Island schools are cutting down on the use of plastic straws by more than 100,000 a year.

That is the predicted result of one initiative as part of a government-wide campaign to cut down on single-use plastics.

Education Minister Graham Cregeen told Tynwald that schools were carrying out an audit on single-use plastic reduction as part of the government campaign.

But they were already trialling some schemes, ’including the removal of plastic straws on individual milk cartons, meaning the reduction of approximately 102,000 plastic straws per year’.

Mr Cregeen was responding to questions from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew), who wanted to know what schools were doing as part of the government scheme.

Martyn Perkins (Garff) suggested the new Refill Isle of Man campaign, which is encouraging businesses to allow customers to fill up their re-usable water bottles with tap water, could be something that would work in schools.

Mr Cregeen said it would be looked at.