King Edward VI High School in Stafford is working alongside the British Ironworks Centre, Oswestry in their school bottle cap recycling challenge.
As part of the project, schools host a metal giraffe, created from recycled metal, for a month, and students are encouraged to donate plastic bottle caps to refill it as many times as possible.
The giraffe was placed outside the school hall, to ensure that students’ progress with their bottle caps could be observed.
After the month is up, the goal is to create something useful out of those bottle caps, to demonstrate how our everyday waste can be used for something far more efficient and beneficial.
Students and staff have worked together to collect more than 25,000 plastic bottle caps over the past month.
The school will now partner with Protean Art to create a mural that will be placed on the school grounds, to highlight the importance of recycling.
Project coordinator Mr Phillips said: “Our students have done a fantastic job collecting over 25,000 plastic bottle caps over the past month.
“A big thank you to the British Ironworks Center for allowing us to be part of their national project.
“KEVI students and staff should all be very proud of themselves and the role each of them has played in this huge challenge.
“We hope this project helps demonstrate how individually it can be difficult to see how the little bits of recycling we do can make a difference, but when the individual is part of a larger community striving all to achieve the same goal, real change really can be made.”
Collection boxes were set up in each tutoring room, and many students also asked their extended family and friends to get involved.
Some students from the school’s Eco Club have taken the initiative in this project and are committed to the environmental plan inside and outside the school.
Giraffe Project team member Lily Kenney said: “I really enjoyed being part of this project, it was so nice to get involved and to see the school come together to help us achieve our goals. Goals.
“The giraffe team is really looking forward to putting the capsules to good use to create a lasting legacy within the school.”