story by: JAMES BOLTON

Waste Minimisation was the theme for this year’s Rotary Young Environmentalist ​competition, giving young people the opportunity to develop innovative solutions ​to one of society’s biggest green challenges.

Young people from schools across Great Britain and Ireland had to undertake a ​sustainability project to research, raise awareness and inspire action towards ​one aspect of waste minimisation.

In the Junior category, for young people up to 10-years-old, Nicole Powell came ​out on top in the Individual section. Her bright and vibrant display, called ​‘Munchie & Crunchie – Less Waste at Lunchie’ explored the scale of waste from ​packed lunches at her school.

She found that while recycling items like glass, plastic and crisp packets was ​possible at home, the same options were not available at school, meaning over ​100 yoghurt pots, sandwich bags and juice cartons were being disposed of ​everyday.

Nicole extrapolated her data for all pupils and found that during their time at ​primary school, that could total more than 1 million pieces of unrecycled rubbish! ​She has recommended that the school introduce new recycling bins and ​encouraging fellow pupils to have ‘packaging free’ lunchboxes.

Meanwhile, Charlie-Jay, Aailiyah, Caylan and Ruby-Amelia from St George’s C of E ​Primary School in Telford were victorious in the Junior group section.

They worked together to create spaces for wildlife in their school grounds, ​making and installing bird feeders and insect hotels from waste plastic bottles.

In the Intermediate category, for young people aged 11-13, Elizabeth Gadsdon’s ​litter picking project helped her scoop the top prize.

A long-term eco-champion, 13-year-old Elizabeth has been littler picking to ​protect local wildlife since she was 6-years-old but took her efforts one stop ​further for the competition.

With assistance from her parents, Elizabeth created a Facebook page called ‘The ​Little Collector’, or TLC, where she helped to coordinate litter picks with other ​young people in the area.

Her activities have also seen her work with Surfers Against Sewage to tackle ​single-use plastics by making and selling greetings cards using ocean plastics.

In the Group section, Daleen Mohammed Raouf and Nellie Evans-Green from ​Greenshaw High School took home top prize in the Group category for their ​project hosting a Zero Waste Christmas Fair.

All games at the Fair were made from upcycled or scrap materials, and prizes ​were all either multi-use or recyclable. Overall, the event raised £220 and plans ​are already in place to host similar events at other schools.

Junior – Individual

1st place – Nicole Powell, sponsored by Dunmow Rotary, Essex

2nd place – Charles Tang, sponsored by Cambridge Rotary

3rd place – Arran Tanguy, sponsored by Oban Rotary, Scotland

Junior – GROUP

1st place – Charlie-Jay, Aailiyah, Caylan and Ruby-Amelia from St. George’s ​Primary School and Nursey, sponsored by Telford Centre Rotary, Shropshire

2nd place – St John’s C of E Primary School, sponsored by Rotary in the East ​Midlands (District 1070)

3rd place – Bowmandale School’s Eco Warriors, sponsored by Scunthorpe ​Pentagon Rotary, Lincolnshire

INTERMEDIATE – INDIVIDUAL

1st place – Elizabeth Gadsdon, sponsored by Mid Wirral Rotary

2nd place – River Bissett, sponsored by Rotary in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire ​and Hertfordshire (District 1260)

3rd place – Daksh Bhavsar, sponsored by Rotary Heart of England (District 1060)

INTERMEDIATE – group

1st place – Daleen Mohammed Raouf and Nellie Evans-Green from Greenshaw ​High School, sponsored by Cheam and Sutton Rotary, London

2nd place – The Duchess's Community High School Alnwick, sponsored by ​Alnwick Rotary, Northumberland

3rd place – Sam, Isaac and Angus from Oban High School Eco Club, sponsored by ​Oban Rotary, Scotland