Posted on: Friday 3 October 2025
Pupils are helping to reduce food waste, thanks to a competition run by the council’s school catering team.
Fourteen schools took part in this year’s Waste Warriors competition, slashing their food waste by an impressive average of 26 per cent.
As part of the competition, pupils monitored and recorded the amount of food thrown away in their dining halls and planned campaigns to get their fellow pupils to reduce what they throw away.
The winners were pupils from Blaenavon VC Heritage primary school, who organised a hall of fame for pupils who ate all their food and infographics illustrating their reductions in waste.
Blenheim Road Primary School, in Cwmbran, were runners up after they documented how they reduced food waste and created posters for their campaign.
Councillor Sue Morgan, Executive member for Sustainability and Waste, said: “We know that the least nutritious meal is the one that ends up in the food waste bin.
“So here we see pupil power at its best, with pupils influencing both what our caterers serve on the menu whilst also taking on responsibility for encouraging their peers to finish that meal.
“A win for healthy eating, and a win for the environment.”
Nikki Westwood, Eco Coordinator, Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School: "A huge congratulations to our children for winning the Waste Warrior competition.
“Their efforts to reduce food waste have made a real difference, and we are so proud of their achievement.
Thank you to all staff and children for your amazing support and teamwork in helping us care for our world.”
Alison Preece, Eco Lead, Blenheim Road Community Primary School, said:"The Eco Committee chose to take part in the Waste Warriors initiative because they believe it’s vital to encourage children to think carefully about the impact of food waste.
“I am inordinately proud of the children’s commitment, creativity, and teamwork throughout the project – their enthusiasm has been truly inspiring.”
Both schools won an all-day healthy cooking session fof 16 pupils, thanks to funding from the Torfaen Food4Growth partnership. The group also paid for weighing scales for each school taking part in the competition.
The Waste Warriors competition was launched by the council’s catering team in 2023 as a way of making the school meal service more sustainable.
Last month, the schools catering team won a national award for its climate-friendly approach to school meals.
Find out what else the catering service is doing to reduce carbon emissions