2019

Damers First School

Totally Clued Up

Wales & West

20 Pupils Involved
  • Special Award 2019

Waxtastic No Plastic Young Enterprise

This project began as the result of the children's research into cling film.  They found out that more than 1.2 billion meters, equating to 745,000 miles of cling film is used by households across Britain every year – enough to go around the circumference of the world 30 times over.
Cling film is difficult to recycle with the majority of it still ending up in landfill where it takes hundreds of years to degrade. Biodegradable cling film alternatives have been developed but many conservation organisations told the children that they degrade into smaller and smaller particles and contribute to marine pollution.
Like plastic bags, cling film that ends up in the sea is easily confused with jellyfish by marine animals and chokes turtles and other creatures that feed on them.

The children wanted to create an enviromentally-friendly alternative to cling film and so created Waxtastic No Plastic.  This is a piece of 100% cotton material dipped in Dorset beeswax and dried. It is used as an alternative to cling film to wrap or cover all foods except meat. The beeswax makes the product antibacterial. It can also be washed with soap and water and lasts for up to a year where more bees wax can be added to carry on using or it can be composted.  It is a 100% eco-friendly product. The children had help from parent volunteers and other volunteers who helped to draw and cut out the material and dip it in bees’ wax. Parents and local businesses donated some of the material and by upcycling it, the children are further helping the environment. The beeswax was donated by Dorchester and Weymouth Bee Keeper Association who came to give a talk in the school in the lead up to National Bee Day. 

The children sold their product at the School Summer Fete, School Office, local businesses which included a Garden Centre, Florist, Play Café for Families and Children and local cafes. They also sold outside Waitrose supermarket on a Saturday morning, at Poundbury Farmers’ Market, the Dorset Food and Arts Festival on Poundbury which attracted over 10,000 people, Dorset County Show which attracted over 100,000 people. 
Local MP Oliver Letwin took some Waxtastic No Plastic to Parliament and spoke to his colleagues about it. He has since tweeted about the product and invited some children to go to the Houses of Parliament.   The children raised £4098 through selling the product and have put the money towards a nature area with pond for the school grounds. The children won four awards for their product at the National Young Enterprise Fiver Challenge Awards. They won outstanding group, best logo, best advertisement and most profitable product.