similar to plastic bottles, that takes time to break down and has the potential of carrying germs.
- Plastic Bottles, whilst recyclable, take 450 years to decompose. Can be used to make more permanent items such as outdoor play equipment, new packaging or even building materials.
- Disposable nappies, non-recyclable and estimated to take 500 years to decompose. 500 years??
Do you have a pet? Pupils were asked to reflect on the impact of litter on wild animals. Have you ever thought about how dangerous litter can be to animals? Have you seen photographs of animals with their heads stuck in tins or of birds tangled in disposable face masks? Read this article from the RSPCA: How littering affects animals.
Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Do you know how large it is? Four times the size of France? Whilst you may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California, did you know that there are in fact five garbage patches caught in the rotating ocean currents (gyres): one in the Indian Ocean, two in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Pacific Ocean. Read about The Ocean Cleanup, a non profit organisation ridding the oceans of plastic.
Imagine your favourite place. How does it make you feel? How would it make you feel if that place, (for example a beach, a park, a garden, a specific room) were filled with rubbish? There really is no excuse for littering. If there is no bin, then take the rubbish with you and bin it when you get to a bin elsewhere or at home. Pupils were encouraged to 'Bin it your way' and the audience watched their peers demonstrate a variety of methods, whether dunking, strutting or rolling! Of course if you miss the bin the first time, you need to pick it up and try again until successfully binned.
We can all make a difference. Reduce the number of single-use plastic products consumed, eg drinks bottles, and use reusable alternatives, for example stainless steel water bottles, silicon coffee cups.
There are environmental, social and financial costs to littering.
‘They interacted with the audience and that made me feel part of the show.’ Will (Year 7)
‘I am now more motivated to do more re-cycling and help our fragile planet.’ Evie (Year 7)
‘It was entertaining and engaging and really made me think about the issues of pollution.’ Brody (Year 7)
‘It was great because it made me think about littering and how I can make a difference.’ Oliver (Year 8)
‘We found it entertaining but with an underlying message that we need to look after our planet. We liked the fact that we were part of the show.’ Leah, Emily and Vicky (Year 8)
‘It was interesting and informative. I really liked the songs!’ Misha (Year 8)
We hope that, having watched this show, our younger pupils will provide a lead in school by properly disposing of their litter. No matter our age, it is important to take personal responsibility for our environment. It was a welcome reminder of former times to have these whole year groups being able to enjoy an external provider led production in school. This Bin It! Roadshow was a particularly timely event in light of COP26 currently taking place in Glasgow.
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