Schools win awards for giving waste items new life

Primary school students across the Moorlands have been recognised for their creativity, innovation and commitment to the environment in the first ever Upcycling Challenge - a competition which challenged them to turn everyday waste into imaginative, useful or decorative new items.

Run by Alliance Environmental Services, with support from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and sponsored by HW Martin, the competition invited young inventors, artists and problem-solvers to rethink waste and show how simple items destined for the bin can be transformed.

After a fantastic response, and dozens of entries, the winners have now been chosen and congratulations go to:

• St Thomas Catholic Primary in Tean which took first prize for Ted's skateboard toybox. Ted impressed the judges with his creative and thoughtful approach to upcycling. His idea to build a toybox to store his trains was both imaginative and practical.
• Cheadle Primary School took second prize after several of their entries caught the judges attention including Dominic's sweeping brush; Katy's play dough roller; Remi's bird feeder; Georgia's paint palette; and Cash's trash eater.
• St Werburgh's Primary School in Kingsley won third prize for their entries which included Rocco's desk tidy; Charlie's recycled art garden; Iona's candle holder; Amelia's jewellery box; Lydia's party crackers; and Jess's bottle recycling factory.

Cabinet Member for Services, Councillor Charlotte Atkins, said: "We've been truly amazed by the thought, care and creativity shown by all the young people who took part.

"The Upcycling Challenge proves that students are more than ready to lead the way when it comes to sustainability. Their work gives us all hope for a greener future."

The winning schools will receive eco-related items of their choice to the value of £250 for the first prize, £150 for coming second, and £100 for third place.

The judging panel assessed the entries on creativity, practicality and environmental impact. Submissions included labelled drawings, models, and working prototypes - all focused on giving waste a new purpose.

The competition was made possible thanks to funding from HW Martin who handle the recycling collections in Staffordshire Moorlands and AES who coordinated the challenge and the judging process.

Published on 10 June 2025