Wishing good luck to Emma Harmon, Kelynn Keogh and Aimee O’Reilly who are representing Scoil Chonglais in the finals of the STRIPE Young Scientist 2026. The competition runs from Wednesday 7th January to Saturday 10th in the RDS, Ballsbridge.
Their project ‘Biodegradable Fruit Stickers’ investigates the possibility of replacing the single use plastics involved in the packaging and promotion of fruit and vegetables with biodegradable, compostable alternatives.
The students have made recycled cardboard, edible glue, a bioplastic for stickers or packaging and food nets made from nettle fibre. The students have also tested some of the properties of the materials they have made eg tensile strength, water resistance, length of time taken for materials to biodegrade in a composter.
The European Parliament will be banning the use of single use plastics in the sale of fruit and vegetable by December 2030. This makes the research very relevant now.
The exhibition is not just about the science projects on display, there are live demonstrations, interactive zones, stage talks and more exhibitions running continually throughout each day – something for all the family.
It is open to the public Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8.30am – 5.00pm. Our student would love you to call up and visit their stand #4605. They will be happy to answer any questions you have involving their research.
You can check out the STRIPE promotional video on the following link https://youtu.be/mxtLBO8Ots8