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Draft storyOn a Gullbrae street

The bottle’s two routes

Two matching bottles take two very different routes.

A draft: the words and pictures are waiting for an educator’s review.

Who’s in it

Meet everyone in Gullbrae

The story

Priya stands on a street pavement holding two matching picture cards of the same clear plastic bottle with a blue cap, while Arthur compares them.

On a street in Gullbrae, Priya held up two picture cards. Both showed the very same plastic bottle.

Priya: “Let’s find out what it’s made of.”

Priya holds two picture cards: on one, the bottle is inside a closed collection container; on the other, the same bottle lies loose on a street.

In the first picture, the bottle went into a closed collection container. In the second, the same bottle had escaped and lay loose on the street.

For grown-ups: The two routes: a plastic bottle that is accepted in a named collection example, such as West Sussex County Council’s, can go to collection, sorting and reprocessing, though that does not guarantee it is recycled. A bottle that escapes as litter may instead move from the street with rainwater towards a burn and possibly the coast. Prevent escape and follow your own council’s current guidance; cap and bin colours are not the rules.

Arthur stands on a railed bridge over the town burn and points downstream, while Priya beside him holds the loose-bottle picture.

On the bridge, Arthur pointed down the burn towards the sea. Rain could wash a loose bottle from the street into the water.

For grown-ups: This is a possible route, not a known one: escaped material may move from a street with rainwater towards a burn and possibly the coast. The pictures do not show where real drains go, where a bottle came from, or how long it takes.

On a railed coastal path, tall Wee Wullie holds a small seabird photo card and talks calmly to Priya.

At the shore, Wee Wullie showed Priya a photo of a seabird. He explained why litter should be kept out of the sea in the first place.

Wee Wullie: “Wee is the nickname. Giving wildlife plenty of space is the important bit.”

Priya, Arthur and Wee Wullie stand behind a railing at a coastal viewpoint and compare two sets of picture cards laid on a ledge.

Priya, Arthur and Wee Wullie laid out both routes side by side. Collection gives a bottle a chance to be recycled, but not a promise.

Buddy the green wheelie bin holds a blue reusable drinks bottle close to his body, while Priya kneels beside him on the coastal path.

Buddy held his own reusable bottle safe and snug. Priya smiled, because the best plan is to keep things from escaping at all.

For grown-ups: The named example is real: West Sussex County Council accepts plastic bottles that are clean, empty and dry, with tops on (checked 20 October 2026). It is an English example, not a rule for Gullbrae or Scotland. The grey container in the pictures does not show a council bin colour.

Draft, 20 October 2026. The words and pictures are not yet reviewed by an educator. The story follows the outline in our story guide.

The real-life bit

West Sussex County Council is one named English example: it collects plastic bottles that are clean, empty and dry, with their tops put back on. That is not a rule for Gullbrae or for all of Scotland, and a bottle being collected does not mean it is always recycled, so check your council’s own rules and keep litter from escaping. Gullbrae is made up. Your council’s own rules are the ones to follow.

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