Former pupil, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan recently made a welcome return to Rosemount primary school in County Londonderry to show his support for the school’s involvement in the Jookit.com School Swap Shop. The online platform aims to help reduce waste and offer parents the chance to recycle and swap unused school uniforms and equipment. 

The School Swap Shop initiative, in partnership with Eco Schools, is being supported by the Department of Environment and provides the opportunity for parents to upload unwanted clothing, musical instruments and other school items which their children no longer need. The items are then listed and broken down by area and school, maximising the opportunity for other families to swap or exchange much needed material. 

Commenting on the School Swap Shop initiative Anthony Kieran said, “The idea for the School Shop Swap came from our experience with our own children. We realised how quickly they grew out of clothing and equipment and that they were still very good quality.   School Swap Shop is a win win scenario for both the environment and for families, with reduced waste and savings for parents looking for specific school uniforms or equipment. 

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said:  “This project is an excellent example of partnership working and I commend Jookit.com and the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Eco-Schools’ scheme.

“I fully support the School Swap Shop initiative and the part it will play in preventing waste and minimising the use of primary resources.  My Department’s Rethink Waste programme is aimed at increasing recycling and recovery of materials from the waste stream, diverting them from landfill and maximising their economic value and reducing the impact that waste can have on climate change.” 

Rosemount’s endorsement of the School Swap Shop initiative is just one part of their growing commitment to making their school and pupils environmentally conscious.

Teresa McKeever Nursery Assistant at Rosemount/ ECO Schools commented “Rosemount Primary and Nursery School have always strived to be ECO friendly. We ran an in-school competition to design our ECO Code and as part of that we wrote our own ECO song which we encourage children and staff to sing. We are delighted to part of the JookIt School Swap Shop and would encourage all our parents to get uploading their unused items.”

The School Swap Shop can be accessed by visiting jookit.com/school-swap-shop and following the links. 

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For further information contact Shane Finnegan or Paul McCarthy at Aiken PR