Putting Litter First: May

One of those long-term actions is education, and that’s what I’m focusing on this month since it’s always cited as one of the things necessary to change behaviour.

First, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, hire in people to speak at schools, or even visit schools / scout groups / church groups ourselves.

Instead, we need to notify teachers, parents, and local government councillors and officials that the Eco-Schools programme exists. My chats with various people over the past year indicate that it’s not as well-known as it should be, and, as a volunteer Eco-Schools assessor myself, I think this needs to change!

What is Eco-Schools?

Eco-Schools is the largest environmental educational programme in the world, with over 19 million students across 68 countries. It’s available at all levels, from nursery up to college. Students drive the agenda through the Eco-Committee, and the programme links into the curriculum of whatever country it’s in. In England, it’s overseen by Keep Britain Tidy.

However, this doesn’t mean it just focuses on litter and waste! Instead, students can pick from ten different topic areas: Biodiversity, Energy, Global Citizenship, Healthy Living Litter, Marine, School Grounds, Transport, Waste, and Water.

The school’s Eco-Committee will choose which three areas the school wants to focus on and how they want to achieve their aims. The complexity of this will vary depending on the age of the students. The school proceeds through the Bronze and Silver status before going for their Green Flag – it’s only at this point that there is a cost for the programme.

Why do I like the Eco-schools programme?

Well, for pretty much all of the reasons I’ve outlined above. It’s embedded into the school and works with the existing curriculum, so no need for multiple wheels. It’s the students who are driving the agenda, so it provides a sense of ownership. It allows for long-term environmental education, not simply a one-off campaign or a talk that might go in one ear and out the other. It’s designed for all ages: many educational programmes seem to focus on primary-school children without any follow-up as they get older, yet it’s the constant and consistent environmental messaging that will lead to positive change.

As an assessor, I always leave the school I’ve evaluated with an incredible feeling of enthusiasm and optimism. Seeing the amazing work done by the students and their teachers can cut through even my extreme cynicism! However, the last thing I want to do is make an even bigger workload for teachers, who are already juggling a lot. This is where it would be great if parents can get involved in some way to provide support.

All that being said, I think there are several things that are needed to ensure that Eco-Schools can achieve maximum impact.

First is ensuring that its activities are amplified throughout the school and to the families of students. It is absolutely vital to use it as an opportunity to make sure that an anti-litter and pro-environmental message reaches a wider audience.

Second, I would love to see an Eco-Schools network where teachers and parents are able to share ideas and activities: what works, what doesn’t, what opportunities are out there? This will make it easier for everyone in the long run.

Finally, can schools in the same area link up? This is related to the point above: learning from each other and sharing ideas is a great way to cut the workload. It also starts to normalise the desired behaviour: not littering and carrying out other positive environmental actions. Connecting to larger community projects—for example, pollinator-friendly gardens, swishing parties, or repair cafes—helps the students see what they’re learning in action.

What are the obstacles to embedding the Eco-Schools programme at a school?

Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t have children. I’m not a teacher. My tweet to #edutwitter about potential concerns went unanswered. However, I suspect that a large part of the problem is simply not knowing about it. The other issue is what I hinted at just a moment ago: teachers had a lot on their plate before Covid, and since then their workload has only increased. Without buy-in from the headteacher and wider school community, it can be challenging to give a new programme the necessary time and space to develop.

Due to confidentiality, I am unable to get a list of which schools are already part of the programme. However, this seems like low-hanging fruit for parents, teachers, and local councillors: can all schools in an area be encouraged to not only achieve their Green Flag status, but retain it by remaining active in the programme?

But wait, there’s more!

Beyond the Eco-Schools programme, there are a few other things that can potentially be done to inspire students at all levels to not only think about litter but also tackle some of the common myths. I favour the Socratic method: asking questions and encouraging age-appropriate critical thought. In speaking with a friend who is a former teacher, she agreed with me: this would be her preferred method to engage students with the topic.

Something else that has been suggested to me in the past is running an anti-litter poster contest. The problem? It doesn’t provoke critical thinking. It doesn’t target those who are likely to litter. And it doesn’t amplify the message to the wider community.

However, saying all that, I do think there is a way it can be salvaged as a potential way to at least tick that final box: amplifying the message beyond the students themselves. Imagine if all the shops on a High Street—Costa and Greggs, Starbucks and Parsons, Wilko and Boots—were willing to display a different anti-litter poster in their window each month, year after year. This would not only allow others to see the students’ creations (and encourage families to visit when their child’s artwork or a class poster is on display), but potentially begin to change the wider culture by showcasing that littering is not acceptable.

The Swiss cheese graphic above is adapted from virologist Ian M. Mackay’s approach to the coronavirus. I think it’s worth highlighting that many vaccines don’t do their job in one jab: they require a booster shot. When it comes to any anti-litter messaging or education programme, thinking about how we approach things over the long-term—beyond a one-off campaign or a single activity—is necessary if we want to successful stop litter from happening in the first place.