Copperworks pupils go Platinum

Copperworks Infant School has gone Platinum!

Staff and pupils are celebrating after achieving the highest accolade possible under the Eco Schools programme.

The Platinum award is the equivalent of four Green Flags and is only given to schools that have demonstrated a real commitment to the environment.

Eco school’s co-ordinator Jane Beynon Morgan said: “We are all very pleased and proud to achieve this prestigious award. The children, who are only aged 3-7, have worked very diligently to achieve the award by embedding many eco initiatives into the school curriculum. By engaging and promoting these important issues the children are learning the importance of recycling from an early age. They take these important issues home and into the wider community.”

The Llanelli school has held a “Flush the Loo Day” where all the children and staff counted the number of times the toilet was used ad then calculated the amount of water used. The eco committee installed hippo bags in all the toilets to reduce the amount of water used.

All classes collect fruit peelings from snack time. This is then collected by the Council and used to make compost.

Food waste at lunch time is also recycled in this way from the school kitchen.

The school also has a wormery and compost bins in the school garden.

Also recycled at the school is paper, plastic, batteries, clothes and school uniforms.

Outdoors pupils have created a garden where they grow flowers, fruit and vegetables using their own compost for the garden.

An adventure playground has also been installed where pupils can climb, balance and jump – all of which helps keep them healthy and fit as well as improving their skills.

Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “I would like to congratulate all the staff and pupils at Copperworks Infant School for all their hard work to reduce their carbon footprint and look after the environment.

“The Platinum award is the ultimate achievement under the Eco Schools Programme so the work they are doing is really making a difference.”

The Eco Schools programme is run by the council’s waste and recycling section in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy and the National Botanic Garden of Wales.