We are incredibly proud to announce that Workington Academy has been crowned the Secondary Winner of the CET Innovate 2025 competition!
This year’s challenge asked students across Cumbria Education Trust to create a world-changing environmental innovation, and our amazing team of Year 9 students certainly rose to the occasion.
The Winning Idea: Tyre Tamer
Our student team, made up of Connie, Millie, Sienna, and Tallulah, wowed the judges with their invention: The Tyre Tamer.
The Tyre Tamer is a revolutionary device that fits behind the wheels of cars to collect tyre dust, the single largest source of microplastics entering the environment. Every time a vehicle moves, it sheds tiny particles of rubber, plastic, and chemicals. The Tyre Tamer captures these harmful particles before they pollute our air, soil, or water.
How It Works
The team’s prototype includes:
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A Clip-In Capture Hub: Made from recycled ABS plastic, lightweight and easy to attach.
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Triboelectric Generator: Powers the unit using the car’s motion, no batteries or fuel needed.
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Electrostatic Plates: Pull in and trap even the tiniest particles.
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Cyclonic Separator Vanes: Spin out larger debris to keep the filters clean.
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Recyclable Cartridge: Collects tyre dust, ready for recycling or composting.
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Fill-Level Bluetooth Sensor: Sends real-time updates to your phone with stats on microplastics collected.
The design is not only practical and scalable, but also environmentally responsible, using recycled and biodegradable materials, and minimising manufacturing waste with 3D printing.
Our students demonstrated outstanding teamwork, innovation, and communication throughout the project. Their pitch at the CET Innovate Final impressed the panel of external judges and secured the Secondary Champion title for Workington Academy.
We are so proud of their hard work and ambition to make a real-world difference, proving once again what it means to Be The Best You Can Be.
Well done, Tyre Tamers, and thank you for helping protect our planet’s future.
