Pupils use pester power over waste

Norfolk County Council's waste reduction officer Jenny Craven with Scarning Primary School pupils.

13 July 2006

PESTER power. Even if you have not heard of it you've experienced it.

Children might want a new Barbie or the latest pair of trainers - but what about a new compost bin?

That is what children from Scarning Primary School are being taught to pester for.

Phillip Brazier, who teaches year four at the school, explained: “We want to use pester power to encourage parents to get into recycling too.

“We have been using all sorts of activities all this week to show the kids how to recycle.

“We've had them making recycled paper, making wormeries and today making compost.

“It's really important to teach the children about the environment and recycling because it is going to be so important in the future.”

Jenny Craven, who works for Norfolk County Council's Waste Recycling department agrees.

She said: “It is important to understand recycling from a young age.

“The children are actually experts now. They learn a lot about the environment in geography in Year 4 so we just build on that.

“Our main aims are to raise awareness of recycling though the activities that we do and to help schools become more eco-friendly.

“This is the first parent roadshow that we have done actually-the children all have leaflets to give to their parents when they arrive to pick them up, and they're going to explain what they have been doing all day as well.”

Samantha Reeve, nine, said: “We've been learning about making compost, how to recycle and not wasting food.

Rebecca Robinson, also nine, said: “It's important to recycle because we are running out of landfill sites”

Karen Jessop, one of the parents, reckoned the scheme was very worthwhile.

She said: “It's very good. It's very useful actually.

“And the compost bins are quite cheap I may get one for my garden at home.

“It is really important for the kids to learn about recycling.”