HAVING listened to the views of local schools and following a recommendation by the Council's Managing the Environment Policy Development Group, free recycling is being introduced to local primary schools.

All primary schools in the Mid Devon district will be provided with a fortnightly black box recycling collection, at no charge, from now onwards. Schools will be added to the existing household recycling scheme and will be able to recycle the same materials as households.

Schools can also be provided with a brown wheeled bin for food waste, if required. It is hoped that by encouraging the recycling habit among young people at school, they will take this knowledge home and the habit will be taken on into adult life.

The offer of free recycling has been well received by schools. Schools have previously had to pay for the collection of their recycling as well as their general waste.

It is hoped that free recycling can also be introduced to local higher education schools in the future but this is more complicated to implement due to the volume of waste produced. The Council will contact these schools as soon as they are able to accommodate them.

Portfolio Holder for Street Scene Councillor Ray Radford explained: "It's great that we have been able to absorb the cost of collecting recycling for schools into the recycling budget. We received letters from schoolchildren, asking the Council to provide this service and it's excellent that they are aware enough of environmental issues to want to recycle."

The cost of providing recycling boxes to the schools will be met by Aylesford Newsprint. The company, based in Kent, operates the paper mill that recycles waste paper collected by councils throughout Devon. 

Paper from schools will be sent to Aylesford to be recycled to make fresh newsprint for national and local newspapers.