Primary School children have been tackling littering in Rotherham to ensure the surrounding area was left litter-free for the half term holidays.

Year Four children at Coleridge Primary School took to the streets of Eastwood last Thursday, to highlight the importance of protecting the environment and keeping the community clean.

The project is part of a new initiative at the school known as ‘Coleridge Leads the Way’, which allows young children to have a voice in their school and the community. 

Primary School children picking up litter in the EastWood area.

Ian Tankard, 38, Head Teacher at Coleridge Primary School, said: “Children need to embrace litter picking because hopefully it will stick with them and they can pass that down to future generations. So, I think for us it’s about inspiring those young children in the Eastwood area to love their community.

“It was important for our children to realise it’s vital that we do our little bit, so the planet stays the wonderful place that it is.”

Research by Keep Britain Tidy highlighted more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day, which costs the taxpayers over £1 billion a year.

Made with Visme

Wendy Cooksey, Labour Councillor for Rotherham East, who has been backing the litter picks, said: “The council are supporting local communities to take pride in their areas by getting involved. 

“I think if you start young with the children they take that message home and become aware they should not throw litter on the ground and will take pride in their local area.

“They loved it when people stopped them and praised them for what they were doing which was lovely to see.”

The children were backed by the charity Rotherfed and the council’s ‘Love Where You Live’ scheme, who supplied the resources, which included the litter pickers, hoops, vests and bags.

Rotherham Council supported the project, which is part of a larger scheme aimed at encouraging numerous schools across the borough to take part in litter picking and the council hoped it would eliminate littering for future generations.

Tom Smith, Rotherham Council’s Assistant Director for Community Safety and Street Scene, said: “It’s fantastic to see a school such as Coleridge School joining in and organising the litter picks and helping their community.

“We’d welcome any other schools interested in taking part in the Love Where You Live litter picks to get in touch with us, and we can assist by giving them support and provide equipment to carry out the litter picking.”

For more information about how to start litter picking in Rotherham visit: https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/street-care-cleaning/love-live