Picker Pals continues to inspire primary school children to care for their local environment by going on litter-picking adventures and participating in a fun, year-round programme of interaction and activities. By motivating real, practical action, Picker Pals hopes to create a new generation of enthusiastic young environmentalists.

The past year has seen Picker Pals grow and grow, with a whopping 175 schools, 200 classrooms and nearly five thousand children now actively participating in the programme. At least one classroom in every single county on the island of Ireland has joined our crew! We were also delighted to welcome our first international Picker Pals classroom from Langarden School, all the way around the world in Qingdao, China. Thanks to the efforts of our Picker Pal heroes in each and every classroom, a massive 19200 kilograms of litter was picked up in the past year.

How Picker Pals works

Picker Pals provides each participating classroom with fun story and activity books, songs and teacher support materials in either Irish or English.  

The Picker Pack, the heart of the Picker Pals programme, contains adult and child litter-picking equipment and safety clothing. Each child takes home the Picker Pack and goes on a litter-picking adventure in their local area with their family, reporting back to their classmates. They are made from durable, waterproof fabric upcycled from old dinghy sails donated to us by local sailing clubs and manufactured in the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun.

Picker Pals TV, delivered directly to schools via Zoom, provides learning and fun, hosting environmental expert guests, puppets, eco tips and educational content to guide children on their litter-busting journeys. Picker Pals has also delivered bespoke 40-minute anti-litter talks to schools, teaching about all aspects of the littering issue and introducing steps that empower children to reuse more and reduce their level of waste.

Working with a team at Technical University Dublin (TUD), we have developed an anti-litter and recycling game to help children engage with the issues in an interactive way.

Picker Pals’ fun, year-round competitions include environmental quizzes, a pea growing project and a poem and picture competition.  

Get involved!

We aim to bring the Picker Pals programme to every primary school in Ireland. Together, we can create a generation of young people who enjoy taking pride in their environment!

Sign up or find out more on the Picker Pals website here.

We are always looking for sails so please contact us here.