The three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle, were taught to a group of students from Bishopsford Community School on Thursday 5 December, at an initiative called RMC Greenlink, organised by Groundwork Merton in partnership with Merton Council and sponsored by RMC.
The aim of the initiative is to show young people how important it is to recycle and to try and minimise household waste and to inspire them to take action on waste in their school, home and community. The day started with workshops held by Groundwork’s education co-ordinator and the council’s waste minimisation officer.
The students then visited Thames Waste Management’s Beddington Landfill Site. The Site Manager, Simon Bailes, gave them a tour of the landfill site to see first hand the impact society’s modern lifestyle has on the environment. At the end of the day the group of students made presentations to their classmates on what they had learnt about the landfill site and the importance of the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Councillor Linda Kirby, Cabinet Member for Environmental Quality, said: “I am delighted that students in the borough are being educated and encouraged to think about environmental issues such as recycling and waste minimisation. Having a tour of a landfill site really does bring home the impact that our every day habits have.
“I strongly urge all residents and businesses in the borough to take the issues of recycling more seriously. Merton Council provides a variety of recycling facilities in the borough that should be utilised for the good of the Environment.”
For more information on RMC Greenlink please contact Groundwork Merton’s Education Co-ordinator, Corrie Pegg, on 020 8540 5533. For more information on waste minimisation education programmes contact Jocelyn Sekibo, on 020 8545 3472. For more information on recycling facilities in the borough please contact 020 8545 3225 or visit http://www.merton.gov.uk/refuse/recycling
Notes to editors:
RMC Environment Fund:
The RMC Environment Fund is a grant-giving fund that passes over around £2.5 million of funding per annum to environmental and community based projects through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. The fund is managed by the Environment Council and supported by RMC Group plc. http://www.rmcef.org.uk
Groundwork:
Groundwork is a federation of nearly 50 local Trusts in England Wales and Northern Ireland, each working with their partners in deprived areas to improve the quality of the local environment, the lives of local pe