At the end of March, SportsFusion charity and Veolia held a football tournament with a difference at Ferndale Community Centre, on Nursery Road Brixton. It was entirely single use plastic free.
Football and environmental goals
Teams from 12 primary schools, 11 of them in Lambeth, took part to see not only who could score the most goals but also who would be the most waste aware.
Giving plastic the boot!
Schools were advised when they signed up to encourage children to pack a plastic-free lunch on the day and to bring along a reusable water bottle. It was really impressive to see how many children had taken this message on board.
Half time education
The competition continued through half time, when children visited the Veolia stall to learn about recycling. To keep their energy up and the activity interesting, the kids raced against the clock to sort through a pile of waste and separate the materials into recycling or rubbish by throwing them into the right bin.
Plastic-free prizes
Veolia donated prizes for the day in keeping with the waste-free theme. Everyone took away a cotton drawstring bag or a 500ml reusable water bottle. And the two winning teams – Wyvil and Bonneville – also won a squishy football made of upcycled Veolia workwear and uniforms, to highlight the importance of reusing wherever possible.
Schools taking part
- Bonneville
- Corpus Christi
- Dunraven
- Hillmead
- St Anne’s, Vauxhall
- Stockwell
- Streatham Wells
- Telforscott
- Van Gogh School
- Walnut Tree Green
- Wyvil
- Chesterton (Wandsworth)
For more information
- SportsFusion are dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing in children, but they also want to highlight the importance of looking after the planet. See their information pages
- The tournamentt was funded by Veolia’s Recycling Fund for Communities. For help with your own your own anti-plastic or environmental event, contact Veolia’s Communications, Education & Outreach team streetchampions@lambeth.gov.uk
