Following the success of the School Eco Refill Shop pilot over the last 9 months, Greater Manchester Combined Authority is inviting more Greater Manchetser schools to apply for funding to set-up their own small business, selling a range of environmentally friendly products.
By encouraging more people to reuse and refill containers on a daily basis, together we can all have an impact on reducing the amount of waste we produce. By introducing Eco Refill Shops in schools, young people are trained to run a small business where they apply for employment roles, learn about finances and how to take money and how to market and promote their product range.
In addition to promoting the reuse and refill of 500ml bottles and reducing unnecessary plastic waste, running an Eco Refill Shop in schools has shown many additional benefits. These include boosting the confidence and social aspects of young people having to be part of an Enterprise Team and learning how to speak confidently with other people, especially in the wider school community. Participating schools have reported a definite buzz in their playgrounds when there’s a shop opening, and the shops have brought to life positive climate education in the whole school environment through lessons and assemblies.
In a recent visit to St Margaret Mary’s RC Primary in New Moston, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was very impressed with the work of the young people running their school shop. The pupil-led Enterprise Team told the Mayor how they were learning how to run the shops from older children who were mentoring them, their favourite products and how they were all looking forward to their next shop opening at the end of the month.
Lauren Dobie, St Margaret Mary’s school lead said “It was fantastic to welcome the Mayor of Greater Manchester to our school and have the opportunity to showcase the Pupils Profit Team’s work and the selection of products. The children really enjoyed talking about the products and the different components of the business. Throughout the journey, the children have developed so many skills including: teamwork, resilience, organisation and confidence. The children really enjoy their meetings and discussing strategies for their next pop-up shop. As the children continue on this journey, my role and involvement has significantly decreased as the children are more responsible for their department and understand what they need to do.”
The Eco Refill Shop at Hamer Primary School in Rochdale has received recognition from Ofsted on their recent visit: ‘The school has designed an exceptional programme to support pupils’ personal development. …This includes topical issues such as recycling and environmental awareness. The school has brought this learning to life by creating a ‘refill shop’ for the local area.’
All school education establishments in Greater Manchester are invited to apply for funding to run their own Eco Refill Shop. The shops are run with Pupils Profit, an ethical enterprise. GMCA will welcome all expressions of interest from schools until Friday 18th October where they will be evaluated by a panel and funding will be awarded for the new Winter term starting in November.
If you would like to know more, please email GreenCity@greatermancheser-ca.gov.uk with your interest in the programme.
The Eco Refill Shop pilot has demonstrated the importance and success of refilling and reuse in schools and their wider community, in recognition of this waste and resources company SUEZ recycling and recovery UK has made a financial donation to the programme, helping to ensure more schools in Greater Manchester can also get started with their shops this November. SUEZ operate the GMCA waste contracts in Greater Manchester.
GMCA would like to help more schools across Greater Manchester get their refill shops off the ground and into their playgrounds. We would like to invite more partner organisations to consider making a financial donation to enable the continuation and expansion of the programme.
If this is something which appeals to your organisation’s ethos and values, and you would like to consider making a financial donation to the programme, please get in-touch with the GMCA Environment Team for further information.
There is so much more going on in the region to help people reuse and refill every day. Visit the Green City Refill page for inspiration and information: Refill Greater Manchester | GMGreenCity
For additional information on the School Eco Refill Shops: Greater Manchester School Eco Refill Pilot (gmgreencity.com)
