Plastic reduction in Essex County

 

The Greater Essex County District School Board is changing to a reduced single-use plastic mandate after the students at Anderdon Public School asked the board for the change.

The school’s eco-team presented the idea before the school board, and the board has since constructed a committee to address the issue of single-use plastics, targeting the most problematic plastics for reduction.

According to the school’s eco-team, a restaurant will use up to 5000 straws every week at the cost of $15, but a bundle of reusable straws can be purchased and used for $16.

The team has recently begun a one-year plan to reduce single-use plastics across all municipalities, presenting their reduction plan to city councils across the county.

Jodi Nolin, one of the teachers leading the eco-team at Anderdon Public has since been acknowledged by the Essex Region Conservation Authority for her and her team’s work in ecological harm reduction.