Primary pupils explore perils of plastic

The perils posed by plastics are being explored by pupils at Victoria Road Primary School.

To recognise the harm plastics cause to marine life, Year 2 pupils in Giraffe class are creating a large scale sea scene using plastic bottle tops.

Ian Postlethwaite, Headteacher, explained: 'The school is an active partner of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man and is keen to preserve our unique environment.

'Our children became concerned about sea creatures dying, globally, because plastics are not widely recycled.

'Inspired by watching The Blue Planet on TV, they decided they wanted to learn about how plastics affect sea life.

'The children are gathering plastic bottle tops at home and using them to create a sea life scene that includes a sea turtle, an octopus and a star fish.

'In their 'Under the Sea' project, the children are investigating how long it takes for plastic to decompose when it enters the ocean.

'They are also using old plastic bags as material for weaving.

'As a school, we will do all we can to decrease our use of plastics,' Mr Postlethwaite said.

Giraffe class also plans to hold a cake sale and adopt a sea turtle with some of the proceeds, sharing the rest between Isle of Man charity Beach Buddies and the World Wildlife Fund.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: 'The Isle of Man Government will shortly introduce a policy on plastics to minimise their impact on the environment.

'It is great to see pupils at our UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man partner Victoria Road Primary demonstrating consideration for the environment through this project.'