News & Headteacher Blogs

Learning about waste with Grundon

On Tuesday 29th September we welcomed a team from Grundon, one of the UK's leading waste management and recycling companies, to spend the day with our students and staff.

The Grundon team led a session for each key stage, pitching the content at the right level for each age group. Students heard about the real challenges of managing waste in 2026, from what actually happens to the things we throw away to why some materials are so much harder to recycle than others. It was a valuable chance for our Eco Club Ambassadors and Eco Stewards, as well as key members of staff, to learn directly from people who work with these issues every day.

After the key stage sessions, students from across the school came together to begin work on an action plan for waste and recycling at TDS. This is only the starting point. The plan will be developed over the coming months through the work of Eco Club and our Eco Stewards, and it will feed into the school's wider climate action plan.

Our aim is simple: to use what we have learned to make better choices about how we manage waste here at school, and to help everyone in our community understand how they can play their part.

We are very grateful to Grundon for giving their time and expertise, and we look forward to sharing our progress. 

Planet - Grundon

Sustainability - The Downs School