Designing change with winning artwork

In an era when recycling is becoming increasingly vital to the health of our planet, we are delighted that our Year 8 student, Isabella E. is making her own impact, as a 'Bin-fluencer', reinforcing our recycling habits in school.

Isabella has won the national design competition held by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), to design an eye-catching artwork for a recycling bin. As one of the UK’s winning ‘Bin-fluencers’, she will receive an iPad and a full-sized recycling bin emblazoned with her winning design, to be used in school.

Alupro works with partners and local authorities to improve collection and recycling rates of aluminium packaging. St Mary's joined in with its Learning Aluminium educational outreach program, and now we can't wait to start using Isabella's bin when it arrives in the new year.

If reading Isabella's story hasn't already made you think about your own recycling habits at home, try reading some of these interesting facts:

• Aluminium is infinitely recyclable - it can be reused over and over again without losing its original quality or properties

• What was once a tin full of baked beans could be reborn as part of an aeroplane, or even a space rocket, such is the efficiency of the recycling process

• Approximately 75% of the aluminium ever used across the globe has been recycled.

We'll show you Isabella's fantastic bin design when, hopefully, it's full to the brim!

December 2025