A seven-year-old eco-warrior from Brockley has called on a huge arts and crafts company to go green and cut down on plastic waste.

Jessie Stephenson started a petition at the end of September asking Crayola UK to give its customers a recycling scheme – and within weeks, it has racked up nearly 70,000 signatures.

“We never expected it to go quite so crazy,” Jessie’s mum Charlotte told News Shopper.

“Jessie is super keen on the climate change debate.”

Jessie and her 10-year-old brother Sonny are pupils at John Stainer School in Brockley and Jessie’s interest in environmental issues has landed her a place on the school’s Eco-Council.

Charlotte, her husband Matt, Jessie and Sonny also try to make little changes at home to improve their carbon footprint and live a greener lifestyle – including recycling and limiting their meat intake.

But Jessie’s love of drawing means she goes through a lot of felt tips and she became frustrated she could not recycle them.

News Shopper:

Jessie is frustrated she cannot recycle her felt tip pens when she has finished with them. (Charlotte Stephenson)

“We got annoyed with all these pent around the house, and quite a few people had talked to me about the Crayola recycling scheme in America.”

After learning about the US scheme in which customers can deposit their old felt tips for recycling at drop-off points, Jessie wanted Crayola UK to follow suit.

Her petition reads: “I really love using Crayola pens but I don’t want to [use them] now that I know the impact on the environment.

“I care about the environment because we live here and if we wreck it, we won’t get a second chance.

“My school is brilliant and really cares about the environment because they took us to the Climate Change March in London last week.”

Sue Harte, headteacher of John Stainer, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Jessie has been so motivated to do this petition to convince Crayola start recycling in the UK.

“How wonderful that such a young child has the awareness and the drive to do something to make the world better and the support for her has been fantastic.

“We are very proud as a school to be totally supporting Jessie’s petition.”

Jessie received a letter from Crayola UK when the petition for a recycling scheme began to pick up support, but she was not happy with the company’s response.

News Shopper:

Jessie wants more action from Crayola UK (Charlotte Stephenson)

In a video recorded by her mum, Jessie said: “[Crayola] said they would just talk about it and that’s not enough for us.”

She added: “We’re not going to give up.”

Jessie also asked people with leftover felt tips to save them up to deposit through the recycling scheme which she hopes will be implemented soon.

Crayola UK did not respond to a request for comment.

Incumbent MP Vicky Foxcroft has also given her support to Jessie’s campaign after tweeting it out to her followers.

Foxcroft said: "Climate change is one of the main issues young people contact me about. It's their future they are worried about and it's great to see them lobbying for change.

“When Jessica's mum got in touch about her petition I was really impressed to see that it had already attracted more than 65,000 signatures.

“I was proud to add my name and hope News Shopper readers will do the same."