At St Anthony’s Catholic College, caring for creation is at the heart of everything we do.

Following in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi, our students and staff work hard to embed sustainability into daily life - from composting food scraps and running Containers for Change, to finding innovative solutions for waste streams that can’t be recycled.

One of those challenges has been single-use plastic lids. They’re small, tricky to recycle and often end up in landfill or waterways. But our EcoMarine Ambarassador students decided to do something about it - and their solution has just won a gold award on the world stage.

The Forever Pen Project takes washed and sorted lids, shreds them into flakes, and feeds them through a heated extruder machine into moulds. The results? Brightly coloured pens, keyrings and plant pots - each one helping to keep plastic out of the environment.

“Our Franciscan tradition calls us to care for creation, and this project shows how our students are turning that call into action,” said Principal Barry Horner. “It’s inspiring to see their creativity, determination and faith come together in such a practical way.”

The project is guided by Angela Betteridge, Italian and Design Technology teacher, who has been inspired by the enthusiasm of her students.

“It’s been amazing to watch the students lead this project from start to finish - from preparing the plastic, to presenting it at public events,” Ms Betteridge said. “They can see firsthand how small actions make a real impact, and that has been so powerful for their learning.”

Last month, the EcoMarine Ambassador students Islee, Zoe and Amelia represented St Anthony’s at Global Link Australia - an international education event connecting students from around the world to share ideas on waste and climate change. They were the only Catholic primary school in attendance, and their heartfelt presentation won the gold award.

The Forever Pen project began in 2024 when St Anthony’s won Star Radio’s School of the Year competition, providing funds to purchase the extruder and moulds from Precious Plastics Melbourne. Since then, the project has been showcased at Strand Ephemera, Open Day and other community events, with a hugely positive response from the public.
The Forever Pen team also featured at the St Anthony’s Winter Carnival on Friday 22 August, where pens, keyrings, the recycling machines and the gold trophy were on display.

Pens and keyrings are also available year-round at the College’s primary campus office.