John Kyrle High School student, Alyssa Carrington, was so shocked at the amount of plastic waste that had been left lying around the sixth form common room she decided to tackle it by encouraging her fellow pupils to recycle.

She gathered up a bag full of plastic drinks bottles but thought it would be a good idea to organise a campaign to encourage other pupils to recycle their own waste. She told the Ross Gazette that she thought it would be useful if she had some support from the school and approached the Head Boy and Head Girl to raise the issue at School Council.

Alyssa posted on the Facebook page, Ross Community Litter Clean Up Crew about her concerns.

She said:?“I went around the common room to collect all the plastic bottles and drinks cans, to put them in the recycling machine in the canteen. I never knew it rewarded you with a coin?!

Alyssa added:?“I have a strange obsession with recycling - I find it SO important! I know that it isn’t going to save our planet (we need to stop making single use plastic to get us out of this plastic crisis- recycling isn’t the whole answer) but it is better to recycle than throw it straight in the trash.

I need some advice though: I’m not always going to be at JKHS, so I can’t always be the person collecting all of the recycling in the common room and study room. How can I try and encourage everyone in sixth from to be responsible for their own recycling?”

She received several encouraging comments from people who are pleased that someone of Alyssa’s age is taking responsibility for litter, and the amount of plastic waste around.

She also has had several offers of people willing to give talks at school assemblies about the issue.

At the most recent meeting of the school council the issue of recycling within the school was discussed and Alyssa was thrilled to discover that the school is very supportive.See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here