Plastic told to go and 'get knotted'

Tewantin school makes a stand against plastic with t-shirt brain-wave

KNOT ON: These Tewantin State School kids are giving plastic bags the big flick. Picture: Peter Gardiner

TAILORED t-shirts are Tewantin State School's answer to helping save turtles and other choking marine life by telling plastic bags to "get knotted”.

The school kids have notched on Tuesday up 600 of the converted cloth bags on the eve of Woolworths ban that took effect Wednesday across Australia. That's ahead of Queensland ban for all retailers come July. Deputy principal Rick Cass has been delighted by his students initiative and inspiring bag-making technique after they attended the Sunshine Coast Council's Kids in Action conference aimed at helping the environment.

"The school's moving towards becoming more and more sustainable,” he said.

"The big deadline of July 1 is important for us - Woolies significantly go (plastic one-use bag) free tomorrow ... that's our local retailer.

"The kids are all ready with their (t-shirt) bags - they bring them in from home. Parents come in and make them as well and they're starting to make an appearance around town, which is really good.”

Mr Cass said you could make them in five minutes.

"There's no sewing involved. The teachers and kids would have all made a bag by this afternoon and we'll keep this going as an ongoing project to make our spring fair plastic free.

"The P&C are doing a good job too through the tuck shop by not using single use plastics any more - they're gradually getting there,” he said.

School captain Albie Davidson, along with Freya Ottmann, helped explain how they've given plastic the big flick.

"How it started was we went to the Kids in Action with a lot of schools involved,” Freya said.

Albie said: "It was about learning how to save the environment and for kids teaching kids, we learned how to make t-shirt bags.”

They said it's better for the environment to be sustainable.

"You don't need to sew - you just need scissors and you cut the neck and the sleeves and cut tassels,” Freya said.