Brentwood School issued the following announcement on May 6.
First Grade scientists have been learning about how to make less waste here at school. To celebrate Earth Day, students participated in a trash clean up on the Lower Campus. We found 437 pieces of trash, and observed that most of the trash was plastic. Next, we conducted a trash audit to back up our anecdotal observations. First graders carefully sorted our finds into five categories: food wrappers, plastic bags, other plastic, paper, and other. Overall, 66% of the trash we collected was plastic, with 51% of the plastic trash coming from food wrappers. Next, we considered what time during the school day might create the most trash. Our data supported the students’ hypothesis that most of our trash is produced at snack and lunch times.
Once we had a better understanding of the problem, we researched methods for creating less plastic waste using the Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle framework. Did you know that only 2% of plastic is effectively recycled? Most plastic ends up incinerated, directly polluting the environment, or downcycled into less useful items. First graders discovered that it is far more effective to simply consume less plastic in the first place. The students came up with several practical solutions that we can incorporate at school—refusing to use plastic water bottles, reducing plastic utensils, and reusing snack containers. We would love if your family brainstormed ways to join our efforts at home, too! As a last resort, we know that we should always recycle what plastic we do use.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Brentwood School
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