Meet amazing Zoe - the most eco-conscious 9-year-old in Milton Keynes

Pint-sized eco warrior Zoe Marlow was not happy when she saw single-use plastic shoe covers, commonly used at poolsides, being dropped in the rubbish bin at Fitness First in Bletchley.

All parents were asked to wear the covers when dropping their children off for swimming lessons – but there was nowhere for them to recycle them afterwards.

Zoe promptly emailed the gym’s manager and the Fitness First head office, asking if a recycling bin could be provided at the site.

Weeks later she had still not received a reply. But rather than be deterred, she talked with her mum Holly what other actions she could take.

"Zoe created a petition and spent a couple of hours enthusiastically explaining to people at the pool and in the local community why they should sign it,” said Holly, who lives in Bletchley.

"Some were receptive and enthusiastic, others less so. Some people were downright rude to her when they saw her approaching with a clipboard! That was shocking to her, but she persevered and collected several pages of signatures.

Zoe then took her petition to the gym manager and talked her through the impact to the environment and showed her the signatures collected, to demonstrate that lots of people would like the swimming pool to be more sustainable.

She even gave her some stats and quotes she'd found online, explaining that there were reusable options that would save them money in the long run.

Holly said: “Zoe was AMAZING. I'm so proud of her... The manager said she didn't think she could pursue any of Zoe's suggestions about reusable alternatives, saying her hands are tied as it's a franchise and change comes from the head office, but they came to an agreement that a recycling bin would be an acceptable way to reduce the plastic waste if the reusable alternatives Zoe suggested couldn't be implemented.

"So the manager agreed to ask head office if a recycling bin could be installed. And now it has been!”

Holly added: “This has been a really eye-opening experience for Zoe, and quite educational. She's learned that not everyone cares about things that she feels are incredibly important. She's learned persuasive skills and presentation skills. She's learned to research and to summarise. She has had to learn to negotiate and to accept that sometimes success is a compromise.”

"I asked Zoe how she felt about her success and she said: ‘that bin is almost full, so I'm glad that's all going to be recycled instead of going to landfill, but there were better options, so it's a shame they did the bare minimum.’”

Zoe, who is a junior park ranger after being voted into the position by her classmates. She enjoys litter picking in her spare time and is passionate about the environment.

She is now considering launching an online petition for a bigger change throughout the gym and fitness industry.

"Watch this space!” said her mum.

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