In the BBC series Blue Planet II, David Attenborough highlighted the devastating effects of plastic pollution on the marine environment. Almost every day brings further news of the impact of plastic on wildlife, around coastlines and in ocean currents, from the Arctic to the deepest ocean trenches.

At Blackheath High School, the Eco Committee wanted to help tackle the problem so along with 170 other schools, they have joined the Plastic Free Schools Campaign run by the environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. 

In a real show of student power, our girls got to work. They organised a Trash Mob to clear plastic waste from the school grounds and surrounding streets, and to highlight the scale of the problem. Others raised the issue of single-use plastic lunch items at their School Council meeting. The plastic straws have already been removed and the school is looking into ways of reducing and providing alternatives to the other plastic items in the very near future.

Our Sixth Form Eco-Prefect, Alice who has championed many environmental causes in Eco Club throughout her school career, gave a very entertaining and inspiring assembly about the Plastic Free Schools project to the whole school, encouraging everyone to do their bit. 

We are already seeing a difference in the way that staff and students think about plastics with more people talking about the problem. By checking which items can be recycled, using reusable drinks bottles and cups, avoiding plastic bags, refusing plastic straws, using environmentally-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics and picking up items of plastic litter from around the school, we can all make a real difference.