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The zero waste champions aiming to change recycling habits

BBC Fourteen pupils wearing red and grey uniforms hold some of their recycled creations while holding a large colourful sign saying 'Zero Waste Champions'. They are stood in the middle of a classroom with teachers on either side.BBC
Pupils at St Naile's Primary School have been getting hands-on experience with recycling

When it comes to reducing waste and recycling, it is hoped that young people can teach adults a thing or two.

Pupils in 12 schools across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to become Zero Waste Champions, learning about the "circular economy" in which resources are reused instead of being thrown away.

Those behind the project hope the lessons learnt in school will be passed on at home and in the community.

St Naile's Primary School in Kinawley, County Fermanagh, is one of the schools taking part.

Pupils are hard at work as they begin creating their crafts. Some are stood up beside their yellow desks, while one boy on the right hand side of the picture is sat down using a pencil and paper.
St Naile's is one of 12 schools in Northern Ireland taking part in the pilot

Pupils have been given the task of making bags out of waste products such as old advertising material and bicycle tyres.

Some of the fabric came from curtains used at the United Nations' Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

The pupils sewed and stapled the bags so that they could be taken apart and the materials reused.

Cillian - a young child wearing black, square framed glasses holds up a large blue, leaf patterned bag with a blue, plaited handle.
Cillian's bag was made from a waterproof fabric and is designed to hold a laptop or tablet

The project was developed by Mary Michel from the environmental education organisation Ostrero.

She told BBC News NI while adults can be more resistant to changing their ways, she believes children are more open to the message of sharing resources fairly.

"It's about making sure that there's enough for everybody, so actually it's a message that comes across really easily and that they absorb really well," she said.

Mary Michel - Ostrero
Ostrero's Mary Michel hopes the project will leave a long-lasting impression

Ms Michel said making the bags is a practical, hands-on way of demonstrating the idea of a circular economy.

"It's not just about telling them that this is what we need to do; it's about them doing it and experiencing it for themselves.

"Rather than litter picking or even recycling, we're thinking about how we can design the waste right out from the beginning."

Ellen, a young pupil with blonde hair, holds up her black recycled bag with a patch of a blue bird on the front. Attached to the bag with green fabric is a reusable water bottle with a rainbow strap. It has 'reuse' written on the side in green felt tip marker.
Ellen says its important to learn about the environment and tell other people to make a difference

A recent report from the United Nations revealed that two billion tonnes of waste is being produced in the world each year.

"If you put that waste into shipping containers and put them end, to end it would go from the world to the moon and back again," Ms Michel said.

"That is how much waste we're producing, and our resources are becoming scarcer and harder to access."

She believes while the problem of waste is huge, encouraging children to change the way that they do things can make a huge difference.

Erin holds her bag, made with blue fabric, a rainbow strap and a small blue and yellow patterned pocket on the front. She is smiling at the camera as she sits in front of a blue classroom wall display.
Erin's bag used paper clips and rainbow fabric

'Important and fun'

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council aims to be net zero by 2042.

Amy Gallagher, the council's climate project officer, said initiatives like this can make a difference.

"We really want to show kids that it's really important, but that it is also fun," she added.

"Kids are going home and they're educating their parents actually on what should be going in what bin.

"Parents [are] saying: 'My kids give out to me when I don't put something in the right bin, or I haven't washed it out before I put it in the bin' so it makes a huge difference."

Amy Gallagher - a woman with long, dark hair wears a dark, zip up jacket and a purple lanyard. She is smiling at the camera and is standing in the middle of a classroom with wall displays and a large screen in the background.
Amy Gallagher says parent's response to the scheme is great

George Gillespie, from reuse and repair organisation Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN), said changing the way we use resources can save money as well as the environment.

While most children will not have heard about a circular economy, he said he was "blown away" when one child drew a circle with a pound sign inside to illustrate what they knew.

He said children "talk about the environment, they talk about animals, they talk about plastic getting into the sea and how that can affect animal life within the sea".

"They're so aware, and it's really encouraging," he added.

George Gillespie - a man wearing a pink and white stripped collared shirt, a grey vest and a black coat holds up a large, colourful 'Zero Waste Champions' sign to the camera as he stands in the middle of the classroom.
George Gillespie from NIRN believes children have displayed knowledge about many complex topics

The Zero Waste Champion programme is currently running as a pilot in four council areas, including Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, Belfast City Council, Derry City and Strabane Council, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

It is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Education and Rural Affairs (Daera) through the carrier bag levy - a 25p charge for all new carrier bags which are dispensed.

There are aims of the programme being rolled out to schools across all council areas later this year.