Litter Less Campaign
The Litter Less Campaign
The Litter Less Campaign empowers young people to find solutions to litter and waste issues by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills to change their environment and motivate others to do the same.
Eco-Schools that run the Litter Less Campaign monitor the litter and waste produced in their school and organise Community Action Days that involve the whole school and local community. Schools can also use their work from the Litter Less Campaign as evidence in their Green Flag Award application, which allows schools to highlight their achievements and best practices when it comes to managing waste in a sustainable manner!
How does it work?
- Over the academic year, carry out 6 litter picks or 6 waste measurements and record your data. Check out our Guidelines document to choose which type of monitoring is best for your school.
- Involve the whole school or even the local community in the campaign - group litter picks, assemblies, community action days, etc.
- Complete a short final report document on your progress
- Submit your report to your local field officer and eco-schools@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
- Upload your results to your resource library and Data Zone as evidence for your Green Flag
What materials will you need?
1. Register your school and reach out to your local field officer
Complete the online registration form here. Contact your local field officer about your registration using the details below. Field officers can provide guidance and advice about running the campaign.
Anna Green, anna.green@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Belfast City (BCC) and Antrim & Newtownabbey (A&N)
Gareth Lamrock, gareth.lamrock@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Derry City & Strabane (DCS), Causeway Coastal Glens (CCG), Mid & East Antrim (MEA)
Peter McErlean, peter.mcerlean@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Fermanagh & Omagh (FO) and Mid Ulster (MU)
Ben Ryan, ben.ryan@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Newry, Mourne & Down (NMD), Armagh, Bainbridge & Craigavon (ABC)
Zara Hamilton, zara.hamilton@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Lisburn City & Castlereagh (LCC) and Ards & North Down (AND)
2. Measure your litter or waste!
Once you’ve registered with your local field officer, the next step is to read the Guidelines for Monitoring Waste in Schools and choose one of the following criteria to measure*, monitor and report on:
Criterion 1: Amount of litter found in the school yard
Criterion 2: Amount of litter and waste collected in the school
Criterion 3: Amount of paper collected in the school or classrooms
Criterion 4: Amount of waste recycled in the school or classrooms.
You will be asked to measure the one criterion your school selected six times during the campaign. The first time you measure will be when you register. This is to ensure that the data can be used for the final impact assessment. To assist schools with this task, we have developed four frameworks (one for each criterion) which carefully explain the process and can be used as an educational exercise for students.
*Remember: Data must be recorded in kilograms (kg).
3. Teach a Lesson!
Tie your work into the curriculum by educating students about important topics around litter and waste (e.g. circular economy, plastic pollution, marine litter, etc.). Need some inspiration? You can find lesson plans about litter and waste through the Eco-Schools lens below!
Download your lessons plans here
4. Submit your final report
DATES: From September 2024 - 9th May 2025
Submit your report to your field officer and eco-schools@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org for a chance to win a monetary prize TBA!
For more information or to register, contact eco-schools@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org.