Secondary school students are being encouraged to ditch single-use plastic as part of a national challenge.

A group of Year 8 learners at Walthamstow School for Girls were this week visited by Amanda Mackenzie, CEO of Business in the Community, to explore ways they can help the environment.

Ms Mackenzie was joined by Ashley Hodges, the executive director at Speakers for Schools, to promote the Great British Plastic Challenge on Monday, October 1.

The young ladies were urged to lobby Parliament for causes they feel passionate about, including the plastics issue, and visit business owners in their communities to urge them to get on board.

Students were also asked to cut out the use of plastic straws, bottles, coffee cups and bags for two months and take part in a tidy up of their neighbourhood.

Safa, who is in Year 8, said: “One thing our school has started to do is use reusable bottles given free with a meal by Olive Dining so we don’t have to always buy new plastic bottles of drink.

“Also sandwiches and baguettes now come in paper bags instead of plastic ones.”

Headteacher Meryl Davies said she felt proud of some of the suggestions the girls put forward during the visit.

Amanda Mackenzie said: “All corners of society have woken up to the need to tackle plastics pollution.

“Through our work with companies on tackling the plastics challenge and our partnership with Speakers for Schools, we can bring together business leaders and our most important consumers - young people who will inherit the world we are creating.

“We can drive bigger and more long-lasting change that way.”