by Gráinne Connolly
Mid Ulster District Council recently hosted the EcoSpeak environmental public speaking competition 'Blue bin recycling - What difference does it make?'.
It took place at the Burnavon in Cookstown, with P6 and P7 pupils from 22 primary schools across the region taking part.
The participants raised some issues including the importance of recycling and the environmental benefits it brings, as well as the damage we cause to our planet by not recycling.
There were lots of reminders on how each of us can be proactive towards recycling by using blue bins correctly, along with some ideas on how to make recycling fun.
In their speeches, many students referred to the recent actions of the Council's campaign in helping to recycle more items from home; including the blue bin recycling guide distributed to households earlier this year.
Presentations were delivered by pupils over two heats and judged by Councillors from the Council’s Environment Committee and Recycling staff, as well as Josephine from ReGen Recycling, who sponsored the event.
Two finalists were then selected from each heat, they were; Darragh Quinn from Dungannon Primary School, Niamh Higgins from St Marys Primary School Glencull Maghera, Hannah Moore from Aughnacloy Primary School and Gabrielle Mischook form Bush Primary School.
The overall winner of the competition was Darragh Quinn from Dungannon Primary School who was awarded the EcoSpeak trophy, and all four finalists received a £30 voucher.
Deputy Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Mark Glasgow attended the event and presented participants with certificates and a ‘green’ goody bag. He said:
“The Council has made it a priority to tackle the issue of blue bin recycling and today’s event is just another example of the work it is doing to help shine a light on the topic.
“Getting our young people to research and champion the recycling message so early will hopefully help instil in them the importance of recycling by using the blue bins and the benefits this will have, most importantly for the environment.”
Chair of the Environment Committee, Councillor Ronan McGinley, was really impressed with what he saw at the event:
“I would like to congratulate all of the pupils who took part in today’s EcoSpeak environmental public speaking competition.
"This was the third time the competition has taken place under the new Mid Ulster District Council and it has certainly raised the bar very high for future years.
"The standard of presentations was excellent and we had a very difficult job selecting our four finalists and overall winner.
"As Chair of the Environment Committee, I will certainly pass on the many recycling ideas discussed today at our next Council meeting.”
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