What a waste!

Thirteen schools throughout the city, including some from the southside, were involved in an intensive, 10-week programme of outbound visits, expert presentations, practical modelling and desk research before their work was assessed by a panel of experts from the Scottish government, Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).

It is part of an annual programme called Go4SET and is sponsored by the country’s leading resources and renewable energies company, Viridor, along with Glasgow city council and the Engineering Development Trust (EDT).

The winning school was St Paul’s high school from Pollok and the pupils will now go forward to the national stage of the competition.

Councillor Stephen Curran, Glasgow city council’s executive member for education and young people, said: “From east to west, north to south, Glasgow is investing in a modern, sustainable city to compete with the very best in Europe in terms of a great place to live, work and invest.

“Part of that green vision means investment in our young people and that’s why Viridor’s partnership with the council and Go4SET is so vital.

“The young people today showed real confidence and commitment to building a better city.

“My congratulations to St Paul’s high school, who will fly the flag for the city in the Scottish parliament, and to all those who took part.”

Other southside schools involved were two teams from Bellahouston Academy, one from Lourdes secondary and one from King’s Park secondary.

Speaking for EDT Scotland, Caroline Jardine said: “The valuable involvement of high-profile businesses such as Viridor plays a vital role supporting our work in encouraging young people to explore career opportunities within subject areas which can often be overlooked.

“The green economy is a fast-growing sector and one which offers a wealth of practical learning experiences for students across a whole spectrum of subjects: this is why I am excited to see the work of the students today who could represent the next generation of talent in this sector.”