Pupils get teeth into bid

Esme Grey (6, right) has been collecting oral-care waste for recycling with fellow Big Rock...
Esme Grey (6, right) has been collecting oral-care waste for recycling with fellow Big Rock School pupils (clockwise from left) Ryder Hancock (8), Scarlett Hancock (7), Alice Grey (8), Isobelle Grey (10) and Amy Smith (10). PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Have you ever wondered what happens to your old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers and the packaging it comes in?

Typically, oral-care waste ends up in landfill, but pupils at Big Rock School in Brighton are brushing up their recycling skills by collecting it in a bid to win the Colgate Community Garden Challenge.

The prize includes one garden bed, one park bench and one bin, plus a $300 gardening voucher to buy seeds and plants.

Big Rock School competition co-ordinator and parent Leanne Stenhouse said pupils were collecting all brands of oral-care waste and sending it to a recycling company which converted non-recyclable waste such as toothbrushes, coffee capsules and cigarette butts into sustainable raw materials to be used in manufacturing.

"This competition is a great opportunity for our school and community to divert more waste from landfill, while also giving us the opportunity to extend our school garden with a recycled community garden set,'" she said.

 

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