Marr College Micro-Tyco Team Fights Food Waste and Insecurity

This term, pupils from Marr College have brought the Micro-Tyco challenge to life with their S3 team, “Too Good To Throw.” Starting with a simple but powerful idea — to ensure that any leftover food from school lunches is made available, free of charge, to families who can benefit from it — the team set out to tackle food waste and food insecurity in their community, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

With seed funding from the WildHearts Schools Programme, the team was able to put their plans into action. They also secured support from Tesco Irvine, negotiating discounted ingredients and gaining behind-the-scenes insight into store operations — all while designing a sustainable plan to deliver weekly cooking classes for local families.

Resourceful and hands-on, the pupils organised fundraising through book donation drives and developed systems to package ingredient hampers safely and efficiently. Every stage of the project — from planning and partnerships to delivery and feedback — has been entirely student-led, reflecting the true Micro-Tyco ethos: start small, think creatively, and make a real-world impact.

Early results highlight the power of youth entrepreneurship: families are learning to cook healthy meals, leftover food is being put to good use rather than wasted, and students are gaining practical skills, confidence, and leadership experience. Too Good To Throw is a clear example of how, when empowered, young people can transform a simple idea into meaningful change.