Cardboard school's not rubbish

Westborough pupils outside their cardboard club

Have you ever wondered what happens to all your waste paper and cardboard?

The pupils at Westborough School, near Southend in Essex, know exactly where their drinks cartons, cereal boxes and art work waste have gone.

It's all been used to build their new after school club.

Sophie, 11, brought her rubbish to help out: "We put cardboard and old newspapers in a skip and it came back as little slabs that were put together".

Egg white and cereal packs

It's the first permanent building made of 90% recycled cardboard and it's completely fire and water proof.

Rachel, aged nine, explains: "To stop it getting all soggy when it's raining, they put this sort of egg white on it to stop it getting destroyed."

And even the strong cardboard pillars inside are made of cereal packets and decorated with a design based on handwriting by a year six pupil.

Bits of bar code and drinks cartons are visible on the cupboard doors.

Although cardboard buildings have been used before as temporary shelters, Westborough are leading the way for classrooms of the future and this cardboard school has a long life ahead.