As part of the AKS Eco Warriors programme, Mr Collings contacted the Eco Town environmental education centre in the autumn to arrange a visit for five Lower Sixth students, alongside Mrs Smith and six members of the Prep School Green Team.
On Wednesday, the group visited Eco Town for a guided tour of the facility. The experience was both interesting and insightful, offering a valuable opportunity to see waste management processes in action. It provided plenty of food for thought, prompting important conversations about sustainability, responsibility and the practical challenges of reducing waste.
Eco Town is an impressive 40-acre facility that receives, processes and transfers household waste from across Lancashire, including residual ‘black bin’ waste and recyclable materials. Its mission is to support a more sustainable future for the county through the efficient management of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
One of only two such facilities operated by Lancashire County Council, Eco Town runs for 16 hours a day and handles waste delivered from transfer hubs across the region. A network of walkways allows visitors to observe the process first-hand, offering a powerful insight into how materials are sorted, recycled and even transformed into renewable energy. The full guided tour, lasting just over two hours, takes visitors through three key areas of the site: Materials, Mechanical and Bio.
The visit provided a meaningful extension to the Eco Warriors initiative, strengthening collaboration between Senior and Prep pupils while reinforcing the importance of informed, responsible action.