Parenta Magazine January 2020

Reducing single-use
plastic in your setting
Reducing single-use
plastic in your setting
We hear on the news and via social media (sadly, pretty much on a daily basis) about
the growing decline of our planet. We learn that we must strive to be more sustainable:
increase our recycling, decrease our carbon footprint and reduce our reliance on singleuse
plastic - as we are waking up to the fact that “climate change” is actually happening
and our planet is in real danger. The world’s oceans are literally filling up with rubbish
and it’s the non-biodegradable plastic that is the main culprit.
We would love to hear from
you on this crucially important
subject. Please share with us if
you have found ways to help the
environment and reduce your
use of plastic.
Get in touch via email
marketing@parenta.com or on
any of our social channels -
@TheParentaGroup
Millions of us have been recycling,
saving water or attempting other ways
to be more ‘environmentally friendly’
in one way or another for years, but in
October 2015, when the Government
introduced a plastic bag fee requiring
all supermarkets and large stores to
charge a minimum of 5p for every
single-use plastic carrier bag they
handed out, this was quite possibly the
turning point for many people as they
realised the severity of the situation
with regards to plastic.
Globally, we produce about 100 million
tonnes of plastic each year. According
to National Geographic, there are a
staggering 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic
debris in the world’s oceans. Of that,
over a quarter of a million tons float
on the surface, while some four billion
plastic microfibers per square km, litter
the deep sea.
This plastic is not just endangering our
marine life and ruining our oceans; it’s
accelerating climate change. Plastic is
one of the most stubborn pollutants on
earth. It’s made specifically to last and
that’s exactly what it does! Sometimes
for 400 years or more. To add insult to
injury, at each stage of its lifecycle, long
after it has been thrown away, plastic
creates greenhouse gas emissions that
are contributing to the warming of our
world.
22 January 2020 | parenta.com
It’s a sad fact, but, generally speaking,
the early years sector contributes greatly
to the production of plastic waste due
to its use of many disposable items
including nappies, baby wipes, plastic
gloves, aprons, craft materials and toys.
Nurseries need to reassess their current
practices and try find areas where they
can improve on, or switch completely, to
sustainable alternatives.
A staggering eight million disposable
nappies are thrown away in the UK
every day – these can take hundreds
of years to naturally decompose and
are made with plastic resins which
will never fully biodegrade. Baby
wipes, nappy bags, disposable plastic
gloves and aprons all contribute to the
problem and recent data has revealed
a 94% increase in wet wipes being
washed up on UK beaches.
Here are some ideas to help you reduce
the use of plastic in your setting and
become more sustainable. They are
easy to implement and will definitely
make a difference to the environment.
Chances are, you are probably already
applying some of these, but it can be
easy to forget in the day-to-day running
of a busy setting!
• Select loose fruit and veg from
the supermarket – or if possible
grow your own with the children,
it makes for a great activity!
• Find out what the local options
are for buying milk in glass
bottles instead of plastic ones.
Sites like www.findmeamilkman.
net are useful!
• Avoid carton juice drinks - these
are often non-recyclable with
plastic straws attached in plastic
wrappers.
• Replace single-use plastic cutlery,
plates and bowls with washable
ones.
• Swap plastic straws for paper
ones.
• Try an alternative to cling film,
such as beeswax wrap which is
readily available nowadays.
• Use fabric or paper bags for
shopping.
• Less than 50% of single-use
plastic bottles are recycled so
encourage staff and children to
bring in reusable or metal water
bottles.
• Ask staff to use reusable coffee
cups.
• Use cotton wool or cloths instead
of wipes during nappy changes.
• Use biodegradable nappy bags
and fabric or PVC aprons.
• Swap hand wash in plastic
containers for bars of soap – just
as hygienic if used correctly!
• Swap plastic toothbrushes for
bamboo ones.
• Try and encourage parents to use
cloth nappies.
• Choose toys made from
sustainable materials, e.g. wood.
Read on to find out how some nurseries
have already implemented sustainable
initiatives into their settings to reduce
their use of plastic:
Elmscot Hale Day Nursery & Nursery
School became the first setting in
Trafford to achieve Plastic Free status
through the Surfers Against Sewage
scheme. It successfully completed the
charity’s five ‘Plastic Free Nursery’
objectives – educating the children
about the problem of single-use
plastic, holding litter picking sessions
and discussing where changes can be
made to reduce the requirement for
single-use plastic within the setting.
Changes include: nursery staff now
use washable tabards instead of
single-use aprons at mealtimes and
for nappy changing, single-use aprons
have been replaced with PVC aprons
that can be sanitised after each use.
Fresh milk is now delivered from a local
supplier in traditional glass bottles
rather than plastic, which has made a
huge impact on the amount of singleuse
plastic coming into the nursery.
All food shopping is now delivered
without carrier bags and the use of
plastic gloves has been reduced and
traditional methods reintroduced.
The owner of Young Friends Nursery
and Nature School in Hove, Louise
Lloyd-Evans, launched an online
platform to help other settings go
plastic-free. Sustainable Nurseries
Against Plastic (SNAP) was created to
encourage nurseries to share tips and
ideas on how to be more sustainable.
The nursery’s approach to running a
sustainable model of childcare made
Louise want to share ideas and tips
with others.
Tops Day Nurseries has made huge
progress in its quest to care for the
planet. All its nurseries are rigorously
reviewed to ensure the carbon
footprint is minimised, as well as
having integrated learning sessions for
children on the subject of caring for the
environment, growing their own food
and being waste-conscious. A few of
its recent initiatives include the banning
of glitter, working with environmental
charity, GECCO, promoting reusable,
washable nappies to reduce plastic
pollution, investing in bamboo
toothbrushes for the children, using
environmentally-friendly cleaning
products and installing solar panels on
some of its buildings.
parenta.com | January 2020 23