Belfast pupils conduct litter pick in Newtownabbey

The Primary 5 students from Knockbreda Primary School cleaned along the coastal path and the beach between Hazelbank and Loughshore.

The class of 29 pupils spent three hours litter picking, before sorting their waste into recycling and general waste bags for disposal. After the clean up they enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream.

The children collected 12 large bin bags of litter, consisting mainly of plastic, metal and glass that had washed up onto the shore.

Commenting on the pupils’ clean up effort, their teacher Jenny Fletcher said: “We are a small Eco friendly school from Belfast, who are in the process of applying for the Eco schools Green flag award.

“We strive to teach the children the importance of looking after our environment, community and world.

“I am a very proud teacher and to hear the sheer volume of positive comments from members of the public passing by has helped me to realise, how vital it is to spread the word on the responsibility we all have to look after our environment and local communities.

“Everyone had a fabulous day and the children were filled with excitement and enthusiasm to help our environment and reduce the waste ending up in our seas.”