Completed petition Welsh Government funding for recycling bins and collections in all education settings in Wales
Presently, councils in Wales charge schools to collect recyclable waste. With limited annual funding this is a cost that schools find difficult to meet. As a result, a huge amount of recyclable waste is going into landfill as recycling bins and collection are not provided.
In April 2019, the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency, yet teachers and learners are not able to contribute to reducing their carbon emissions in their place of work or learning. Many teachers take recycling from their classrooms to recycle at home, or Eco Clubs in schools collect waste, but there needs to be consistency nationally, so that recycling becomes a habit at home and at school.
I am calling for Welsh Government to provide funding to enable this to happen across the country, to really show their motto of being a small country with big ambition.
More details
It is a complete paradox that we are educating pupils to live more sustainably and be more environmentally conscious, but in the very places they learn about these issues, they cannot carry out these actions.
The Successful Futures Curriculum aims for all learners to be ethical and informed citizens of Wales and the World. Recycling should be achievable in all schools as part of being an ethical citizen, especially in a country that ranks second in the world for recycling household waste.
Recycling in all schools has to be an integral part of the Welsh Government's aim to be zero waste by 2050 and be part of the Low Carbon Plan for Wales.
This has to be about more than just personal responsibility and about enabling and empowering our young people to act and make positive choices and, for educators and all who work in schools to be able to follow through on the messages they are giving to our young people.
This petition was considered by the Petitions Committee
Find out about the Petitions Committee’s discussion of this petition