News
SORT IT reaches 200 schools!
General
Posted: Oct 16, 2007
Spike the giant wheelie bin has just visited his 200th school, encouraging children to recycle their rubbish as part of the innovative SORT IT schools recycling project.
Spike featured in an exciting pantomime for the children and staff of Rothwell C of E Primary School and attended by Councillor Steve Smith, executive member responsible for environmental services. The pantomime was brought to the children courtesy of BTCV and Groundwork Leeds who deliver the SORT IT recycling project. The play follows the fortunes of a drinks can that nearly ended up in a landfill site, but with the help of the children was put into a recycling bin and became part of a satellite instead!
The children learned about how much of our waste can be recycled and how easy it is to use the green kerbside bins at home to recycle six main things - plastic bottles, plastic bags, paper, cardboard, drinks cans and food cans. They were also given permission to pester their parents into using the recycling bins at home!!
"Schoolchildren are the recyclers of the future and this fantastic project is a great way to instil good recycling habits in everybody who takes part", said Councillor Smith. "I'm sure the children from the 200 schools who have been visited by the SORT IT team will spread the word and encourage their families and friends to pick up the recycling bug too."
Chris Ensor, who has been delivering the project for BTCV for three years now said, "we decided to use pantomime to get the message across as it makes the subject so much fun and is extremely memorable for the children. We want them to see recycling as a really positive thing that they can all do to help the environment."
The SORT IT project, which has been funded by Big Lottery and Leeds City Council, with support from Groundwork Leeds, has spent the last three years visiting all the primary schools in Leeds educating children about recycling and how to make the most of local collection facilities. It's part of a city wide drive by Leeds City Council to improve recycling rates in the city and to get young people to think about the waste we produce.
The project funding officially comes to an end in October, but fortunately Leeds City Council have agreed to support the project until March next year. The focus will be on encouraging schools to get composting schemes going - schools that are interested can contact BTCV on 0113 2430815.
The children learned about how much of our waste can be recycled and how easy it is to use the green kerbside bins at home to recycle six main things - plastic bottles, plastic bags, paper, cardboard, drinks cans and food cans. They were also given permission to pester their parents into using the recycling bins at home!!
"Schoolchildren are the recyclers of the future and this fantastic project is a great way to instil good recycling habits in everybody who takes part", said Councillor Smith. "I'm sure the children from the 200 schools who have been visited by the SORT IT team will spread the word and encourage their families and friends to pick up the recycling bug too."
Chris Ensor, who has been delivering the project for BTCV for three years now said, "we decided to use pantomime to get the message across as it makes the subject so much fun and is extremely memorable for the children. We want them to see recycling as a really positive thing that they can all do to help the environment."
The SORT IT project, which has been funded by Big Lottery and Leeds City Council, with support from Groundwork Leeds, has spent the last three years visiting all the primary schools in Leeds educating children about recycling and how to make the most of local collection facilities. It's part of a city wide drive by Leeds City Council to improve recycling rates in the city and to get young people to think about the waste we produce.
The project funding officially comes to an end in October, but fortunately Leeds City Council have agreed to support the project until March next year. The focus will be on encouraging schools to get composting schemes going - schools that are interested can contact BTCV on 0113 2430815.
