St Anthony’s student Bella Winfield has won a national young inventors' competition and a trip to NASA, with an idea to make toys that are kinder on the environment.   

Bella, 11, who attends St Anthony's Parish Primary School in Wanniassa, entered the fourth year of Origin's Little Big Ideas competition, which encourages children to think creatively about solutions to real world problems.

Bella's sugarcane plastic toys idea was chosen as the winner of the Grade 5-6 category from more than 1000 entries.

Her idea was inspired by a delivery of sugarcane (pulp) bio-plastic water bottles delivered to her school.  

Bella said she loved inventing, designing and thinking about better and different ways of doing things.

Principal Greg Walker said the recognition has provided a great boost to the STEM focus at St Anthony’s and will inspire students to think big.

Bella’s vision is for more sustainable and recyclable toys and to reduce the emissions created in producing polyethylene toys. (Bella’s video submission can be viewed here)