Local primary school now focussing on soft plastics and litter free lunches

As part of the inaugural Waste Warrior Expo local school groups were asked to submit a short video showing how they have adopted sustainable practices into everyday life, with the Curra kids the hands down winners.

Principal James Steele claimed that the conservation conversation is a work in practice, with the school changing their ways step by step to create a better future.

"I guess we started by encouraging the children to eat fruit by having fruit breaks every morning," he said.

"We then started giving the leftovers and scraps to the school's chooks."

This practice now happens after lunch as well, with special bins provided for food scraps and the responsibility shared between the students to collect the scraps and feed the chooks.

The school has also recently installed two pizza ovens in their outdoor kitchen which included a revamped kitchen garden where pizza ingredients were grown.

Unfortunately that garden is bare this year due to the extreme heat and drought conditions, although plans are underway for a winter harvest or spring harvest if possible.

"We grew basil, tomatoes, eggplant and even tried growing mushrooms for the pizza - the kids love it," he said.

"We also recycle all of our paper and cardboard, and are currently collecting bottle caps for an art project."

The expo has even motivated the school to go even further, as well as getting the message to travel home to parents.

"We are really having a look at soft plastics now like glad wrap, chip packets and plastic bags," Mr Steele said.

"We are collecting everything we use to see exactly how much soft plastic we go through in a week.

"We will also be taking the soft plastics into the supermarkets in Tamworth to use their recycling facilities, and getting the kids to push their parents towards packing a litter free lunch, and thinking about their choices."