Local primary school’s eco team petition for plastic straws to be removed from milk cartons

An eco-team at a local primary school is petitioning for plastic straws to be removed from milk cartons.

The team at Parkfield Primary School in Middleton, who pride themselves on their green commitment, recently wrote to their milk supplier asking them to stop using plastic straws or removing them from the packaging, allowing the children to use paper straws instead.

The request is the latest by the school as part of their pupil-led campaign ‘Parkfield Prohibit the Plastic’ which has seen scores of parents make a pledge, many choosing to switch from plastic butty bags to foil wrapped and reduce bottled water use.

Single use straws are one of the biggest sources of global plastic pollution, with 8.5billion being thrown away in the UK each year.

Ultimately, as one of the top ten items removed from coastlines, many of these straws end up in our oceans, where they leach harmful gases into the environment. They are also a danger to marine life which can be severely injured by the items, or they can break down into harmful microplastic fragments which can enter the food chain after being mistaken as sources of food.

A proposal to ban plastic straws has been put forward by the government to tackle the problem, as they cannot be recycled and are not biodegrade.

However, an eco-friendly alternative such as paper straws would be able to be recycled, or even composted under suitable conditions. Other alternatives include bamboo or metal straws that can be washed and reused, and eventually composted or recycled.

School business manager and leader of the eco team, Karen Bracken added: “The milk supplier said they couldn’t ask the suppliers to stop putting the straws on but they were going to pass our letter on to them. As we’ve not heard anything, we have had help from the Parliamentary petitions team to draft a petition so we will hopefully be heard.”

Parkfield Primary Schools also investigating measures to recycle disposable pens and was recently awarded the eco school green flag to fly with pride in the playground for their positive impact on the environment.

The eco team has also been selected as a finalist in the School in the Community Award in the Greater Manchester Schools Awards 2018.

To support the petition to remove plastic straws from school milk cartons, visit:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/221402