CHILDREN in Reading will take part in workshops on sustainable disposal of food packaging through a University of Reading study.
From Monday, November 14, a team of researchers will be working with primary schools in the town to find out what key stage 2 children, aged from 7-11, already know as well as teaching them how to recognise different types of packaging and recycle correctly.
The project, led by Dr Stella Lignou, is part of EIT Food, a Europe-wide community of researchers looking into all stages of food production and consumption.
This initiative is also supported by Reading Borough Council and waste management partnership, re3.
Dr Lignou said “I want to see all families getting into the habit of checking the labels and symbols on packaging before discarding something into the recycling box.
“I hope that the children we work with will go home and take ownership of waste management, as well as educating their own families on how to dispose of food packaging sustainably.”
The first workshop will see students learn about different types of food containers and wrapping and appropriate, and inappropriate, ways to recycle them.
They will be provided with a bag of food and drink containing items such as bottled water, a cheese snack, crackers and a carton of orange juice with a straw.
Every day, for a week, each child will be asked to choose one item to open and consume if they wish. They will subsequently make a note of the packaging involved and how it was disposed of.
Following the week of diary entries, the children will take part in a second workshop where researchers will assess how much their knowledge has improved.
Dr Lignou added: “Children are the future. They need to be equipped to live in a changing world where disposing of packaging in a sustainable way will become increasingly important, as natural resources decline.
“We also know that children can be great at nagging their parents to do better, so we expect the impacts to go far beyond just those who take part in the workshops.”
Reading primary schools who are interested in participating in future workshops are encouraged to contact: s.lignou@reading.ac.uk
