Pupils appeal for local help to win recycling competition

Date published: 16 October 2007

Schoolchildren across Rochdale Borough are urging households to help them win cash prizes and raise money to plant native trees - by simply recycling their old directories.

Over the next six weeks, 19 schools in the borough will be encouraging residents to recycle the bulk of their old  directories via their kerbside recycling bin. The pupils are asking residents to give their school the signed, old front covers to be counted before they are recycled. Schools that collect the highest number of old directory covers per pupil will be awarded a share of £700 cash prizes in the recycling competition.

For every pound awarded to schools, a matching pound will be given to the Woodland Trust. The money will be used to support the charity's 'Tree for All' campaign - the most ambitious children's tree-planting project ever launched in the UK which aims to plant 12 million trees by 2009.

Janice Hix, corporate partnerships manager at the Woodland Trust, said: "What's great about the challenge is that children experience first-hand how they can help the environment. Getting kids excited about trees, together with the animals and creepy-crawlies that woodland supports, is so important if we are to ensure our green spaces are protected now so that everyone can enjoy them in the future."

Free curriculum-linked resources, created especially for the Challenge, are given to every participating school. Kirk, the campaign mascot, features on all the activities and helps educate pupils about the importance of recycling, woodland conservation and caring for their environment.

Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, Councillor Wera Hobhouse said: ''This was a really fun event last year so I'm glad it's happening again. It's great to see young people getting involved - what a great start for our next generation of recyclers!"

Last year, the top honours went to Whittaker Moss Primary School for collecting 5.6 old directories per pupil (see picture). Since the Challenge began in September 2002, participating schools across the UK have helped recycle 1.8 million old directories and helped raise £280,000 for the Woodland Trust.