Dorchester’s young eco-warriors are kicking off 2019 by upping their game and doing even more to be environmentally friendly.

Since achieving Surfers against Sewage Plastic Free School status in May 2018, staff and pupils at Damers First School have been working hard to reduce single-use plastic in the school as well as at home.

Stainless steel cutlery is now used across the school for hot meals and for any child who forgets to bring a spoon.

More children are also using beeswax wraps instead of cling film and are using reuseable containers as lunchboxes.

The youngsters have also said no to using plastic straws and taking their eco-knowledge home to encourage their families to reduce their plastic use.

But the children have their sights set on bigger things as in 2019, the school aims to work within the wider community to make the whole of Dorchester plastic free.

Damers is also taking part in the National Big Battery Hunt which kicked off in early January.

The school will be collecting AAA, AA, C and D in the hopes of bagging prizes including a class trip to the Sustainability Centre in Petersfield and £4,000 for the school.

If you have any batteries you would like to donate to help them achieve their goal, please drop them at the school by April 26.

The school has also expanded its recycling capability by joining forces with water filtering brand, Aqua Optima.

Aqua Optima encourages people to filter their tap water and reduce the use of single-use plastic water bottles.

The company has partnered Terracycle to launch a recycling programme to make it straightforward to recycle used filters and help people live sustainably.

People can now recycle filters at Damers which will not only help the environment but also raise funds for the school.

For more information visit terracycle.co.uk/aquaoptima