Cornish charity calls on pupils to hold government to account on plastic free schools
A challenge for that to happen by 2022 has sparked a month of action
Last updated 21st Mar 2022
A Cornish charity is calling on the government to help make ALL schools free of single-use plastics by the end of this year.
St Agnes-based Surfers Against Sewage is midway through a month of action, urging pupils to hold ministers to account.
Four years ago, ministers challenged all schools to go single-use plastic free by 2022.
SAS says: "In 2018, the Education Secretary urged all schools to eliminate their use of single-use plastic by 2022.
"We are now in 2022 and the government have done nothing to support schools in achieving this!"
Surfers Against Sewage says some schools in the Duchy are already taking action, including pupils in St Agnes...
Surfers Against Sewage Education Manager, Emily van de Geer said: "The reason we want to do this as a collective activism action is so that schools can all join together at the same moment in time and make a voice so loud that the government has no choice but to listen.
"They have a really powerful voice and if we can help work with young people on knowing the power of that voice and where they can direct their energy and really encourage them all to become ocean activists, then we can really drive that change".
Pupils in Portreath are among those who have been working hard to drive that change and they even got a mention in Parliament!
You can watch their plastic free journey below...
Emily continued: "It's really been left to the schools to do this themselves and it's a really big challenge. Of course we're here to support them but the government can definitely be doing more as well. We're now in 2022 so we're seeing it as an opportunity for young people to hold them to account and really challenge them on this target.
"People can help us with this action if they're at school, maybe work at a school, have a child who goes to school. Any connection you have with your local school please encourage them to sign up to the Plastic Free Schools programme and help us make as much noise as possible".
You can read more about the month of action and the plastic free schools' programme on the Surfers Against Sewage website or sign up to their March Collective Activism Action here.