Tongs at the ready: Lumen Christi pupils get ready for Clean Up Australia Day

Pupils from all year levels will take part in National Schools Clean Up Australia Day next Friday which will come at the end of a week focussed on the environment and how individuals can have an impact on their surroundings.

As well as the school grounds, pupils, teachers and families will tackle rubbish at neighbouring Doug Dean Reserve and streets surrounding the Delacombe school.

Teacher Leonie Leviston said the reserve was a special place for pupils, who often use it for picnics, sport and a weekly walk around the lake.

"It's a special place for us and obviously if we have rubbish in the playground the first place it impacts is Doug Dean Reserve where it gets in to the water catchment area," Ms Leviston said.

"Taking part in National Schools Clean Up Australia Day is a great way to inspire students to learn about the impact of rubbish on their environment ... and segues in to our 2022 school theme 'we are protectors and nurturers of creation and one another'."

During the week classes will also focus on waste, conducting classroom audits of bins and lunchboxes to see how rubbish can be reduced, and hold a 'nude food' lunch on Friday.

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"The classroom audits each day lead up to Friday when we have a nude food lunch so we are not cleaning up then creating more rubbish," Ms Leviston said.

To cut down on the number of plastic bags used to collect waste, the children will use plastic buckets and tongs, which will be saved and reused, to collect rubbish.

"We are taking it on as a theme for the whole week to help develop social conscience and awareness around the issue of rubbish ... so our children can get out there and do something for the world and be active in that respect, not just to be protectors of creation but ecological warriors in its cause."

National Schools Clean Up Australia Day is on Friday March 4 and Clean Up Australia Day is on Sunday March 6.

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