Wanted: School recycling champions!

A new recruitment drive is looking for green minded pupils to take the recycling message to fellow classmates and their families, as part of National Recycle Week, which runs from 22 – 28 June.

Enthusiastic pupils can now apply to become one of a team of waste recycling advisors for their school.

(Above, pupils at Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School pupils star in Leeds City Council’s recycling film)

The newly created role builds on the success of previous Takeover Days when children and young people have been trained by the council’s expert recyclers to become recycling advisors themselves.

Pupils at Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School are some of the first to successfully apply for the role and will be launching a city-wide recruitment drive as part of Recycle Week 2015.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for environmental protection and community safety, said:

Children and young people are some of our most enthusiastic supporters when it comes to recycling and the environment.

Getting young people on board with the reduce, reuse and recycle ethos linked to the waste services that we provide means they’re helping their council, schools, families and communities reap the environmental and financial benefits of recycling throughout the year, not just during Recycle Week.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive member for children and families, said:

The recycling advisors project is an ideal way to give our children and young people life skills and the knowledge that are crucial to bring about a long lasting change in attitudes and behaviours when it comes to waste.

Good luck to anyone applying to become a recycling advisor, we’re confident that you’ll do your very best and make your school and family proud.

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School was one of the first to recruit recycling advisors. A team of 12 advisors have already been busy in school and have even starred in a new film by the council to encourage recycling.

Wendy Walsh, headteacher at Corpus Christi Catholic primary school, said:

We couldn’t have had a better response when we asked our pupils if they wanted to become recycling advisors.

It’s been so encouraging to see them take ownership of a key issue and to help others at school and home understand why it’s so important to recycle.

It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience for us as a whole school community with pupils being very excited about their opportunity to be stars of the big screen in the recycling film.

If you’d like to find out more about recycling in Leeds, or get involved, you can follow @LeedsWasteDocs on Twitter.